Welcome to Network Child Care Services’ 31st year in providing licensed, early years learning and child care services to families with young children in Toronto.

We are delighted to see everyone back in person after two and a half years of isolation. As much as our virtual tools allowed us to connect and support the continued delivery of our programs and services, nothing, in our view can replace the full return to in-person human interaction. Let us hope that we have seen the worst of COVID-19 and that when we refer to this period, it conjures memories of survival, compassion, collective support, and collaboration.

Network’s 2021 Annual Report demonstrates how members of our child care community pooled their efforts and went over and above their usual work activities to overcome the roadblocks caused by the Pandemic. We can say very confidently that many of our families were supported and sustained by the child care community’s compassionate work during this unprecedented time. We did it, and we did it together.

In 2021, Network advanced strongly into its third decade of growth and development. It weathered the “pandemic storm” courageously and adjusted swiftly and nimbly to challenging and ever-changing restrictions. Network’s stability as an organization and its integrity in all aspects of its operations enabled it to provide dedicated and exceptional licensed care to thousands of children and families throughout Toronto, with only minimal disruptions.

Turning to some of the specific challenges, Network tackled the seemingly relentless challenges of room closures and mandatory restrictions. Personal Protective Equipment quickly became readily available at all Child Care Centres and Home Child Care programs, in adherence with the requirement to always remain masked. COVID-19 screening became a regular part of Families, staff and affiliated Provider’s morning routines as every cough seemed to signal concern.

Against such challenges, Network was very grateful for the funding enhancements it received from the Federal Government, the Ontario Ministry of Education, and the City of Toronto Children’s Services. It would not have been possible to meet the various challenges without this financial support, and for that, we thank all three levels of government.

Network’s efforts to respond to the Pandemic’s daily challenges did not eclipse its commitment to recognizing and celebrating one of its core values: cultivating positive spaces where children and staff thrive and want to be. This undoubtedly requires continued work and the application of our core principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this spirit, as summer turned to autumn, Network commemorated Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30th, 2022. Network’s staff and Affiliated Home Child Care Providers promoted the message that Every Child Matters in all their activities. Although orange t-shirts were worn first and foremost to remember all those children whose lives were lost to the dreadful experience of the residential schools, they also served to remind everyone of Network’s ongoing commitment to providing exceptional care to young children and families throughout our programs. As we look forward to future activities in 2022 and beyond, we are grateful for the dedicated and tireless efforts of Network’s talented Educators, staff, and Affiliated Home Child Care Providers, without whom Network’s mission could not be realized.

As we continue to plan for Network’s future growth in the coming years of this new decade, we would like to express our deepest gratitude for the ongoing support of the Ministry of Education, the City of Toronto Children’s Services, and the Toronto Catholic District School Board. Certainly, without the necessary funding which Network received from the City of Toronto Children’s Services in particular, our capital projects, which began in 2020 and were completed in 2021, would not have been realized. These projects included the addition of Infant Care at four Child Care Centres as well as the renovation of our Main Office, and the Home Child Care Division.

We would also like to extend our most sincere thanks and appreciation to all Families who have trusted Network to care for their children, particularly during the latter half of this most difficult global pandemic. Their confidence in our programs, and Educators, has been both impactful and crucial to Network’s success.

Finally, a very warm and heartfelt thank you to Network’s Board of Directors and Advisors for their thoughtful insight and committed leadership, as well as all the individuals and community partners who have contributed to Network’s advancement over the past year!

We look forward to maintaining and enhancing our unwavering commitment to delivering safe Early Years and Child Care of the highest possible calibre and pedagogy throughout all our Programs.