Playground outside Robert Moore School where a new child care facility is to operate this September.
Childcare centres in Fort Frances are expected to open by the end of September.
They’re to be located in Robert Moore School and the St. Mary School and managed by the Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board.
Chief Administrator Office Dan McCormick says four classrooms formerly used by kindergarten students are being used at the Robert Moore site. Work is underway on the necessary renovations.
“Two have minimal work. Two have quite major work. The major work, we’re looking at doing this through September to December and then opening the infant program there in January 2020,” says McCormick.
McCormick says they have approvals for the two Fort Frances centres as well as the one to be set up in Rainy River. That centre will be included in the new consolidated school the Rainy River District School Board is working on. Another is to be set up at Donald Young School in Emo but McCormick says they are still waiting on provincial approval to proceed.
“However, the cost analysis and the plans have been developed. Similarly in Atikokan, the plans have been developed. They’re working on doing the final costing.”
Atikokan’s new child care facility will be located in the consolidated K-12 school planned for that community.
While the DSSAB works through the physical structures, the hiring of staff is also continuing.
“We’ve done our supervisors, our resource teachers and our cooks. We’re just now doing all are ECEs, our early childhood educators,” says McCormick.
