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Home My WebLink AboutThe Huron Expositor, 1988-12-07, Page 5Day care issue revived ® public input sought People who want or need more day-care opportunities in Huron County are being given a chance to be heard. A day-care issue which was much talked about in county news earlier this year has been once again brought to the public's attention. In June of 1988 Huron County Council voted down a proposal from th'e Social Ser- vices department to initiate a new day-care program. The new program would have created day-care spaces for about 25 children, and would have been a pilot pro- gram for a farther reaching future day-care system, The Huron County Community Child Abuse Coordinating Committee (CCACC) was disappointed with council's decision, and on June 27 sent them a letter asking that councillors either resolve the problems they had with the proposal, or offer an accep- table alternative. on October 6 the CCACC received a response from County Council stating "there are not sufficient reasons for starting The Private Home Day Care Program at this time." The CCACC is unsatisfied with this response, and has recently been making a public appeal that those Huron County residents who would like to see, or need to have, day-care service available, write the CCACC. The proposal which was turned down was for The Private Home Day Care Program. John MacKinnon, administrator for the Social Services Department, was among those who spent a year helping to put a pro- posal for the program together. Basically, he says, there are three ap- proaches you :..an take to establishing day care in a community. You can build a new day care centre, yu can purchase space in existing buildings, or, as his proposal sug- gested, you can use the private home system. With the private home system people who offered their homes as available for use as day-care space would be screened, and suitable applicants found. Mr. MacKinnon says the advantage of this is that space can be made as it is needed and where it is need- ed. Under the proposal, one person would be chosen as a coordinator and would be responsible for screening applicants, mat- ching children to homes, and putting together programming activities. The pilot program would have cost the county $16,482 , which is 20 per cent of the total proposed budget. The other 80 per cent of the budget would be paid for by the province. The program was targeted at locations, such as rural areas, where there are no ex- isting day-care facilities, and was aimed at low wage earners and people currently on assistance. It is Mr. MacKinnon's belief the program would actually be. a financial asset, because it could allow people to get off assistance. "We worked on that (proposal) for over a year and we saw situations where parents Would quit work because they couldn't af- ford a babysitter on a five or six dollar -an - hour job, so they'd go on welfare." Mr. MacKinnon believes the councillors' fear of universal free daycare was more the program's stumbling block than was fun- ding. Low wage earners could be eligible for the day-care service free, and a fear was ex- pressed that eventually the service would be provided free for all, with costs paid by the county. However, Mr. MacKinnon says in the proposal there were certain criteria to be met before a person qualified for free day-care. Mr. MacKinnon calls council's decision regarding the program a strictly political one. He thought he would hear an outcry from the public when Private Home Day - Care was vetoed, but didn't get complaints. "The people who would benefit from the program don't have a group to speak for them, and they won't speak up for themselves," he explains. County politicians said they didn't see a need, and the lack of a public appeal sup- ported their stand. "There were no complaints so I must have made the right decision. If I was a politician that's what I'd say," remarks Mr. MacKinnon. The Social Services Department is not currently involved in trying to have the pro- gram resurrected. We put a proposal in and it didn't meet with approval. The ball is in someone else's court now," says Mr. MacKinnon. He says if the current county council wanted to look at Fire emergency number omitted from phone book By some mistake the fire emergency number for Seaforth was left out of Bell Canada's London/St. Thomas and Goderich phonebook for 1989. The Seaforth Fire Department is having stickers made up, which contain the number, and which can be stuck on phones in the area. The stickers will soon be distributed. In the meantime the emergency number can be found on the third page of the blue phone book published by Signal Star Publishing. It is listed under emergency numbers, or under its regular "Fire emergency" listing. The number is 527-1100, or eleven - hundred. LOCAL CRAFTSPERSONS Debbie Hill, Michael Stoll, Jannette Stoll and Yenny Dimaline, hosted a craft show and sale Saturday on Wilson Street. The group, which call themselves Hobby Delight, have been working towards their show for five weeks. Mcllwraith photo. RING IN YOUR CHRISTMAS Let Siffari ring the chimes for you this Christmas with one of these outstanding original rings created and crafted by Siffari exciting, alive, fresh, individual. See The comptete Siffarl Collection At SEAFORTH JEWELLERS 47 Main St., Seaforth 527-0270 Rey Anstett, Proprietor the proposal it would be available, but he doesn't see that happening without public pressure. Currently in Huron County there are day- care centres in Goderich, Wingham and Tuckersmith. Mr. MacKinnon says this county is one of the few areas of the pro- vince that does not have day-care on a county -wide basis. There are nursery schools, and they serve a need for many peo- ple, but he says in many cases they are not convenient for working parents. They are sometimes only available limited periods of time - such as just mornings, or a couple days a week - and they may require parents to come in and volunteer work a couple days -something which may be impossible for working parents. Mr. Mackinnon says through a year and a number of proposals the Social Services Department showed there was a need for Private Home Day -Care in Huron County. He thinks county council was not clear on what the program's implications would be down the road, and councillors may have felt they would be eventually providing a 'free service. The Community Child Abuse Coordinating Conunittee is looking for public input on this matter, and can be reached c/o Box 456, Goderich, Ontario, N7A.4C7. THE HURON EXPOSITOR, DECEMBER 7, 1988 — 5A segirmatrAstRisarrissirzittosiusimAli CORRESPONDENTS NEEDED FOR KIPANDPEN BRUCEFIELD What's happening in Kippen and Brucefield? The Expositor needs someone to submit the news of the two villages. If you think you might like to try, give Heather a call at 527-0240 for more details. r Huron I. xpositor 527-0240 PLAIN OR GARLIC STOREMADE SAUSAGE LB. RUMP, 'LOIN TIP OR STEAK 69 ROAST MEDIUM GROUND BEEF - LB. 79 LB. 1 CHICKEN BREASTS 1 HAYTER'S FRESH 19 IP1SEYSOreekend!! 527-1 BE READY FOR CHRISTMA FORD NEW HOLLAND "PERFECT MATCH REPLICAS" 1/64 NH SKIDSTEER 6.40 1/64 FORD TRACTOR W/LOADER 7.50 1/16 FORD 1920 TRACTOR 21.95 1/32 VERSATILE 256/276 29.45 1/32 FORD 7710 11.73 AW FARM SUPPLY LTD. ]••■J 527-0245 WALTON 887-6365 TRIANG L_E DISCDUNTmnen II ROIL 30" : 400" 249 CHRISTMAS WRAP • sumo NOM CHRISTMAS CARDS 25% OFFI AEROSOL - 233 G. 49 MAKE IT SNOW • MOMS PCR 0' GOLD. 450 G. L91 CHOCOLATES V • ALLAN'S, PACKAGE OF 12 99 CANDY CANES 400 0. TURTLES CHOCOLATES 64t ALLAN'S, 200 0. • MISTY MINTS 7 A9 2:* CREST DECORATOR PUMP, 100 ML. TOOTHPASTE FOR KIDS e4 100 MS. PWS 'ONUS PUMP 5?' 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