Creating Together began as a series of short-term projects organized by parents in the Parkdale community and agency workers who were concerned about the lack of resources for children and their families.
In 1976, Creating Together was incorporated as a non-profit charitable organization with a community-based Board of Directors. They began to secure funds to support a program strategy aimed at healthy parent-child interactions and socialization that reduces the risk of isolation. Short-term grants from a variety of sources sustained the program until the Ministry of Community and Social Services started ongoing funding for the drop-in component of a comprehensive prevention program proposal.
The drop-in was relocated to the Parkdale Community Health Centre for two and a half years, during which time parent volunteers initiated the Food Bank program and the Resource Lending Library. The need for more space led to a move to a storefront location in 1987. A significant rent increase in the next year forced Creating Together to move again. Attendance went up 100% as a result of the highly visible and accessible storefront space. We later moved to our present location at 1497 Queen Street West in the South Parkdale neighbourhood of downtown west end Toronto.
In 2015, Creating Together provided services to 1,290 people that included 685 parents and caregivers and 605 children with 13,211 visits made.
The year 2016 commemorates 40 years of providing free services to families and caregivers with children ages 0 to 6 in the South-Parkdale community.
