YMCA Northumberland has finally opened its new daycare centre in Warkworth on Old Hastings Road. Today it has 15 children in its care and will soon be full with 47 youngsters.
Eunice Kirkpatrick, President and CEO of YMCA Northumberland, said the new centre, which is located in a renovated restaurant space, is accepting children currently on the long waiting list and will take toddlers and kids up to five, but could handle a few infants.
The renovations were completed in the summer, but licensing regulations and staffing led to delays. This morning when I checked it out there were several kids playing happily in the fenced in area out back.
Last Friday, Northumberland County also announced the opening of 30 spaces in Port Hope and five in Cobourg. Eventually, the three centres will fill 82 spots in addition to the 50 just opened, once additional staff has been hired. There are more than 10 job openings to be filled. You can apply here.
“We're very happy with the response of the community,” Kirkpatrick said. “I really think it reflects the need for child care.”
“This progress would not have been possible without the strong collaboration of our partners,” said Lesley Patterson, the county’s early years services manager.
These spaces are part of a broader expansion initiative by the county, in partnership with the federal and provincial governments, local municipalities and community organizations. The county plans to add 404 spaces by the end of 2026.
“This expansion is not just about meeting current needs,” Patterson said. “It is also about ensuring that future generations of children have access to the best start in life through high-quality, inclusive early childhood education.”
The expansions received nearly $1.7 million from Ottawa and Queen’s Park that paid for construction and renovation. The government funding couldn’t be used to purchase new space, for some reason that I don’t understand, so the YMCA purchased the building and the county used the funds to renovate the space.
"The investment from our provincial and federal partners has been instrumental in helping us meet the growing demand for child care in our community," says Warden Brian Ostrander."
I wrote about the efforts to increase the supply of daycare spots last June.
Library board will pay for Hastings signage
I wrote last week about the decision by Trent Hills council to use $20,000 from the Hastings Hydro Fund to pay a chunk of the $34,000 cost of a digital display sign, a building sign, and a parking sign at the Hastings branch of the Trent Hills Library.
At the end of the council meeting it wasn’t clear where the remaining $14,000 would come from. However, at its meeting on Thursday, the library board agreed that it would foot balance of the bill for signage and installation, says Graeme Peters, Chief Librarian and CEO.
You can read all Trent Hills News stories on my website here.