Starting in January, Northumberland County begins its transformation of the Ontario Early Years program in the hopes of bringing more diverse services to more children and their parents. But for some, it is a sad departure from a much-loved model at the local YMCA. The reasons for the changes are simple: the Ontario government no longer wishes to run the program, at the same time, it hopes to expand the services for young children and their parents, making it more localized. It will direct the program by providing guidelines, mandates, and some money, but leave it to the local municipalities to execute it. It is a lofty goal for the program, which started 14 years ago in 2003. Continue Reading →
