Local Child-Care Facilities in Waterloo Region Adapt Safety Measures

After an SUV crashed into a child-care centre in Richmond Hill, Ont., last week, resulting in the death of a toddler and injuries to nine others, a child-care centre in Waterloo took swift action to install barriers outside its premises.

St. John’s Christian Nursery features two playgrounds, one facing the parking lot and another located within a shared parking area that serves both a senior’s residence 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 the tragic Richmond Hill incident-where charges were laid against a 70-year-old man-and recent guidance from the province prompted them to act quickly this week.

“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 mentioned that parents have given positive feedback regarding the newly installed barriers, expressing their concerns about their children’s safety after the Richmond Hill event on September 10.

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

Meanwhile, staff at Wellington Early Learning Centre located within Taylor Evans Public School reached out to parents via email about new drop-off and pickup procedures.

“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 new memo from Education Minister Paul Calandra urged licensed daycares across Ontario to take necessary steps in implementing barriers for children’s safety.

“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,” stated the letter sent out on Monday.

“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 her concern that other child-care centres might find themselves unclear about what kind of temporary barriers they can put up while also wondering if there will be more formal guidance 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 letter,Poor customer service can lead consumers toward seeking other alternatives;‘Calandra noted’ ‘the ministry will explore different options’ ‘to “make it as easy as possible for licensees to install these barriers.”‘

“This includes any necessary legislative or regulatory changes to remove municipal or landlord restrictions that currently prevent the installation of protective barriers.”

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