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Important Changes to Parent Relief Program

January 2, 2018 by Melanie

Beginning in January 2018, Ontario’s four child and family programs will be integrated into one common system, under the EarlyON umbrella. This transformation will offer a consistent set of core services across the province. The programs to be consolidated under the EarlyON umbrella are:

  • Ontario Early Years Centres
  • Parenting and Family Literacy Centres
  • Child Care Resource Centres
  • Better Beginnings, Better Futures

As a result, child respite programs are no longer being funded and as a result, the Parent Relief Program previously offered by Creating Together on Wednesdays and Thursdays, will no longer be provided.

While this may be unfortunate for those parents and caregivers who have accessed this service in the past,  there is also a bright side for the province of Ontario: $140 million will be invested into Ontario’s early years system, bringing 100 more EarlyON centres across the province over the next three years. These new centres will be created across the province over the next three years.

For more information on these changes, please visit the following:

  • Early ON Child and Family Centres
  • Canada-Ontario Early Learning and Child Care Agreement

Creating Together will continue to offer a wide range of Programs for Families, as well as Programs for Parents and Caregivers.

Moving forward, if there is a particular need or issue that you are working through as a parent or caregiver, we invite you to attend our Information Session on January 22nd at 1:30pm, or January 25th at 10am. Creating Together Staff will be hearing concerns from the community, to inform programming for the coming year. If you’re unable to make these dates, please contact staff and let them know the areas you need some help with.

 

Filed Under: Announcements, Featured, Uncategorized

Happy Diwali!

November 6, 2017 by Melanie

Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, is an ancient Hindu festival celebrated in autumn every year. The festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair. Diwali celebrations may vary in different communities but its significance and spiritual meaning is generally “the awareness of the inner light”.

 

Observed in accordance with the lunar calendar, Diwali was celebrated on October 18th this year, and across Toronto, various community groups, businesses, schools and associations celebrated. Creating Together was no exception. With over 2000 people identifying as Hindu in the Parkdale-High Park area alone, our local Diwali celebrations fostered a sense of home and community for those who observe the holiday, while also increasing awareness among all of the children, parents and caregivers who observe other holidays. Our student Neetu planned and implemented a number of activities, including decorating paper diyas, and making sure families enjoyed food and sweets.

 

According to Penn State Extension, children begin to notice gender and racial differences at about age 2, gender labels (boy/girl) and colours (including those applied to skin colour) at about 2 ½, and by 4-5 years, they start to display gender appropriate behavior and become fearful of differences.

Diversity activities teach young children to respect and celebrate the differences in all people, while also helping them understand who they are the context of race, ethnic group, culture, religion, geography, language and familial history. It helps them realize that we’re all humans, despite differences in how we look or dress, or what we eat or celebrate. Games and activities offer a fun way for young children to learn about differences and similarities among people and to introduce the concept of diversity. In so doing, we support them in their own identity formation and sense of belonging within the context of a diverse community.

Thank you to all of you who came out to enjoy Diwali with Creating Together this year.

May joy, prosperity, and happiness illuminate your life and your home!

Resources:

Public Broadcasting Sysyem. “Diversity in the Classroom.” Precious Children. www.pbs.org/kcts/preciouschildren/diversity/

Biles, Barbara. “Activities that promote racial and cultural awareness.” In “Family Child Care Connections” edited by C. M. Todd 4(3): 4. Urbana-Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service, 1994. Retrieved September 2012. http://www.pbs.org/kcts/preciouschildren/diversity/read_activities.html

Children book list to celebrate diversity for children: Check out this article by Madh Mama

Filed Under: Featured, Special Activities

Halloween Costume Party!

November 2, 2017 by Melanie

All day on October 31st, children poured into Creating Together with their adorable costumes, enjoying the Halloween decorations and activities that the staff put together for them.

Take a look at these snapshots of some of the fun had!

Where did the costume dressing tradition? Like the tradition of carving pumpkins, this is a Celtic tradition, where people would dress in disguise to fool and ward off the spirits, hoping to protect their land through the upcoming winter. The word Hallowe’en is a modernization of “Hallow Eve”, a name still used by some older people in Ireland to mean All Hallows Eve, the evening before All Saints Day on November 1. Traditionally, this time of year marked the farmer’s festival Samhain, which literally means “summer’s end” – it is also the word for November in Irish and Scots Gaelic.

Here’s another interesting Canadian fact: The earliest known reference to what is now “trick or treating” in Canada, occurs in 1911, when a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, reported that it was normal for the smaller children to go street “guising” on Halloween between 6:00 and 7:00 P.M., visiting shops and neighbors to be rewarded with nuts and candies for their rhymes and songs. The earliest known use in print of the term “trick or treat” appears in 1927, from Blackie, Alberta.

References:

http://canadachannel.ca/todayincanadianhistory/index.php/Halloween

Filed Under: Featured, Special Activities

Connecting with Nature

August 2, 2017 by Melanie

In July, Creating Together took it’s annual field trip to Bronte Creek, a Provincial Park in Oakville that offers trails, children’s farm, huge 1.8 acre pool, playground, and seasonal programming to help connect kids and families to nature. Children, parents and caregivers enjoyed a beautiful day of connection in nature, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

We all see the joy on a child’s face when they go to the park or the beach – but did you know that children today spend less time outdoors than any other generation in human history? A new term was coined in 2005 as “nature deficit disorder“, as a way to describe the cost of this alienation from nature. An expanding body of scientific evidence suggests that nature-deficit disorder contributes to a diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, conditions of obesity, and higher rates of emotional and physical illnesses. Research also suggests that the nature-deficit weakens ecological literacy and stewardship of the natural world. These problems are linked more broadly to what health care experts call the “epidemic of inactivity,” and to a devaluing of independent play (Children’s Nature Network).

Researchers and natural environmentalists have been studying the effects of exposure to nature on children, and have found some interesting results: Engagement with nature has huge benefits for children physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially.

For instance, Adams & Savahl (2017) discovered it has a significant influence on children’s emotional and social well-being, while Pensini, Horn, & Caltabiano, (2016) discovered that early exposure to nature improves one’s mental health as an adult. Would you like to help improve your child’s short-term memory and ability to focus? Another study shows that being in nature for extended periods of time promotes the development of attention skills, while protecting against inattention-hyperactivity symptoms such as (Ulset, Vitaro, et al, 2017). There are also a number of physical benefits, such as improved vision, and reduced risk of obesity.

 

Here are a few other places in Toronto you might want to check out to foster more connection in nature:

  • Visit Evergreen Brickworks, which offers free shuttle buses from Broadview Station, and excellent children and family programming: https://www.evergreen.ca/get-involved/evergreen-brick-works/
  • Enjoy one of the free outdoor festivals or concerts offered at Harbourfront Centre: http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/
  • After being closed due to flooding, Centre Island is now opened, offering a range of fun activities for children and families: http://www.centreisland.ca/
  • Spend a day in High Park, enjoying the trails, trainride, castle playground, zoo, and splash pad: http://www.highparktoronto.com/

Nature Resources and Activities for Children:

  • Free “Nature as a Classroom” guide by the David Suzuki Foundation
  • Free “Nature Explorers Workbook” by the National Recreation and Park Association
  • “Nature Activities for Children” images on Pinterest

Filed Under: Family Playtime, Featured, Special Activities Tagged With: Bronte Creek, Field Trip, Nature

Early Learning with Science

June 26, 2017 by Melanie

Discovering together at the Ontario Science Centre field trip.

Pablo Picasso once said that “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” In an article in Wired Magazine, they presented the idea that the same can be said about children and science, because of how they learn through curiosity and play – and how that innate curiosity can easily be lost as they age.

There is a growing understanding and recognition of the power of children’s early thinking and learning as well as a belief that science may be a particularly important domain in early childhood, serving not only to build a basis for future scientific understanding but also to build important skills and attitudes for learning (K. Worth, 2010).

So how can parents, teachers, and caregivers navigate the fine line between giving kids a taste of fact & knowledge, while also creating a sense of ambiguity and uncertainty? Jonah Leher suggests “When we explain things to kids, we shouldn’t pretend that we have all the answers. We shouldn’t turn science class into a dry recitation of facts that must be memorized, or only conduct experiments in the classroom in which the results are known in advance. Because it’s the not knowing – that tang of doubt and possibility – that keeps us playing with the world, eager to figure out how it works”.

So if you’re ready to take this further, you’d be happy to know that Toronto has some great programs available. Let’s take a look!

Let’s Talk Science

This award-winning, Canadian, charitable organization is focused on education and outreach to support youth development. They create and deliver unique learning programs and services that engage children, youth and educators in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). They are passionate about promoting “science literacy” because doing science develops our ability to ask questions, collect information, organize and test our ideas, problem-solve and apply what we learn. It also offers a powerful platform for building confidence, developing communication skills and making sense of the world around us – a world that is increasingly shaped by science and technology.

They create, test and deliver free curriculum-aligned workshops for children and youth ages 3-17. For a list of sample workshops, check out our hands-on/minds-on workshops. If you’re interested in a specific topic, contact your local outreach site and they’ll work with you to fit the your class or group’s needs.

The Ontario Science Centre

Based on Toronto, the Science Centre is the public centre for innovative thinking and discussion around science and technology, inspiring a lifelong journey of curiosity, discovery and action to create a better future for the planet. Their purpose is to delight, inform and challenge the communities they serve. They enrich people’s lives and their understanding through engagement with science of local, national and global relevance. If you can afford it, a yearly membership starts at $125 (2 adults and 2 children for the year).

Museum Admission Passes

If the cost of entry for the Science Centre is too high for you, consider an early Saturday morning line-up at our local Parkdale Library. Although the library doesn’t open until 9am, the line-up usually starts between 6am-7am on a Saturday morning because of all the free family admission passes they provide the community. The Ontario Science Centre is one of many passes they have available, and allows 2 adults and up to 4 children entry. You might also consider a pass to the Royal Ontario Museum for some science discovery. Don’t forget to make sure your library card is up to date and all fines are paid before you go!

Children’s Discovery Centre

This was Toronto’s only children’s museum, designed and staffed by a team of early childhood development professionals for kids aged 0 to 6 years to play, create, get messy, explore and use their imagination. Although their pilot program is over and their test location is now closed, this wonderful program has decided to launch a fundraising campaign to create a permanent location. To buy a brick and support their initiative, go here: http://www.childrensdiscoverycentre.com/support-us/

Filed Under: Featured, Special Activities

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Creating Together Parkdale Family Resource Centre

Our mission is to support the healthy social, cognitive, emotional and physical development of children 0 to 6 years and their families. We welcome children aged 0 to 6 years and their families/ caregivers to relax and connect with each other and with the greater communities through our many programs.
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