children's indoor play space with a red climbing structure on mats in the centre of the room and red toddler slides to the right of the frame along with some rocking horses and a sensory bin
We Welcome You and Your Children to our EarlyON Centres!
  • Welcome! We're Glad You Found Us!
  • Our Two Locations
  • Our September Schedule (click on the graphic for a download)
  • Fundraising is vital to our programs!
  • Links and Resources for Parents and Caregivers
  • Read about our protocols and routines.
  • Meet our Staff Team!
  • Links to Our Social Media and Virtual Programming!
  • Our Tried and True Play Dough Recipe!
rainbow banner with the letters spelling out Welcome

WE'RE GLAD YOU FOUND US!


WELCOME to all the NEW families who recently registered for programs or signed up for our monthly email updates! Please get in touch if we can answer any questions not addressed here.


Scroll down for a current list of procedures and protocols. Going forward, you'll hear from us once or twice a month with announcements or changes related to our programs, and links to information relevant to our community. Here is our most recent monthly newsletter. Watch for our next monthly newsletter the third week of the month.


Please note:

  • we are not able to accommodate visits from sibs who are 6 or older, or grade one and up. This policy is strictly enforced.
  • watch for new updates in our upcoming newsletters
  • if you are bringing a stroller, always bring a lock, as the stroller parking at Terry Fox is outdoors and the indoor stroller parking at Kimbourne is limited.
  • diapers must be taken home with you. Please only change diapers in designated areas.
Our Two Locations

Kimbourne EarlyON

  • Tues, Wed, Thurs 9 am - 12 noon
  • Sat 9:00 - 12 noon
  • STEM for Kids Fridays 9 - 11 am for children 3 and older
  • location: 200 Wolverleigh Blvd
  • Phone: 416-469-0495
  • Large room setting with lots of space
  • for children 0 - 5 years old, strictly enforced
  • indoor space is wheelchair accessible
  • limited indoor stroller parking. Please bring a lock in case you need to leave your stroller outside on the lawn area.
asian toddler stands while building a tower using coloured blocks while looking intently at the structure
a children's reading area with a book display and a royal blue sofa and a very large orange bean bag seat with a mat on the floor with circles numbered 1 through 9

Baby Time at Kimbourne

  • location: 200 Wolverleigh Blvd
  • Tuesdays 12:30 - 3:30 pm
  • Thursdays 1:30 - 3:30 pm
  • schedule change for August
  • Large room setting with lots of space
  • for children 15 months and younger, strictly enforced
  • More about Baby Time
  • indoor space is wheelchair accessible
  • limited indoor stroller parking. Please bring a lock in case you need to leave your stroller outside on the lawn area.
parents sit in a large circle with their babies on the floor
four babies lay on their backs on a mat with infant toys around them

Terry Fox EarlyON

  • Monday and Friday mornings 8:45 - 12
  • Located at 2 Gledhill Ave inside Gledhill School
  • Phone: 437-552-7128
  • Small room setting with lower capacity of 35 people
  • for children 0 - 5 years old
  • Entry is at door 6. Ring the doorbell and wait for staff to come.
  • Strollers remain outside along the wall (bring a lock if you wish to secure it to a railing)
  • site is wheelchair accessible
  • CLOSED August 19 - 30; reopening on Sept 6
outdoor setting with pine trees around the entrance to a school and a sign reading EarlyON Child and Family Centre with an East End Children's Centre logo in the bottom right corner
children's reading area with books arranged on a low shelf and two small beige toddle chairs on either side
children's climbing apparatus with a slide on a green safey mat

Monthly Calendars

Fundraising! It's Vital to Our Programs!
three female presenting persons stand in front of a children's climbing structure smiling

We've added a Tip Tap Pay device to our Kimbourne site, for another easy way to for families to make a small financial contribution! Tap once to give $5. We also accept cash donations in our old school donation jars !

Support our FREE programs by becoming a one-time or monthly donor.
poster with text reading We're Fundraising with photos of items available for sale
Click on the image! Type East End Children's Centre into the search bar and shop for LABELS to help keep track of the mountain of kid-stuff! 20% of your order amount is donated to EECC!

Evacuation Drills

two young children dressed as emergency workers

Evacuation Drills are conducted once monthly at a minimum. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the procedures:


  1. Staff will alert participants to the drill 
  2. Participants will be permitted to slip on shoes
  3. Important: Coats, bags, and strollers must be left behind. We will be back inside in under 5 minutes. Please do not delay the process by gathering unnecessary items.
  4. Gather your children. Ask another adult to help carry children if you have more than one that can not walk on their own.
  5. One staff will lead the group to the door.
  6. A second staff will help the group cross the street.
  7. A third staff will gather the group on the sidewalk across the street and do a head count.
  8. A fourth staff will check the space to make sure everyone has evacuated.
  9. When all participants are on the sidewalk across the street and a head count has been completed, everyone walks safely back across the street and indoors where program resumes immediately.

***Participation in evacuation drills is mandatory for everyone. Please do not attempt to leave the program during the drill***

We expect adults attending our programs to model a positive attitude during evacuation drills, so that children feel safe while practicing these skills. Please follow all directions from staff to avoid delaying the process.

Links and Resources for Parents & Caregivers
Self-Regulation: A Science Backgrounder by Dr. Stuart Shanker
"What is self-regulation?
Recent research in neuroscience and
physiology has profoundly altered our
understanding of the mechanisms behind a child’s response to stress, and has also reinforced what physicians have intuitively understood for generations: that children’s physical and mental health are..." read more

Procedure and Protocol Reminders for Everyone

  • Masking is optional at this time.
  • 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/diaper changes.
  • Please self-screen. 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. Our whole community will enjoy better health if you stay home when you or your children are not well.
  • We are using the KEyON system to track attendance. Full disclosure: setting up your initial account, while it only takes 5 minutes, it TEDIOUS. BUT, once you're set up, all you have to do is scan your key tag on your way in and then go play. The system is secure, and best of all, helps us comply with our statistical reporting to our funder, Toronto EarlyON.
  • We will continue sanitizing high-touch surfaces and baby toys daily.
  • Please place toys that have been in a child's mouth into the labelled container for toys that need immediate washing.
  • 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.
  • Our programs are for infants, toddlers and preschool children. Once children have entered grade one, we can no longer accommodate them as space is tight and our environment is completely unsuitable for them. This policy is strictly enforced.


Stroller Parking Tips


  • Strollers are parked OUTSIDE at the Terry Fox EarlyON, so do bring a lock, every time.
  • Stroller parking at Kimbourne EarlyON is limited. 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 be prepared to park your stroller on the lawn on days when the stroller room at Kimbourne fills up and bring a lock so you can lock it to the railing way up on the hill. Please don't risk your stroller being stolen.
  • Please... NEVER leave your stroller on our ramp at Kimbourne, as this disrupts accessibility and evacuation procedures.
Meet Our Wonderful Staff Team
Anna is a Program Co-ordinator. She works at Terry Fox and Kimbourne, including Baby Time!
A brown person with long dark hair and glasses wearing a red shirt smiles at the viewer sitting next to a leafy plant
Rashida is a Program Co-ordinator. She works at Terry Fox and Kimbourne, including Baby Time!

Female presenting person with dark shoulder length hair wearing glasses smiles at a child while squatting in an outdoor environment

Saliha is an RECE who joined our core team just this year. She works at Kimbourne in the morning and also staffs our Baby Time and STEM for Kids program!

Cathy is our manager. She leads our team, writes our newsletters and works with our board, funders and other partners to continually strengthen our organization and programs.
Female presenting person with light brown complexion and dark hair pulled back smiles brightly at the viewer in an indoor children's play setting

Gecy is an RECE and Program Assistant. She has had many roles with EECC and currently covers our other staff when they are absent.

Brown person wearing a white head scarf and a blue jean jacket with embossed images on the front and glasses smiles while surrounded by a background of fun clip art images

Aisha started as an Early Childhood Studies placement student with us last fall. She's back as a summer employee through a Canada Summer Jobs grant!

female presenting white person with shoulder length bright yellow wavy hair smiling slightly gazing at the viewer wearing a long sleeved black mock neck shirt

Abigail is a Program Assistant and works at Kimbourne some Saturdays!

a brown appearing person wearing a light brown head scarf smiles with their head turned slightly to the side and gazing at the viewer in an outdoor setting with a leafy tree in the background

Roshnik is a Program Assistant and works at Kimbourne some Saturdays!

Female presenting person with light skin wearing a white head scarf smiles at the viewer

Jenny T is an RECE and program assistant who works during the week in childcare at YMCA and TDSB. She works some Saturdays at Kimbourne!

Light skinned female presenting person with long dark hair smiling brightly and wearing a white shirt with loose fitting sleeves that have dark embroidery on them

Carlijn is a Program Assistant and works at Kimbourne some Saturdays!

Our Social Media and Virtual Programming!
Anna reads At the Firehouse by Anne Rockwell and more from our Let's Read playlist.
Rashida in her garden

Rashida works in her garden. Here is Rashida's Part 2 video: My Worm Farm

Hair Love and more from our Social Justice playlist!
French Playlist
ASL Playlist
Bengali Playlist
Cantonese Playlist
Facebook  Instagram  Youtube  
Our Tried & True Playdough Recipe!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 2 tsp cream of tartar (available in bulk food stores)
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • food colouring
Directions
  1. Blend flour, salt and cream of tartar.
  2. Add oil and food colouring to water, and combine the dry & wet ingredients in a non-stick skillet, stirring well. Mixture will be very sticky.
  3. Cook on medium heat, keeping the dough in motion so it does not burn. (It’s done when it’s no longer sticky and the surface becomes kind of shiny)
  4. Knead while it cools.
Tips:
  •  It’s under-cooked if it remains sticky or overly oily.
  • If you'd prefer to avoid artificial dyes, natural dyes can be made from foods such as beet juice, blueberries and raspberries.
  • We use cream of tartar, but it's kind of expensive and if you omit it, your play dough will still be good, but may not last as long.
How Did I Get on This Mailing List?
If you're receiving this weekly newsletter by email, it's because you either subscribed OR attended/registered for a program.. Two things we want you to know:
1) We ALWAYS keep your contact information private. We will never sell, trade or share your email address or any other information about you/your family, with anyone.
2) This newsletter is our primary way of communicating updates to you. We ask that families actively or occasionally attending our programs remain subscribed so we can keep you informed of our schedules and participation guidelines.
East End Child Parent Development Centre of Metro Toronto |416-469-0495
200 Wolverleigh Blvd. Toronto, ON M4C1S2 | charitable no 101544351RR0001 eastendchildrenscentre.org
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