Vaccine eligibility for child-care workers brings relief in Windsor

Staff atlicensed daycare centres across the province are now eligible to receivevaccines against COVID-19, but it's a move some daycare workers and families have been calling for since the vaccine rollout began.

"This pandemic has really showed us how essential child care is, not only of asociety but for the community that we live in," said Karen Thibert, an early childhood educator at Windsor's Delta Chi Child Care.

So far the daycare has not yet had a case of COVID-19. But Thibert saidshe is disappointed the provincial government delayed vaccination for daycare workers, given that child carehas remained an essential service for families throughout the pandemic.

"We have been open and front-line since day one, working long hours tomaking sure our cohorts aren't broken and our kids are kept safe. We're in such close proximity with young, young kids who aren't even allowed to wear PPE yet because they're so little," she said.

The provincial government saidTuesday that child-care workers would be eligible for vaccination starting on Thursday.

But the workerswere eligible a little sooner here in Windsor-Essex. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit(WECHU) opened up appointments for those workerslast Friday.

Marla Coffin has a two-year-old daughter in daycare at Delta Chi. She saidshe is glad workers are able to get their shots.

Her primary concern around sending her child to daycare duringthe pandemic has been the contact with other family bubbles, she said.

"The fact that we could be in many, many circles from people who are or aren'trespecting the guidelines it's hard to say, we'll never know that has been a more predominant concern for us in sending ourdaughtercontinually to daycare throughout the pandemic."

She said she understands the challenge ofassigning vaccine priority across society, but said the sooner the workerscould have been vaccinated, the better.

"I would have have liked to haveseen them vaccinated sooner. I think it would have instilled additional comfort for them as workers and as employees who need to protected because they are essential," she said.

WECHU is using its own vaccination registration system rather thanthe provincial booking portal. Those currently eligible can register at WEvax.ca

Child-care workersmust bring a letter from their employer verifying that they work at a licenced child-care setting to their appointments. Those eligible include employees and students on placements who interact directly with children andlicensed home child care and in-home service providers.