February 2025

Hello Muskoka Early Years Professionals! 💗💗💗

I was going to focus on the themes of family and love this month however the often-overused term of RESILIENCE keeps popping into my mind. It could be all the wild politics, the never-ending snow or the limited daylight that have steered me in this direction. Resilience is the ability to recover from adversity, adapt to challenges, and grow stronger in the process, something about this just seems to sit right with me right now. You may also know it as GRIT and living through the winter in Muskoka sometimes calls for a lot of it!

The Canadian Mental Health Association notes on their website: “January and February have reputations for being some of the least favorable months when it comes to mental health. When the excitement of the festive season passes, and holiday bills begin to arrive, many individuals in Canada may experience what’s called the Winter Blues.”

As we continue our journey of supporting young children and families, one of the most important qualities we can foster is resilience. Resilience isn’t just about “bouncing back”—it’s about developing emotional strength, problem-solving skills, and a sense of hope, even when things don’t go as planned. Young children are naturally curious and adaptable, but they also need guidance from trusted adults to help them navigate life’s challenges.

How can we help children, families and ourselves develop resilience?

We can model calmness and create safe, predictable environments to encourage growth mindset and foster emotional expression. Positive relationships are always the foundation to building strong connections. Strong problem-solving opportunities cultivate skills to overcome obstacles and grow self-esteem which promotes the feeling of being capable and confident.

We know that resilience isn’t built overnight. It’s a gradual process that requires time, support, and the right tools. As we work with young children and their families, let’s be patient, compassionate, and dedicated to fostering resilience in every way we can. And as we care for others, let’s not forget the importance of caring for ourselves—after all, resilience begins with us.

Thank you for the incredible work you do every day to help young children, families, and your communities grow stronger.

With gratitude,

Corinna Krocker, RECE

Children's Services Community Facilitator

Email: corinna.krocker@muskoka.on.ca

Please note that the information contained in this newsletter is intended to encourage conversation and self-reflection and is not to be considered as advice.

Upcoming Professional Development

March Workshop

In-Person Workshop

Date: Monday, March 31st, 2025

Time: 5:30 to 8:30pm Dinner starts at 5:30pm

Location: Bracebridge Sportsplex Multipurpose Room

Community Living Huntsville and Community Living South Muskoka have partnered together to present a panel discussion with hands on activities about resources and supports for young children in Muskoka.

Save the Date - April Workshop

**In-Person Workshop**

Join Kelly Musters, founding Financial Planner at Cabin Wealth, for an opportunity to have your more pressing money questions answered in an intimate and interactive Q&A session.

Date: April 16th, 2025

Time: 5:30pm - 8:00pm. Dinner starts at 5:30pm.

Location: Bracebridge Sportsplex, Multipurpose Room.

Kelly Musters - If there's one thing Kelly understands deeply, it's that money can be a sensitive topic for a lot of us and can be hard to talk about. Which is why Kelly is hosting a live Q&A session to answer your most pressing money questions, but in an anonymous format.

Recognizing money conversations are deeply personal and can feel intimidating and sometimes uncomfortable, Kelly approaches every client conversation with a warm and caring approach.

Save the Date - May Workhop

**In Person Workshop**

Becoming Rainbow Food Explorers!

A joyful, sensory approach to food education in the early years.

This workshop will focus on how to make food experiences simple, engaging, and fun for children and families. It will enable adults to support children in becoming comfortable eating and enjoying a variety of foods and in discovering how food connects everything in their world. We’ll explore the concept of food literacy and why it’s so important today. We’ll discover the key ingredients in Rainbow Plate's colourful and evidence-based approach. Participants will have the opportunity to experience firsthand the impact of this joyful, sensory approach to food education.

It will support educators in building on the four foundations and wisdom of this key pedagogical document and bring them to life using food as a vehicle for learning. We’ll explore concepts connecting food, education, and children and consider the potential of food as a rich medium that can spark inquiry and learning across the curriculum. We’ll dive into the four foundations of “How Does Learning Happen?” - Belonging, Well-being, Engagement and Expression, and discover how food can be used to support each of these important ways of being. Participants will learn ideas, strategies, and activities for creating engaging, meaningful, and inclusive programming.

Date: May 13th, 2025.

Time: 5:30 to 8:00pm - Dinner starts at 5:30

Location: Bracebridge Sportsplex, Multipurpose Room

Janet Nezon, Founder, Principal

Janet is the Rainbow lady behind this colourful movement. With a BSc in Nutritional Science, a Master’s degree in Health Promotion and a long career as an educator, she's part food education disruptor, part social entrepreneur and part visionary force. She’s also a mom of three grown children and a grandmother, so she’s been there. She knows what it’s like to raise and feed a family. She's an academic at heart and loves exploring the evidence and the 'WHY' behind this powerful and fresh approach to food education. Janet is passionate about making a difference and determined to help create a healthier future. She’s grateful for the support and contributions of so many individuals and organizations who have helped to bring this colourful vision to life.

Save the Date - May Workshop

The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University - Resilience Resource Guide offers articles, courses, and resources on resilience and early childhood development.

Podcast Why Do We That with Dr. Ryan Moyer interviews Author Dr. Tovah Klein wrote a book about Raising Resilient Children

7C's Helping your Child Develop Resilience

Free Webinar Onboarding Newly Enrolled Families

March 8th is International Women's day

Pink Shirt Day is February 26th.

Indigenous Resources for the Early and Elementary Years.

Introducing “Between Two Pines,” our new monthly

e-newsletter!

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NEW ECE workforce Development Corner

with Pam Rennie, RECE

The Supervisors Community of Care held our inaugural gathering last month and the energy was amazing! What a joy to bring so many experienced professionals together.

The conversations were vast, insightful, and supportive. Everyone has such diverse lived experiences, yet there were common threads throughout. Listening to each other’s stories sparked conversations, laughter, and a sense that none of us is in this alone.

We touched on some specific topics which we will hone in on at our future gatherings and bring in different experts to deepen our conversations.

As we continue to build our relationships with each other we will share perspectives, policies, and a sense of community.

Let us continue to play, learn, and grow together!

With Gratitude,

Pam

Coming up in Our Community

Community Spotlight!

Children’s Services team accepted The Push Up Challenge to support CMHA and our selves to push through those tough moments together. Having a fun team challenge can be a great way to break those winter blues!

Community Spotlight...

Do you know a champion in our community, or do you want to share something awesome that happened in your program?

We have so many amazing people in the Muskoka Early Years sector and we would love to shine a light on the people, places and programs that show up and sparkle every day. Keep it simple, email Corinna a short write-up, add a photo or two and we will include it in the following newsletter.

Send your stories to corinna.krocker@muskoka.on.ca

Children's Book Recommendation

In this relatable and reassuring contemporary classic, a mother tells her two children that they're all connected by an invisible string. "That's impossible!" the children insist, but still they want to know more: "What kind of string?" The answer is the simple truth that binds us all: An Invisible String made of love. Even though you can't see it with your eyes, you can feel it deep in your heart, and know that you are always connected to the ones you love.

Recipe Corner!

Ramen is one of my true comfort foods. This recipe adds a lot of intention along with strength, comfort and deliciousness - yum!

Resilient Ramen

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