May/June 2025

Hello Nicole,

As we welcome the beautiful transition from spring to summer, there is always a great feeling of anticipation for what is to come. May and June will be exciting months in our Wee Watch

homes with so many things to celebrate and focus on! On May 9^th, Provider Appreciation Day, we celebrate and thank our wonderful Providers for all they do to support the development of your children. We are truly proud of our 1500+ Providers that put their hearts and souls into their work. Please join us in recognizing them on this day. Following soon after is Mother’s Day and we hope that all our Wee Watch mothers feel appreciated and loved on their special day. Our programming in May focuses on social/emotional development of children through play. In June we have Father’s Day of course, a time to show gratitude to all our Wee Watch dads! Our programming will take advantage of June’s warm weather with a focus on Sensory play in the great outdoors!

For this newsletter we thought we would share some tips and tools for families to assist with the rising costs of groceries and some practical ways to make healthy eating more affordable. We recently had a number of Providers attend a workshop about shopping and meal planning on a budget. It was so popular; we have 300 Providers attending the same workshop on May 14^th!  Additionally, we will share ways to turn mealtimes into meaningful learning moments for our children. From planting simple herbs in a windowsill to measuring and stirring ingredients in the kitchen, children thrive when they’re included in real-life experiences that spark curiosity and build confidence. In our programs, we’ll be encouraging little hands to dig in (literally!), taste new flavors, and discover where food comes from. We hope these activities inspire your own family routines and make mealtimes a little more joyful — and budget-friendly — at home too.

We will take this opportunity to share the winners of our Provider Contest where we asked for their best cost and time sharing ideas for shopping, meal planning and preparation. We will consolidate and share all the great tips shortly, but in the meantime….drum roll please….our 3 winners of $100 grocery gift card are:

1. Gerlie (Brampton Agency) – is a strong believer in meal planning and prep – she uses the same ingredients for multiple meals and often cooks in bulk (freezes and labels with a date for organization) and improves when she cooks by replacing missing ingredients with healthy alternatives! She loves to try new foods with the kids, even making a beet spaghetti for the kids that they loved (but didn’t know what was in it until afterwards!)
2. Saba (Oakville Agency) – uses technology to assist her with getting the best deals when shopping, including the Flip app which allows her to see flyers from local stores and make choices that impact her meal planning, as well as different sites for recipe ideas (superhealthykids.com and yummytoddlerfood.com for example.) She does meal prep on Sunday nights and sorts/labels bins for each day in her fridge with the prepped meals. She also does batch cooking to save time and increase efficiency of meal planning.
3. Rosanna (Waterloo Agency) – Also uses Flipp or Rebee App to price match and get the best deals on all food she plans according to her budget and then makes her meal plan based on the foods that are on sale that week. Rosanna finds it cost effective to bakes all snacks (involving the kids!) and even grows some vegetables in the summer. Finally, she leverages point and cashback programs like Rakuten, Checkout 51 and PC Optimum points to maximize her savings.

We also received many great cost saving recipes as entries to our contest! We have included two of those recipes in this newsletter! Thanks to Barb (Newmarket Agency) & Sameera (Mississauga Agency) for your great recipe ideas!

Finally, on April 22nd we sent out the memo we received from the Minister of Education. You can find a copy of that update here. We will keep you updated with any additional information we receive about the CWELCC program.

Warm wishes,

Lisa

Involving children in meal planning and preparation is a wonderful way to introduce them to healthy eating habits, build essential life skills, and foster a love of food. According to Canada's Food Guide, making mealtime a family affair not only helps children learn about nutrition but also empowers them to make healthier choices for themselves. Here’s why and how you can start involving your little ones in the kitchen.



Why Involve Children in Meal Planning and Preparation?

1. Developing Healthy Eating Habits: When children actively participate in choosing and preparing their meals, they tend to be more interested in eating the food they helped create. This involvement can encourage a positive relationship with healthy foods, making them more likely to enjoy fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Additionally, they’re more likely to try new foods when they’ve had a hand in selecting or preparing them.
2. Building Life Skills: Involving children in cooking is a fun and engaging way to teach them valuable life skills. From basic tasks like washing vegetables to more advanced skills such as chopping or measuring ingredients, cooking helps develop fine motor skills, teamwork, and the ability to follow instructions. These skills can help build a child’s confidence in the kitchen and in other areas of life.
3. Promoting Teamwork and Family Connection: Meal preparation provides a wonderful opportunity for bonding. Working together in the kitchen encourages teamwork, communication, and a sense of shared accomplishment. It’s a great way to spend quality time as a family and teach children the importance of collaboration.
4. Learning About Nutrition: Involving children in meal planning allows them to learn about different food groups and what makes a balanced meal. Children can be taught the basics of nutrition in a fun, hands-on way. They’ll begin to understand the importance of a variety of foods, from proteins to whole grains and healthy fats. This knowledge can lead to better food choices in the future.

How to Get Started

1. Start Simple: Begin with easy, age-appropriate tasks. Younger children can help with washing vegetables, stirring ingredients, or setting the table. Older children can be involved with more complex tasks such as measuring, cutting (with supervision), or even helping to plan the menu.
2. Let Them Be Creative: Allow children to have a say in what’s for dinner! Give them options within a healthy range of foods and let them choose what they’d like to help prepare. Whether it’s making homemade pizza with a variety of healthy toppings or assembling a salad, letting children be creative fosters excitement and involvement.
3. Teach Safety and Hygiene: Teaching your child about kitchen safety is essential. Ensure they know how to handle knives and heat sources safely and emphasize the importance of washing hands before cooking. Establishing good hygiene habits early on can make them more responsible in the kitchen.
4. Use Cooking as a Learning Experience: While cooking, talk to your children about the different foods they’re working with. Use the opportunity to discuss colours, textures, tastes, and nutritional value. This can be a fun way to incorporate educational moments into your time together in the kitchen.
5. Celebrate Their Efforts: After the meal is prepared, celebrate their contributions! Compliment their hard work and encourage them to share the meal with the family. This positive reinforcement makes the experience feel rewarding and can motivate kids to continue helping out in the future.

Benefits Beyond the Kitchen

Involving children in meal preparation isn’t just about cooking—it’s about creating memories and building a foundation for healthy habits that will last a lifetime. Children who take part in meal planning are more likely to:

• Make healthier food choices independently
• Develop a love for cooking and food
• Understand the value of nutrition and balanced meals

This kind of involvement also fosters independence, problem-solving, and responsibility. Over time, your child may begin to feel more empowered in the kitchen, and perhaps even begin making meals independently!

Getting children involved in meal planning and preparation can be a game-changer for both their health and their development. It’s not just about the meal at hand—it’s about teaching life skills, fostering healthy eating habits, and making lasting memories as a family.

For more ideas and guidance on involving children in meal preparation, visit the official Canada Food Guide website: Involving Kids in Meal Planning and Preparation.

By incorporating these simple steps into your routine, you’ll help your child develop a lifelong love of food and healthy eating.

Every Provider and child has access to our Wee Learn educational curriculum! Wee Learn and all its associated programming was designed by a team of childcare experts to help children meet their developmental milestones and to prepare them for success in school and beyond! Our program is focused on play based learning for all ages and stages! 

Try some of these activities which align with our program:

Together Wee Can - A Provider Takeover

Each year Wee Watch organizes exclusive and educational events and activities around a theme that all Providers across Ontario participate in called "Together Wee Can".

Our Together Wee Can program is carefully thought out and planned with our Providers and children in mind. With a network of 1,400+ Providers, we thought why not go straight to the source, ask the experts, our Providers!



We wanted to collaborate to develop this year’s program, a program for our homes, created with our Providers. This year’s program, “Together Wee Can 2025 – A Provider Takeover”, is a compilation of some of our Providers favourite activities, activities their children love, encompassing all areas of development – fine motor, gross motor, cognitive, language/speech, social/emotional, sensory, and imaginative.

To learn more about our exclusive educational programming, visit our website.

Take a look at what's coming up in our homes...