Town offers special youth day program Thursday
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With a one-day strike being planned for elementary teachers with the Thames Valley District School Board on Thursday, many working parents in Tillsonburg will be looking for alternate daycare for their children.
The Town has stepped in to assist parents who may not have options available to them.
“We’re offering a youth day program for school aged children, ages 4-12, who may be affected by the strike on Thursday,” said Jodi Aspden, program coordinator at the Tillsonburg Community Centre. “It’s mostly just to accommodate parents with their childcare needs.”
All Catholic elementary schools in Tillsonburg, including Monsignor J.H. O’Neil and St. Joseph’s schools, will remain open on Thursday and are not a part of the job action.
The special youth day program on Thursday, December 20 begins at 8 a.m. and runs until 4:30 p.m. The cost for the program is $30 with a pizza lunch available for an additional $5 fee.
Children who sign up for the youth day program will enjoy several events and activities to keep them busy throughout the entire day.
“There’ll be skating, swimming, we’re doing a candy cane hunt at Memorial Park and the weather is supposed to be nice so we’re hoping to have some playground time too with the new playground equipment,” said Aspden.
“As well, we’ll be doing some crafts, games and activities.”
There currently is a limit on the number of spots available for the special youth day program, Thursday.
“Right now we can take 30 children. If we have a demand for more, we can wait list them on our program and see if we can make more staff available to accommodate as many as we can,” explained Aspden.
This week students attending elementary schools in Tillsonburg, under the TVDSB, were sent home with flyers to let families know about the special one-day program.
“I think it’s important because we are the community centre and it’s our job to provide services for the members of our community,” said Aspden. “And that’s exactly what we’re doing.
“It should be a great day.”
To register for the special youth day program, visit the Tillsonburg Community Centre Customer Service Desk or call (519) 688-9011.