Help shape current and future child and family services in Northumberland

Cobourg, ON – March 10, 2025 – Parents and caregivers of children ages 12 and under and soon-to-be parents are invited complete an online survey to share their needs and experiences with local child care and family services for the chance to win a $25 gift card. Northumberland County’s Early Years Services survey will help inform the delivery of current and future child and family services in our community, including licensed child care, EarlyON Child and Family Centre programs, child care fee subsidies and more.

Data collected through the survey will support the development of Northumberland County’s Early Years Services 5-Year Plan for 2026-2030. This plan will explore ways to enhance local Early Years services, direct resources to areas of greatest need in our community, and ensure services continue to suit the evolving needs of local families.

“Our community continues to experience a high demand for child and family services,” states County Early Years Manager Lesley Patterson. “At the same time, the Early Years sector is facing workforce shortages throughout Ontario. However, despite these challenges, Northumberland County has been working closely with our program and child care providers to enhance services and expand our existing stock of licensed child care spaces to meet the needs of our growing community.”

“Between the end of 2022 and 2024, the County increased the number of licensed child care spaces in Northumberland by 35 per cent, and we are on track to open 404 new high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive early learning and child care spaces across the county by the end of 2026. As we continue to expand services, we would like to hear from families to better understand which types of services they need, where they need them, and how we can better meet their needs.”

Families are encouraged to complete the survey by Friday, April 11th to be entered for a chance to win one of five $25 gift cards. For more information and to take the survey, visit JoinIn.Northumberland.ca.

Track the County’s performance in delivering on child care expansion efforts by visiting our online performance dashboard at Northumberland.ca/Dashboard.