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The Queen’s Day Care Centre, an independent non-profit organization with spaces for 81 children in its two locations on campus, has been providing high-quality childcare to the Queen’s and Kingston community for over 50 years. The university provides financial support and space for the Queen’s Day Care Centre.

The provision of daycare services across Ontario has undergone change in the past several years arising from the introduction of full-day junior and senior kindergarten. More recent legislative changes also have the potential to affect day care in Ontario. Given these changes, and to better understand the university’s needs in supporting early childhood care and education for its employees and students, a review of the university’s approach to providing this important service for the community will be undertaken. Interim Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Tom Harris has formed a Daycare Working Group, which includes faculty and staff, the rector, a graduate student, and representatives from Student Affairs, Finance, Indigenous Initiatives, and the Provost’s Office.

“The university remains committed to helping members of our community find and afford suitable childcare services,” says Provost Harris. “We do need to better understand the changing landscape of university-supported daycare services.”

The working group will consult broadly with the community, research the on-site day care models at other Canadian universities, collect information about day care centres in Kingston, and invite everyone in the Queen’s community to take part in an open survey early in the winter term. The group will then report to the Senior Leadership Team with recommendations about how to ensure the facilities at Queen’s remain accessible and continue to meet community needs in a financially sustainable way.