Windsor West MPP Lisa Gretzky says she's looking for alternatives to keep a preschool program at John McGivney Children's Centre open.
The program caters to children with special needs, including sometimes severe medical challenges and the announcement that the program is closing at the end of August has left families scrambling.
Gretzky says the City of Windsor used to provide the program with a block of funding but stopped when the Ministry of Education took over jurisdiction. Ministry officials informed the city it was not in compliance with legislation and was risking funding for all subsidized daycare spots. As a result, the program lost $360,000 in funding.
A letter from Gretzky to Education Minister Liz Sandals reads: "I would urge that all possible avenues be exhausted to make up any funding shortfalls and keep the program in operation. This may include amending the eligibility criteria for subsidized childcare to better reflect the uniqueness of this preschool program and the sensitive incomes of families raising children with special needs."
"Those families are basically being assessed the same as someone in my shoes whose kids didn't have special medical needs," says Gretzky. "I think that that's a really unfair way for the ministry to force municipalities to look at the situation."
In addition to asking the Ministry of Education to reconsider, Gretzky says the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care should also provide funding. "These children have very specific medical needs," she says. "So I don't think it's a stretch for the Ministry of Health to be involved and possibly look at funding some of the programs for these families as well."
In the meantime, an online petition also calls for the Ministry of Education to restore funding. So far, it's collected 5,000 signatures. Gretzky hopes a paper petition also takes off so she can present it to the Ontario Legislature.
