A new childcare center in St. George will open its doors for the first time on Monday.
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Little Learners, operated by the St. George Children’s Centre, will welcome 26 toddlers and preschoolers from the community.
“This collaboration highlights how working together enables us to provide the best services to our residents,” Brant County Mayor David Bailey said in a prepared statement. “We are excited to open the doors of Little Learners of St. George Children’s Center and embark on this exciting journey of shaping young minds and empowering future generations.
“We are deeply grateful to our partners, supporters, and the entire community for their unwavering support.”
Brantford City Coun. Linda Hunt said the additional childcare spaces in the community is another step forward in ensuring that families have access to affordable childcare allowing parents to work or pursue their education with peace of mind.
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“I want to extend my gratitude to St George Children’s Centre, city staff and all those who worked diligently to make this possible,” Hunt said. “By investing in our youngest residents, we are investing in the future of our community.”
The center is part of a plan to open 985 new childcare spaces by 2026 through Building Kids Up, Brantford-Brant 10 Year Child Care and Early Learning Plan. The plan is supported by the federal/provincial Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care initiative.
The plan has created 175 new community-based spaces for children up to five-years of age in Brantford and Brant County. The spaces have been opened through expansions of existing childcare centers and the opening of new home-based licensed spaces.
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Plans call for 481 additional community-based spaces and 328 school-based childcare spaces to open over the next three years. The school-based spaces will open at Banbury Heights Public Elementary School, Cobblestone Public Elementary School, the new West Brant Public Elementary School, Sainte-Marguerite-Bourgeoys Catholic Elementary School and St. Padre Pio Catholic Secondary School.
Local families can apply to Little Learners or other licensed childcare through OneList BrantfordBrant at brantford.onehsn.com/ux_2_0.
Families can apply to as many centers as they like with one account, as well as browse for locations on a map, learn about each childcare center, and determine if lower fees are available through the federal/provincial early learning and childcare initiative.
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