PEC Needs Child Care
PEC NEEDS CHILDCARE
The accessibility and availability of care for the future generations of Prince Edward County should be a priority for all members of our Municipal council.
In the lead up to the 2022 Election, we formed the PEC Needs Child Care (PECNCC) Working Group to advocate for action on our community's child care crisis by conducting and disseminating the results of our Municipal Candidate Survey to share with voters the extent to which elected candidates will advocate for solutions.
We also gathered the perspectives of 105 parents and primary caregivers in our Community Survey and shared the results to help document the nature and impact of the child care shortage on Prince Edward County families, and to inform future advocacy efforts.
From 2022-2025, we continued to engage with elected representatives and other community stakeholders to advocate for solutions to the child care crisis in Prince Edward County, culminating in our participation in the Municipality's 2025 Child Care Task Team (see October 2025 Child Care Action Report).
In March 2026, we "sunsetted" PECNCC. While there is still progress to be made, we are proud to have played a small role in bringing attention to this critical issue, and heartened to see the growing number of solutions being explored and implemented by a range of actors. To stay in the loop, visit the County's Childcare Task Team Have Your Say page.
Who We Are
What We Want
Actions
The PEC Needs Child Care Working Group (PECNCC) was a collective of concerned local parents that existed from 2022 - 2026.PECNCC was created out of a shared struggle trying to find local care for our children in the face of a frustrating lack of options in Prince Edward County. Through messenger conversations and informal meetings at Benson Park, we resolved to meet this crisis head-on, and work towards finding creative solutions for our community and our kids.
PECNCC members: Rebecca Dunning, Andrea Dawes, Leah Garfield Wright, Jocelyn Wattam, and Lindsey Van De Keere. We all live, work, and raise children in PEC.
Licensed Childcare availability that reflects our current population's needs and allows those living in PEC with small children to work where they live.
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October 5/22 - Campaign Letter and Survey request sent to Municipal Election candidates.
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October 2022 - Candidate Survey results disseminated via social media and on website
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October 10/22 - Community Survey disseminated to parents/primary caregivers via online channels
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October 31/22 - Interviewed in Picton Gazette Article on the Child Care Crisis
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Nov 2022 - Parent & Primary Caregiver Survey results published on PECNCC website and disseminated via social media attention to the issue
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March 2023 - Spoke at Municipal Council meeting to advocate for space being allocated to child care services when the Queen Elizabeth School building is redeveloped
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March 2023 - Met with PELASS to discuss child care funding & expansion in PEC
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2024 - Advocated in favour of a Municipal proposal to launch a child care site at the Athol Town Hall
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2025 - We participated in the Municipality of Prince Edward County's Child Care Task Team to help explore ways the municipality could help address the shortage of child care for local families, including sharing an Employer Survey
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March 2026 - Sunsetting of PECNCC.
