Welcome!
Network Child Care Services (Network) is proud to deliver to your inbox, the Organization’s December Newsletter! Please enjoy a few moments to review the brief articles and noteworthy celebrations for all families, staff, and affiliated home child care providers. We truly hope you enjoy these quick highlights as we focus on one of Network’s Child Care Services’ affiliated Home Child Care Providers as well as other events of interest for the month of December!
Connecting with Nafisa Varachhia, Network’s affiliated Home Child Care Provider
Nafisa Varachhia, Network’s affiliated Home Child Care Provider’s home is located in the Silverthorn neighborhood in the west-end of Toronto. Her home is currently geared to offering care to children who are school aged, but Nafisa’s over twenty years of experience with children of all ages, has allowed her to tailor her program to meet the needs of every child, including children with special needs such as autism.
In conversation with Nafisa, one immediately notices her incredible commitment to the children in her care as she describes her daily child care program. Her backyard is frequently used as an extension of the entire lower level of her home, where she engages her school age children in a multitude of STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) activities. Nafisa also takes pride in the number of years which she has successfully integrated children with autism as she takes the necessary time to fully understand their needs along with the needs of their families. Children with special needs such as autism, bring a unique compilation of skills, which given the opportunity, are easily integrated into an effective daily program.
Nafisa is a dynamic member of her neighborhood as she strives to forge a multitude of interconnections with families and community services. She is committed to the concept that everyone could be a life-long learner, they just need to try their best!
Mark Your Calendars – These Dates Are Noteworthy!
Dec 3
December 3rd is International Day of Persons With Disabilities! This special day was first recognized by the United Nations in 1992 as a way to acknowledge the importance of creating a more disability-friendly society. A disability impacts a person not only physically or mentally but in other aspects of their lives as this group of individuals tends to be discriminated against. Providing access to everyone includes individuals with disabilities.
Dec 5
December 5th is International Volunteer Day! This important day had been finally recognized by the United Nations in 1985 and is celebrated worldwide. Communities throughout the globe would be challenged without the support of volunteers who provide much needed assistance without remuneration. If you know a volunteer, please thank them each and every day!
Dec 6
December 6th is National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women! This solemn and somber day is observed in Canada which marks the tragic events which occurred at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal in 1989. This day continues to remind all of us that there are other ways to manage conflicts and disagreements without resorting to violence.
Dec 7
December 7th is Hanukkah! This delightful celebration is often referred to as “The Festival of Lights”. Children excite in the festivities of this special time of year lasting eight days!
Dec 21
December 21st is Winter Solstice! As daylight seems to be growing shorter and shorter, there is hope on this special day that the light will gradually return. Winter will officially arrive at 11:19 p.m., thus marking the longest night. From this day, as we edge towards spring, the daylight minutes will increase, minute by minute.
Dec 24
December 24th is Christmas Eve. This special day is filled with lights and happiness for children and families.
Dec 25
December 25th is Christmas Day! This special celebration, which is usually marked over a two-day period, is also filled with lights, home cooked meals, and happy moments for children, parents and families.
Dec 26
December 26th is Kwanzaa! This unique seven-day event was initially created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor of Black Studies at California State University. This celebration aims to build solidarity and community while remembering traditional ancestral values.
Dec 31
December 31st is New Year’s Eve! The world will bid farewell to 2023 at midnight as it chimes in around the planet. Network Child Care Services would like to wish your family a very Happy New Year in 2024!
The Important Gift of Time!
During this increasingly daylight challenged time of year, many families are sometimes struggling to “find time” each day to meet the needs of those who are important to them. Many may feel that this “festive” month brings with it a host of interesting “time crunching” days and nights as we attempt to play “beat the clock” to ensure that seemingly everything is accomplished on the never ending “to do” list.
However, the interesting thing about time is that it is actually a measured construct which can neither be bought, sold, nor saved. Time is simply that agreed upon framework which supports our social planet and allows us to bring a routine to our daily lives, and the lives of our children. Given this reality, it is vital to consider the intrinsic “value” of time for children.
Children are children for a very brief period of time. While we are in the moment, time may be slow in passing but upon closer reflection, it is surprising how quickly days turn into months and years. Children learn, grow, and thrive with each social interaction which we as adults provide them, and it is these social interactions which are the most valuable. To children, activities and events transform themselves into long term memories in the brain which are revisited throughout the coming years.
Please take the time to consider the value of time for your child as the eternal gift which you could give them, long after the holiday lights have been put away!
References:
www.calendarr.com