The Government of Saskatchewan is repurposing child care facilities in schools to provide child care services to support staff in health care and other employees who are delivering services related to the pandemic response, beginning Monday (March 23).

The child care centres in schools have been closed to existing clients as of March 20. Parents in those centres are receiving communication directly from their child care providers about this change.

“We thank the child care providers in schools for working with us during this extraordinary time to provide this essential service for our health care and other pandemic response service employees,” deputy premier and education minister Gordon Wyant said. “We know the impact this change has on families but during these times we are looking for everyone to contribute to the support for the broad community response to the COVID-19 virus.”

Priority for these spaces will be given to staff in health care and other pandemic response workers for infant, toddler, preschool or school age children, that require care as those individuals continue to provide support in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The list of eligible people for the emergency and pandemic response child care spaces includes:

Employees directly related to providing essential services in health care including employees working in hospitals, long-term care facilities, community and primary health, home care, personal care homes, labs, pharmacies, COVID-19 assessment and testing sites, scheduling departments, and payroll departments including nurses, physicians and physician clinic staff, emergency medical services staff, and other staff essential to the operations of these facilities/departments;

Employees working directly in child protection, income assistance, and community living connected to the Ministry of Social Services
Employees working directly in residential services connected to the Ministry of Social Services;

Child care centre employees of licensed child care facilities;

Employees directly related to providing essential services in SaskPower, SaskEnergy, SaskTel, water and wastewater management;

Employees directly related to providing essential services for police and fire.

Note: This is subject to change.

Employers are being notified today to provide information to those workers related to the pandemic. An application and information about the process for those who are delivering services related to the pandemic response is available on www.saskatchewan.ca/coronavirus.

Child care centres not located in schools are able to continue to operate as normal, and government funding will continue to be provided. Any changes regarding closures will be based on the advice of the chief medical health officer of Saskatchewan.