Network Childcare in December

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 Yordanos Habte, Network’s affiliated Home Child Care Provider

Yordanos Habte, Network’s affiliated Home Child Care Provider’s home is located in the High Park neighborhood in the west-end of Toronto. Her home is currently geared to offering care to children who are both toddler and pre-school age, but Yordanos’ fourteen years of experience with children of all ages, has allowed her to tailor her program to meet the needs of each and every child, including children with special needs. 

In conversation with Yordanos, one immediately notices her dedicated commitment to the children in her care as she describes her daily child care activities. She frequently enjoys outdoor playtimes with the children in her care as she visits local libraries and EarlyON programs.

Yordanos also brings a unique Eritrean flare to her healthy and delicious meals as she infuses flavours from this vibrant culture into a wide range of offerings for the children in her care to enjoy.

Yordanos is a dynamic member of her neighborhood as she strives to forge a multitude of interconnections with families and community services. Diversity, equity, and inclusion permeate Yordanos’ program on a daily basis.  

Mark Your Calendars – These Dates Are Noteworthy!

December 2nd
is International Day of Persons With Disabilities!

A disability impacts a person not only physically or mentally but in other aspects of their lives as this group of individuals tend to be discriminated against. Providing access to everyone includes individuals with disabilities.

December 5th
is International Volunteer Day!

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!

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.

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 4:19 a.m., thus marking the longest night. From this day, as we edge towards spring, the daylight minutes will increase, minute by minute.

December 25th
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!

December 24th / 25th
is Christmas Eve / Christmas Day!

This special celebration, which is usually marked over a two-day period, is also filled with lights and happiness for children.

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.

December 31st
is New Year’s Eve!

The world will bid farewell to 2024 at midnight as it chimes in around the planet. Network Child Care Services would like to wish your family a healthy and a very Happy New Year in 2025!

Time is the Greatest Gift During This Holiday Season!

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!