The province of Ontario has approved expansion for a kindergarten addition and a child care centre at Scott Young Public School in the village of Omemee, the area’s MPP announced Friday.
Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott said the province has given the Trillium Lakelands District School Board approval to proceed to tender a two-room kindergarten addition and a child-care centre for the school on Walnut Street in the village.
The $5.9-million project includes additional funding of $2.4 million, says Scott, creating 104 new kindergarten spaces and 49 new child care spaces.
The board said the kindergarten addition is a key step in the closure of the aging Lady Eaton Public School and a consolidation with Scott Young PS, which was first approved in 2017.
Built in 1956, Lady Eaton PS at nearby James Street North currently accommodates students in kindergarten to Grade 3. Students were initially planned to be transferred for the start of the 2018-2019 school year. However, amalgamation plans were put on hold due to provincial funding delays.
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Scott Young Public School, which opened in 1993, currently serves Grades 4 to 8 students. The goal is to have a kindergarten to Grade 8 facility by 2024. The school is named after the resident and former journalist. His son is rock music icon Neil Young who also grew up in the village.
Scott also noted the new child care centre at Scott Young PS will feature three rooms and an EarlyON child and family centre, offering 49 new child care spaces.
“This is great news for the families whose children will attend Scott Young Public School,” she said.
School board director of education Wes Hahn said the board is excited to develop the new spaces for Omemee and the surrounding area in the City of Kawartha Lakes.
“The new addition and retrofits to the current spaces at Scott Young Public School will allow us to accommodate more students and have dedicated spaces for both child care for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, as well as EarlyON,” Hahn said.
Education minister Stephen Leece said the funding is part of Ontario’s commitment to provide $14 billion to support school construction, repairs and renewals over the next decade.
“Our government is investing $14 billion over ten years to build new schools, improve existing facilities and create child care spaces to ensure young people can reach their full potential,” Lecce said.
“By building the new state-of-the-art child care centre and kindergarten rooms at Scott Young Public School, as well as investing in tutoring and mental health supports for the year ahead, we are getting students in Omemee back on track now and well into the future. While we make progress building this Scott Young PS addition and retrofit to support hard-working parents, we remain committed to keeping students in more normal classrooms with extra curriculars, sports, and clubs.”
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