The Manitoba government is working to keep some child-care centres operating during the fight against COVID-19, in order to support the heroes on the frontlines.
Families Minister Heather Stefanson says there are still health-care and other emergency service employees in need of child care.
The province is calling on licensed child-care facilities that want to re-open, or that have spaces available, to reach out by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
“It is not too late to step up and help out, whether you are operating in a child-care centre or in your own home,” said Stefanson. “Our government is providing financial support to child-care centres and early childhood educators during this difficult time, and we will continue to support the child-care sector so that we can help ensure health-care and other emergency services workers can continue working during this pandemic.”
In support of social distancing guidelines, child-care facilities are limited to only 16 spaces, however, some larger centres with separated rooms can be allowed more.
To apply for child-care space, you can fill out the form here. All requests should be submitted by Wednesday, April 8, so that they can be prioritized for placement. Keep in mind, this is only for health-care and other emergency services workers, such as:
- health-care providers,
- emergency service providers,
- corrections workers,
- law enforcement workers,
- and direct social services and child protection workers.
Beginning Tuesday, April 14th, the province is opening up child-care space requests to parents that work in critical services. This includes:
- support staff at hospitals and clinics,
- grocery store staff,
- farmers and farm workers,
- construction workers,
- bank or credit union employees.
As of April 14th, parents in the sectors listed above that have been unable to find childcare space will be able to find out which facilities have availability by visiting the Manitoba government website.
