• June Calendar
• Note about EECC's Annual Summer Closure
• You are invited to our AGM!
• A Short Renovation Update
• STEM for Kids runs May & June; September & October
• Toronto Public Library programs for children
• Disabled Parenting Is Messier and That's a Good Thing
• Celebrating Pride! Celebrating Indigenous Culture and Heritage!
• More links: Newcomer Parent/Caregiver Network
• Procedure and Protocol Reminders
• Land Acknowledgment
• Stroller Parking at Kimbourne

Heads up about EECC's Annual Summer Closure from August 11th through the 30th. Our summer calendars are still pending but we don't anyone blindsided by our annual closure.

Just a quick reminder that we have no kitchen facilities at Kimourne currently, so please bring your own snacks (nut-free). If a water bottle needs to be refilled, the tap in the washroom is available. Projected completion date is July 31st.

STEM for Kids Runs May, June, September and October

Unfit Parent is a new book about how disabled parents have rejected perfectionism and created a more humane, collaborative model of care that could benefit all parents. Toronto author Jessica Slice is a social worker who became disabled with a connective tissue disorder and neurological condition as an adult. She has a daughter, K, 8, with autism, and a son, F, 1. She does much of her parenting from bed. BLOOM blogger Louise Kinross interviewed Jessica about her book. [read more]

🏳️‍🌈 Celebrating Pride! 🏳️‍🌈

Events:

• June 1st, 11 am at Toronto Botanical Gardens: Drag Story Time with Gila Munster
• June 2nd, 5 pm: City Hall Flag Raising
• June 6th, 12th and 20th, 2 pm: Gay History Walk starting at Allen Gardens
• June 27th, 6 -11 pm, Nathan Phillips Square: PRIDE Toronto's Opening Night
• June 27th, 7 pm: Trans March
• June 28th, 1 pm: Dyke March
• June 28th, 2 - 11 pm: PRIDE Toronto's Drag Ball
• June 29th, 2 - 11 pm: PRIDE Toronto's Closing Day
• June 29th, 2 - 6 pm: PRIDE Parade
• More details: PRIDE TORONTO Festival & Events Guide
• June 28th and 29th, 10 am - 5 pm at Church Street Public School

Above image: PRIDE TORONTO

Events & Resources

• Thursday, May 29th, Grand Entry 1 pm at Phin Park: Wandering Spirit Powwow
• Saturday, June 7th, 10 am - 6 pm at Downsview Park: Two Spirit Powwow
• Saturday, June 21st, Grand Entry 12 pm at Fort York: Na Me Res Traditional Powwow
• Powwow Etiquette courtesy of Mississauga Nation

More links!!

• Are you a NEWCOMER parent? Join a newcomer parent/caregiver network at EYET EarlyON.
• CampTO: Summer Camps, PA Day Camps all in one place
• Canadian Dental Care Plan: applications are now open for children under 18 with no health care benefits
• Do you need assistance with laundry costs? Apply for FREE or watch for local events for on site registration.
• New supports for mothers leaving or recovering from abusive relationships in our Local Resources page
• Could You Use Some Mental Health Support? We know how hard and expensive accessing mental health support can be, which is why we're delighted to be partnered with GreenShield Cares’ Women’s Mental Health program. This program offers anyone who is part of the EECC community 5 hours of FREE, culturally-sensitive, trauma-informed virtual therapy with a registered therapist. You can sign up here. 
• Browse a list of nearby EarlyON Centres
• Search for an EarlyON Child & Family Centre anywhere in Toronto
• Other local resources: food banks/free pantries, links for people experiencing violence, personal care banks, local library programs
• We've added links to breastfeeding supports and perinatal supports to our local resources page
• Communication Checklist for children from Surrey Place Centre's Speech & Language Program

East End Children’s Centre is located in Tkaronto, now known as Toronto, which in Mohawk means ‘where there are trees standing in the water”.

East End Children's Centre is located on the traditional territories of many First Peoples, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnaabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples. These nations continue to experience ongoing colonization and displacement– where land acknowledgements are offered in place of land itself.

This territory is part of ‘the Dish with One Spoon’ wampum, a Treaty made between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas, and Haudenosaunee, where nations entered into an agreement to protect the land and responsibly care for its resources in harmony together.

As settlers, newcomers, refugees, and Indigenous peoples, we have all been invited into this treaty in the spirit of peace, friendship, and respect. We are also mindful of broken treaties that persist across Turtle Island today and recognize our responsibilities as Treaty people to engage in a meaningful, continuous process of truth and reconciliation with all our relations.

We remember those who came here involuntarily, particularly those brought to these lands as a result of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery. This city was built on stolen land and stolen labour of Black, Indigenous, and racialized people. What we now refer to as Canada was also built on the labour of many immigrant and migrant communities. From the transcontinental railroad to farming and food production, the country heavily relied (and continues to) on the talent, skill, and hard work of racialized people. In exchange, many of them are denied residence, and they continue to go through punishing immigration experiences and perpetuating racial disparities.

By being on this land, we are all responsible for upholding its treaties. Treaty agreements were made to last as long as “the sun shines, the grass grows, and rivers flow.”



We invite you to learn about the Indigenous Nations that care for the land you are on, and where you might come from, visit native-land.ca to learn more.

• Please self-screen and STAY HOME if you or the children are not well. Our organization has always required self-screening for cold, flu, gastro-intestinal symptoms, conjunctivitis (pink eye) and any suspected or confirmed communicable illnesses. We ask for the same vigilance you've shown all through the pandemic.
• Please be sure to scan your KEyON tag when to arrive at program. Be sure to let us know if you have lost it, so we can give you a new one. Hack: take a photo of the QR code on your tag!
• Please place toys that have been in a child's mouth into the labelled container for toys that need immediate washing.
• Please clean your hands and your children's hands on arrival at our programs, after blowing or wiping your/your child's nose, before and after playing in the sandbox, before and after snack and after using the washroom.
• Please take home your used diapers (we have bags!) and please never flush wipes down our toilets.
• Please don't bring extra adults, especially on Saturdays. Two adults per family may attend.
• EECC is known for our sense of community. Thank you in advance for being welcoming and supportive of everyone, including parents and caregivers whose choices differ from yours and children who may be neurodivergent and need accommodation.

Stroller Parking Tips

• Lock your stroller to a railing or bench at the Terry Fox site.
• At Kimbourne, please be prepared to park your stroller on the lawn on days when the stroller room fills up and bring a lock so you can lock it to the railing way up on the hill. Sadly, stroller theft is always a risk.
• If you're able to secure a spot in our stroller parking room, please park with BRAKES OFF, to make it easier for us to manoeuver strollers as needed.
• Please... NEVER leave your stroller on our ramp at Kimbourne, as this disrupts accessibility and evacuation procedures.