Author Archives: Administrator

Welcome Back!

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Welcome message and information for families new to EECC!

It’s Respiratory Virus Season and we very much encourage you to wear a mask while in our programs. Procedures & Protocols

Schedule for January 2023  and February 2023

  • Indoor programs at Terry Fox EarlyON, Monday and Friday, 8:45 – 12; capacity is 30 people. (re-opening January 9th)
  • Indoor programs at Kimbourne EarlyON, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday mornings, 9 – 12; Thursdays 9 am – 1 pm. Saturday 9:30 – 12. Capacity is 60 people.
  • Baby Time at Kimbourne EarlyON: Tuesdays, 1:30 – 3 pm; capacity is 60 people. Please wait outside if you arrive before 1:30 pm.  Thursdays 1 – 4 pm, back-to-back with our morning drop-in, which has been extended to 1 pm Thursdays only.
  • Glitterbug at Kimbourne EarlyON, in partnership with the 519 Community Centre: Thursdays, 4 – 6:30 pm with a light meal. For 2SLGBTQ+ communities and allies. Older sibs are welcome to join.
  • Senses, STEM and Social for 3 & 4 year olds: This program is offered Friday mornings, concurrently with our drop-in at Kimbourne.

Pre-registration is not required for drop-in programs, but electronic sign-in required on arrival. It is possible that programs will reach capacity at some point during the program, and we will post a sign outside if that happens.

General Protocols:

  • Our programs are for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Please don’t bring school aged siblings over the age of five, Saturdays & Glitterbug excepted. This policy is fully enforced.
  • It’s Respiratory Virus Season and we very much encourage you to wear a mask while in our programs. We have masks at the door for both adults and children.
  • Hand sanitizing is required when arriving and leaving, as well as before and after the following: eating, using play dough and sand, and attending to respiratory hygiene such as nose wiping/blowing, and using the washroom/diaper changing.
  • Diapers are to be taken home for disposal.
  • As always, do not bring hot drinks into our programs.
  • Label items like water bottles to avoid accidental mix ups. Please don’t leave them unattended in the program.
  • Leave all toys at home please. Please don’t ask our staff to search for toys from home should you decide to bring one and your child loses track of it.
  • Please only use our diaper changing facilities for diapering and child hygiene.
  • Marked bins are placed around the room for toys that need to be sanitized. These are for toys that have been in a child’s mouth, and need to be removed from play.
  • Public Health guidelines now permit sensory items such as play dough and sand. We will offer these with enhanced hand hygiene: all children and adults must clean their hands before participating in these activities. Play dough will be single use, so you are welcome to take it home with you, otherwise give it to staff to dispose of it when you are done.
  • We can provide snack (we wrap up snack at 10:30) or you can bring your own nut-free snack.
  • And YES, Our Kimbourne site, including our washroom, is wheel-chair/mobility device accessible. Our Terry Fox site is physically accessible as well, but since it is a school, we recommend contacting us at eecc@rogers.com to discuss the best way to access the building. We can also provide adult and child noise defenders on request.
  • Both our sites have high capacity air purifiers running during programs.
  • High-touch surfaces are sanitized between programs.

We still have adult masks for pick up.

Evacuation Drills

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Monthly evacuation drills are a necessary inconvenience.  We are required to do them and we want to do them well because we care about your child’s, yours and our own safety.

You don’t have to love them, but if you are bringing children to our programs, you do have to participate without protest.

We expect adults attending our programs to model a positive attitude during evacuation drills, so that children feel safe while practicing these skills.  Please follow all direction from staff.  Do not collect your coat, bags and stroller.  You will be interrupted by staff and asked to cooperate if you try do this, or decide to depart the program during a drill.  If the weather is chilly, throw a coat or blanket over your child and leave the building.

Our Famous Play Dough Recipe

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 2 tsp cream of tartar* (omit if you don’t have this – all will be well!)
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • food colouring

Directions

  1. Blend flour, salt and cream of tartar.
  2. 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.
  3. 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)
  4. Knead while it cools.  It’s undercooked if it remains sticky or overly oily.

* Cream of tartar is available in bulk food stores.Tip: many children are sensitive to artificial dyes. Natural dyes can be made from foods such as beet juice, blueberries and raspberries.