Dear Committee Members,

We are writing to express our support for the applictions submitted by Ms. Sally Hooper regaring 14 Verral Avenue and 21 Busy Street. We are residents and parents from the community.

The prospect of the creation of a licensed day care at this location is an exciting one. The specific property we feel is very appropriate for a day care given the size of the building and the complimenting adjacent open space at 21 Busy street. A property like this is very hard to find in a community setting (i.e.: non-industrial) and indeed Mighty Kids had been searching for a location for a long time before this site became available. Given that this property is set amongst a typically Lesliville mix of uses, if approved we know Mighty Kids will easily become part of the eclectic character of the Queen East and Carlaw area. Of course, one of the principal advantages of this site site for families is its proximity to transit and its accessibility by foot from our homes.

Mighty Kids provides an excellent community-based service. The staff support the kids in becoming active members of their community by regular trips to the recreation centre, pool and parks, and they work hard to create a safe, fun and engaging environment on-site. The high-quality care that Vicky, Sally and their staff provide for the kids is appreciated by parents on a daily basis.

There has been a lot of press lately about the deficit of licensed child care spaces and the reliance of Toronto families on inconsistent unregulated home cares. The need has always been great in Leslieville and with the recent closing of the Woodgreen Win Harris day care centre the community has lost desperately needed licensed infant daycare spaces. Navigating the ministry licencing and municipal property approvals processes is a challenging and expensive proposition for this small business, but we are very grateful to Sally and Vicky for their efforts. Allowing for the development of the Mighty Kids day care at this location will increase the child care options for those many families who are on waiting lists and we believe will contribute positively to the immediate and broader neighbourhood.

We hope the committee will approve the application before them today. Regards,

Leslieville Area Parents"