We Welcome You and Your Children to our EarlyON Centres! |
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- Welcome! We're Glad You Found Us!
- Our Two Locations
- Glitterbug for LGBTQ2S families and gender creative kids!
- Our December Schedule (click on the graphic for a PDF)
- Fundraising pays for 7 additional program hours every week!
- 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!
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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! We hope this newsletter helps you navigate our programs and understand how our organization is managing this stage of the pandemic. 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.
Please note:
- we are not able to accommodate visits from sibs who are 6 or older, except for our Glitterbug program on Thursday evenings. 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.
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Kimbourne EarlyON
- Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri 9 am - 12 noon
- Thurs 9 am - 1 pm
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Glitterbug Thurs 4 - 6:30 pm
- Sat 9:30 - 12 noon
- location: 200 Wolverleigh Blvd
- Large room setting with lots of space
- for children 0 - 5 years old
- indoor space is wheelchair accessible
- limited indoor stroller parking. Please bring a lock in case you need to leave your stroller outside.
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Baby Time at Kimbourne
- location: 200 Wolverleigh Blvd
- Tuesdays 1:30 - 3 pm
- Thursdays 1 - 4 pm
- Large room setting with lots of space
- for children 15 months and younger
- 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.
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Terry Fox EarlyON
- Monday and Friday mornings 8:45 - 12
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Located at 2 Gledhill Ave inside Gledhill School
- Small room setting with lower capacity of 20 people
- for children 0 - 5 years old
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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
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When: Thursdays, 4 - 6:30 pm
Where: Kimbourne EarlyON
What: an LGBTQ2S-affirming EarlyON designated to support 2Spirit, queer, and trans inclusion.
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Fundraising! It pays for our Monday & Friday morning programs at Kimbourne and our newly extended hours on Thursday afternoons! |
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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! |
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If you'd rather not buy anything but want to lend your support to EECC's FREE programs, here's an easy donation link. |
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Links and Resources for Parents & Caregivers |
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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
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Norovirus is a highly contagious infection also known as Norwalk virus. It is a common cause of vomiting and diarrhea each winter and is often referred to as ‘winter vomiting disease’ or ‘stomach flu’ (although it is not caused by the influenza virus). Norovirus infections have been linked to outbreaks of vomiting and/or diarrhea in child-care centres, long-term care homes as well as on cruise ships, camps, schools, restaurants, households and other places where people gather. fact sheet
Here's what we really need you to know: because of the way in which Norovirus spreads, through direct contact, environments like our EarlyON programs offer this virus easy opportunities to spread, and masking won't prevent it. PLEASE WASH YOUR HANDS AND THE HANDS OF ALL CHILDREN attending programs. We provide hand sanitizer, but soap and water work best. Please help us prevent an outbreak in our programs by washing hands and by not visiting when members of your family are experiencing vomiting or diarrhea.
Procedure and Protocol Reminders for Everyone
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Masking is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED at this time. We have a supply of masks for adults and children, so don't be shy about asking.
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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.
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Please sign in using our Sign in App when you arrive. We are required to track and report attendance numbers, so participants will sign in electronically at every visit. You will need to use the camera on your phone for this. We can work around it if this is not possible.
- We will continue sanitizing high-touch surfaces and baby toys daily.
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Please place toys that have been in a child's mouth into the labelled container for toys that need immediate washing.
- We have surgical, KN95 and N95 masks for adults available for distribution. Ask a staff if you'd like some.
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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.
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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
- 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. Sadly, a stroller that was not locked was stolen from our lawn the past spring.
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Please... NEVER leave your stroller on our ramp at Kimbourne, as this disrupts accessibility and evacuation procedures.
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Meet Our Wonderful Staff Team |
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Anna is a Program Co-ordinator. She works at Terry Fox and Kimbourne, including Baby Time! |
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Rashida is a Program Co-ordinator. She works at Terry Fox and Kimbourne, including Baby Time! |
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Gecy is a Program Assistant. She works at Kimbourne every Monday and Friday morning, plus Baby Time, the STEM for Kids program and Saturdays! |
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Lisa is a Program Co-ordinator. She works at Kimbourne all week plus STEM for Kids and Saturdays! |
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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. |
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Abigail is a Program Assistant who has a day job as a nanny and works occasional Saturdays at Kimbourne. |
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Nima is a Program Assistant who works at Kimbourne on Monday and Friday mornings! |
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Carlijn is a Program Assistant and works every Saturday at Kimbourne. |
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Our Social Media and Virtual Programming! |
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Anna reads At the Firehouse by Anne Rockwell and more from our Let's Read playlist. |
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DIY with Lisa: Cardboard Construction Set! |
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Our Tried & True Playdough Recipe! |
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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
- Blend flour, salt and cream of tartar.
- 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.
- 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)
- 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.
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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.
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East End Child Parent Development Centre of Metro Toronto |416-469-0495
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