• July & August Calendars
• William's Farewell Message
• EECC is turning 40! Check out our new logo!
• Links & Resources
• Emotional Regulation Tips: Interoception and Toileting
• Toronto Public Library programs for children
• Local Events!
• East York Canada Day Parade and Festival: July 1st
• July 4th: The Wolverleigh Blvd Street Party
• July 10th: Dental Screenings at Terry Fox EarlyON
• July 18th: Keep Pride Going with Kimbourne Park United Church
• July 23rd: Lactation Consultant Meredith Briglio visits Baby Time!
• About the new book Toronto to Tehran: Remembering Fateme Mirsayafi, former EECC staff.
• Thank you to Thulakshica & Theodora for their amazing work!
• Procedure and Protocol Reminders
• Land Acknowledgment
• Stroller Parking at Kimbourne & Terry Fox EarlyONs

Schedule Hi-lites!!

• June 30th: Public Health Nurse Visit to Baby Time at Kimbourne EarlyON
• July 1st: Stat Holiday Closure at Kimbourne
• July 10th: Dental Screening at Terry Fox EarlyON
• July 17th: Public Health Nurse Visit at Terry Fox EarlyON
• July 23rd 2nd: Lactation Consultant Visit to Baby Time
• 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)

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

Farewell From our Co-op Student, William

Hello friends at EECC,

The time has come for me to say good bye, or see you later.



My co-op placement at EECC definitely was a highlight of my high school years. Cathy and the Team showed me a lot about running EarlyON activities and programs. I even got to go to meetings and workshops. You and the other caregivers wouldn’t believe the amount of work that goes into even a few hours of programs. The amount of disinfecting alone would impress you. Safety comes first and caring never stops.  

I have to say thank you to your wonderful kids. They play and enjoy themselves fully here. I’ve never been the greatest at playing with other children. The problem, I’ve learned, was never me. Since I was their age, I was always expected to conform to the unwritten rules of play that society constructed for average minds. I wasn’t having fun that way. The fundamental role of play is to enjoy and learn in the way that suits you. In the time I was in placement here, it was very obvious the team respects your child and their ways of enjoying themselves. They are so ahead of the schools, trust me. I’m proud to have been a part of this winning team. 

The most important lesson was that it takes me longer to get comfortable and the understanding of others can help can speed this up. Your kids really helped me achieve my goals. I have to say I never imagined I would sit and participate in circle time yet there I was in the last few weeks, doing Roly Poly and Jumbo Jet and getting into it! The children also needed time to get comfortable around me, as I sometimes am loud or abrupt and it frightened them. I totally get it. By the end, the ones that had the most trouble had their fears validated and they became aware that I was actually safe to be near. Their understanding was the key to my own self regulation and I think there is a lot to learn from this.

I am happy to start my summer now and I hope to visit soon.

Your friend,

William

Have you met our non-speaking Co-op student William Tziavaras? More About William Tziavaras

Check out our new logo, celebrating forty years of creating welcoming spaces where families connect, children grow, and community bonds strengthen.

Two generations of children - our best guess is 25,000, learning to crawl, walk, run, climb and read books. Forty years of Sleeping Bunnies, playdough and sand. Forty years of peer support for parents who were thankful there was somewhere to go, where their child could have a snack and play with other children, while they connect with other parents and caregivers.

How you can help us kick off the next 40 years:

1. Donate $40 or any amount: Every dollar counts. Contribute now to help us reach our goal.
2. Become a Monthly Donor! Our goal is 40 monthly donors by the end of 2026!
3. Share our campaign with your friends, family, and on social media. Your advocacy can amplify our impact. Campaign links below.

Every NEW and EXISTING monthly donor will be entered into a monthly draw for PRIZES! Currently, we have a pair of tickets to a Jays-Tigers game in September, donated by board member Christine Doucet! More prizes TBA.

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!

Emotional Regulation Tips for Parents

At EECC we're way more interested in regulation and connection than behaviour. We're always looking for good resources to help families support regulation in children (and parents!). The Contented Child has fantastic content that guides parents of neurodivergent kiddos, but guess what? These strategies support regulation in kids without labels too! Check out these infographics on interoception.

The Wolverleigh Summer Street Party looks like some great family fun! It's not an EECC event, but we'll be there. Stop by and say HI to Saliha and Theordora, who will be staffing a ball pit and toddler soccer target kicks from 11 am to 2 pm!

The East York Canada Day Parade and Festival: July 1st and LOCAL!! Here's the link to find the parade route and festival info! Happy Canada Day, everyone!

Dental Screenings: July 10th at Terry Fox EarlyON

To improve the health of young children, Toronto Public Health is offering dental screenings in EarlyON programs. This service is to identify children at risk for dental diseases. Tooth decay is one of the most common chronic disease affecting this age group. Left untreated, this condition can lead to pain, infection and difficulties in eating, sleeping and learning. The dental screening will be performed by an oral health staff member using single-use disposable mirrors.

Please be advised that this screening assessment does not replace a dental examination performed by a dentist. Children who live in the city of Toronto and cannot afford to pay for Dental Care may be eligible for free dental services offered by Toronto Public Health. If you wish your child to be screened, please complete this consent form and bring a copy to the Terry Fox EarlyON on July 10th. Children who attend our EarlyON programs with a caregiver (who is not their parent) can be screened if the parent sends the signed consent with the caregiver. [more information]

How lucky are we to have Meredith visit our Baby Time program on July 23rd! She's an amazing resource to new parents!

As an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), Meredith Briglio is passionate about using her evidence-based knowledge and training to support families in reaching their breastfeeding, chestfeeding, lactation and infant-feeding goals.

As a parent of two (no longer small) children who attended programs at the EECC and a former EECC Board Member, Meredith is excited to return to Baby Time to answer questions on a variety of topics including: physiologically normal infant sleep, starting solid foods, latching, pumping & bottle feeding and much more. 

Check out Meredith's short clip on Oral Hygiene for Babies.

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

Fateme Mirsayafi, a member of the EECC staff team from 1993 until her passing in 2010, was one of the women who helped build EECC as it exists today.

The book From Tehran to Toronto tells the story of how, as a young mom, she escaped from Iran with her daughter, Azadeh, following the execution of Fateme's husband Mortezeh, who was a teacher and activist.

"Azedeh" means Free Woman in Farsi.

Now a local teacher, Azadeh has written about their remarkable story. Her book includes a chapter about how mother's work at East End Children’s Centre changed both their lives. There's a copy on our bookshelf at Kimbourne.

Thulakshica and Theodora are both finishing up their contracts with EECC in the coming weeks. Their impact in our programs has been phenomenal, even though these young women have been with us just a short time. Both are heading back to school in the fall. We will miss them both and hope their schedules might allow them part-time or occasional work with us. Fingers crossed that you'll see these faces again soon! Thank you for everything you've both contributed!! 💙 💜

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.