August is here!
Hello, lovely families!
This month, we’re celebrating fresh beginnings, meaningful connections, and hands-on learning in nature. From the launch of our Liberty Village Child Care Centre to sunshine-filled moments at our annual Provider Picnic, there's been no shortage of community spirit and heartwarming highlights.
Plus, we’re digging into the wonders of outdoor learning through our Sensorium and Pollinator Garden Project, nurturing little green thumbs and big curiosity. Read on for all the exciting updates, and don’t forget to mark your calendars for the Civic Holiday on August 4th!
Liberty Village Centre is Off to a Joyful Start!
Our newest child care centre in Liberty Village is buzzing with energy and warm welcomes! We’ve kicked things off with a fantastic team of 14 educators, including 11 Registered Early Childhood Educators, a Child and Youth Worker, and a blend of seasoned pros and bright new grads. We’re also thrilled to have four familiar faces from our network join the team to help lay the foundation for this exciting new chapter.
So far, 44 children and their families have joined our growing community, with three more on the way.
Located in the heart of Liberty Village, our little learners have been captivated by the world outside, from horses with police riders to Indy race cars and city firetrucks flashing by. Our infants have loved strolling through Fort York and down to the lake, while our toddlers and preschoolers are busy making memories in the nearby playgrounds.
We’re soaking up the sights, sounds, and connections this vibrant neighborhood offers, and we’re just getting started!
2025 Provider Picnic
We kicked off July with our annual Provider Picnic on the 3rd and 8th, welcoming our affiliated home child care providers and their families for two joyful days of community and connection. From a delicious BBQ lunch to the ever-popular ice cream truck, the celebrations were packed with fun in the sun. Children and adults alike enjoyed arts and crafts, face painting, water activities and lively Indigenous dance workshops that had everyone moving to the beat. A heartfelt thank you to all who joined us. We’re so grateful for the dedication and warmth our affiliated home child care providers bring to the lives of children every day.
Nature Connections Project: A Message from Susan Menchinton RECE
Nature Connections Project: A Message from Susan Menchinton RECE
We’re well underway with our four raised bed pilot sites located at St. Aidan, Bendale, Just Kids and Dane Ave., and the plants are establishing well despite the very hot weather. The intent of this project is to help children build a healthy relationship with the natural world in urban settings where they may not have regular access, through the creation of curated garden spaces that are accessible at child level and easy to maintain. We chose two main planting approaches:
Sensoriums: These contain variety of plants that provide sensory enrichment through shapes, colours, scents, textures, auditory stimulation and tastes over the growing season.
Pollinator Patches: These are designed with hardy perennials and native species that attract and feed beneficials insects like bees, hover flies and butterflies.
As educators, we know that the natural world is an important source of open-ended learning opportunities for young children. Nature play and exploration promotes physical, socioemotional and cognitive development and encourages them to test boundaries and develop independence, while it nurtures self-esteem and a sense of belonging to the greater world around them.
During this past month, we’ve visited with children at the pilot sites to help foster their connection to and respect for nature with activities to help them understand what plants need to grow well, to try out tastes and textures of plants, to explore what healthy things for their body are growing in the garden, and to investigate how pollination works. This nature-based learning approach will inspire collaboration with their teachers and peers in tending the gardens and encourage the development of a life-long commitment to stewardship of our planet.
Stay tuned for news on our Food Forest project in our September newsletter.
