Safety Measures Implemented at Local Child-Care Centres

Following an SUV crash into a child-care centre in Richmond Hill, Ont., last week that resulted in the tragic death of a toddler and injuries to nine others, a local child-care facility in Waterloo took immediate action to install barriers around its premises.

St. John’s Christian Nursery has two playgrounds; one faces the parking lot of the centre while the other is situated within a shared parking area used by a senior’s home and Trillium Lutheran Church.

Christine Helgerman, director of St. John’s Christian Nursery, shared with that she and her team had been considering safety measures before, but after the Richmond Hill incident- which led to charges against a 70-year-old man- they felt compelled to act quickly upon receiving new guidelines from the province.

“We were in a situation where we need to do something and we need to do something quickly because our whole playground is in the middle of a parking lot,” she said.

Landscape boulders at St. John’s Christian Nursery School have been placed around the facility’s playground areas, which face the parking lot. (Carmen Groleau/CBC)

Helgerman noted that parents have responded positively about the newly installed barriers, mentioning they too were concerned about their children’s safety after what happened in Richmond Hill on September 10.

“They were so glad that we had swiftly moved on a solution,” she said.

In Guelph, staff at Wellington Early Learning Centre located within Taylor Evans Public School communicated via email with parents regarding updates on drop-off and pickup protocols.

“We kindly ask parents not to park along the curbside when dropping off or picking up their children,” said Saima Raheel, senior supervisor of the centre.

“To support this, our staff will no longer be using the visitor parking spaces, so these spots will remain available for families during drop-off and pickup times.”

Ministry’s directive to child-care centres

A recent memo from Education Minister Paul Calandra encouraged licensed daycares across Ontario to implement safety measures by setting up barriers for child protection.

“You may wish to use pylons, signage, temporary barriers or staff vehicles to block these parking spaces and keep them inaccessible during the hours of child care operation,” said the letter sent out on Monday to all child-care centres.

“We expect all licensees to make every effort to implement these safety measures promptly.”

One of St. John’s Christian Nursery’s is in the middle of a shared parking lot, which sees a lot of traffic. (Carmen Groleau/CBC)

Helgerman expressed concern that some childcare centres might find themselves unclear about what types of temporary barriers are permissible under these new guidelines and whether there will be more formal solutions from officials soon.

“I think a lot of operators are waiting for more direction from the minister on what’s going to be acceptable and if there’s going to be any funding for this.”

In his correspondence, Calandra stated that his office would explore various options “to make it as easy as possible for licensees to install these barriers.”

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