• July & August Calendars
• A New Program starts in September at Kimbourne!
• EECC has joined ECHOage!
• Spookfest returns Oct 24th!
• Last Call for New Monthly Donors to win Jays tickets!
• Summer Activity Round Up!
• Toronto Public Library programs for children
• No Bad Kids Infographic
• Procedure and Protocol Reminders
• Land Acknowledgment
• Stroller Parking at Kimbourne & Terry Fox EarlyONs

Schedule Hi-lites!!

• July 30th: last day of operation at Kimbourne before our 3 week closure
• July 31st: last day of operation at Terry Fox (re-opening date TBA)
• August 25th: Kimbourne re-opens

Bookmark our Linktree on your phone for quick access to our schedules!

We haven't figured out all the details YET but EECC will be offering an EVENING PROGRAM starting this fall! When all the pieces are in place, we will announce a start date and a program structure. So far, here's what we have in mind:

• Thursdays: 4 - 6:30 pm
• A light meal for kids and adults 🍲
• an outdoor component 🌳
• we MAY require pre-registration to support meal planning or we may wing it

We're super excited, and we'll tell you the plan as soon as we know!

You know how your favourite part of birthday parties is how your house fills up with birthday present clutter? NOOOO??? 🥴 Read on!

ECHOage is an online platform that allows you to have party guests contribute to a single gift for the birthday child AND contribute to a charitable cause! It cuts down on birthday present clutter, it's easy-peasy for birthday guests, all while supporting EECC's FREE programs. It's brilliant, if you ask us!

Check it out HERE.

Definitely SAVE THE DATE for our annual hallowe'en party!! If you missed it last year, check out this video. Ticket link coming in September!

Last Call for NEW Monthly Donors to get in on the draw for a pair of tickets to a Jays-Tigers game in September, donated by board member Christine Doucet! Set up a monthly donation by August 19th to be eligible to win! (Anonymous donors can submit a screenshot from a bank statement to be included in the draw)

Tip: Canada Helps charges EECC 3.5% per donation. Zeffy charges EECC 0 (zero) and give donors the option to add a small fee to cover their costs. It's up to you!

Local Wading Pools and Splash Pads:

East Lynn Park Wading Pool: Daily 11 am - 6:30 pm

Gledhill Park Splash Pad: Daily 9 am - 9 pm

Dieppe Park Splash Pad: Daily, 9 am - 9 pm

Stan Wadlow Park Splash Pad: Daily 9 am - 9 pm

Oakcrest Park Wading Pool: Daily 2 - 6 pm

Kidstown Water Park: Daily 10 am - 7:30 pm

Adventures Around the City

CityPASS allows you to visit 5 different attractions during a 9 day period and save 38%. Attractions include: CN Tower, Ripley's Aquarium, Royal Ontario Museum, City Cruises Toronto, Casa Loma, Toronto Zoo, and Art Gallery of Ontario.

TPL:map allows Toronto Public Library card holders to reserve free passes to 25 different attractions! Passes are released at 2 pm on the first Wednesday of each month. The next date is Wednesday, August 5th. Get a library card ASAP if you don't already have one.

An Enchanted Celebration: Saturday, August 8th, 11 am - 1 pm at the Toronto Zoo. Wonders of wildlife come together for a magical royal celebration and luncheon. Attire: Royal gowns, crowns, capes, and sparkling smiles encouraged.

The East-West Water Shuttle is a new service connecting Ookwemin Minising, Yonge St and Portland across Toronto's waterfront and is only $5 per person each way until August 15th.

Biidaasige Park:

• Monday, August 3rd: Old Fire Hall 30 will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Staff will lead children’s arts, crafts, and games from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. More info
• Guided Walks on Mondays and Tuesdays: These guided walks will bring the park to life through powerful stories of ecological restoration, Indigenous placekeeping, urban biodiversity and the ongoing transformation of Toronto’s waterfront. 

These EarlyON programs will be OPEN while EECC is closed:

Applegrove EarlyON: Monday through Thursday, 9 am - 2 pm.

EYET EarlyON programs: Cosburn and Danforth locations.

Family Resource Connection: Monday through Thursday, 9 am - 3 pm. Friday & Saturday: 9 am - 1 pm.

St David's EarlyON: Monday through Friday 9:30 am - 3 pm; Baby Time on Wednesdays 1 - 3 pm.

More links!!

• Are you a NEWCOMER parent? Join a newcomer parent/caregiver network at EYET EarlyON.
• Canadian Dental Care Plan: applications are now open for children and adults with no health care benefits
• Do you need assistance with laundry costs? Apply for FREE or watch for local events for on site registration.
• 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 space 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.
• Our stroller parking room is currently not available. Please bring your stroller directly into the program space, 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.