Community Partnerships Key to Expanded Trenton MFRC Child Care Services

Magazine Article / November 21, 2019

The Trenton Military Family Resource Centre (MFRC) has expanded its presence in the Quinte, Ontario region, adding its fourth child care location to the village of Batawa (north of 8 Wing Trenton), where there is a notable presence of military families in the village and in nearby Frankford.

The official grand opening and ribbon cutting took place on Wednesday, September 11, 2019, although there are already 22 children enjoying this beautiful, bright, open and modern space.

In order to meet the ongoing demand for licensed, flexible child care at 8 Wing, the MFRC Board of Directors and staff worked closely with the Batawa Development Corporation to open this new facility. The expansion, which increases the MFRCs child care capacity by more than 70 spaces for children from infants to school age, occupies a significant space on the first floor of the former Bata Shoe Factory, now home to the Batawa Lofts residential units. Priority will be given to military families, although child care is also available for civilian families.

The provision of high quality child care is critical to RCAF operations; this is just one success story that shows what is possible through innovation and successful community partnerships. Many RCAF personnel and families are aware that childcare centres are provincially regulated, what they may not know is that MFRCs cannot use public or non-public funds to run their full-time childcare centres. Rather, MFRCs must rely solely on provincial and local grants, fundraising dollars and user fees to fund daycare spaces. The best way to provide your input to your local MFRC is to attend the Annual General Meeting (they are open to anyone in the military community) or speak to a member of your local MFRC Board of Directors. You can find out more about your local MFRC at www.cafconnection.ca.

Call the Family Information Line at 1-800-866-4546

Email the RCAF Family Support Team at +RCAFFamily_familleARC@forces.gc.ca