December 2015
Local Early Learning & Child Care Professionals Honoured
Click here for article and event photos from the 2015 Niagara Early Learning & Child Care Awards of Excellence in Our Niagara.
December 2015
Science & Technology Project Featured in the Kiwanis International Newsletter
Click here to view.
December 2015
Exploring the Difference between Bullying Behaviour & Appropriate Teasing
Article in Snapd St. Catharines.
November 2015
Niagara’s 2015 Early Learning & Child Care Awards of Excellence
Article in Snapd St. Catharines.
November 26 2015
Local Early Learning & Child Care Professionals Honoured in Special Ceremony
More than 45 Registered Early Childhood Educators, volunteers, full day early learning programs and students received recognition on Thursday November 19 at a special awards ceremony at the Holiday Inn & Suites in St. Catharines. The ceremony was part of the 19th Annual Niagara Early Learning and Child Care Awards of Excellence celebration and was coordinated by the Early Childhood Community Development Centre (ECCDC).
There were more than 370 people in attendance at the medieval masquerade, sponsored by Louise Kool & Galt, one of Canada’s leading suppliers of classroom resources and equipment. Eight local businesses also supported the event, including: Gold Level Sponsors A Child’s World Family Child Care Services of Niagara, Meridian Credit Union, and St. Catharines Standard; Silver Level Sponsors PenFinancial Credit Union, the YMCA of Niagara, and HiMama Inc.; and Bronze Level Sponsors Future Access Inc., Minuteman Press, and the University of Guelph-Humber….
Click here to view/download the full media release.
Fall 2015
Connecting Niagara’s Preschoolers with Seniors ~ A Journey of Friendship, Kindness and Laughter
Our Team at the Early Childhood Community Development Centre (ECCDC) had no idea that we would be embarking on such a heartwarming journey with the acceptance of a proposal we had submitted to the New Horizons for Seniors Program of the Government of Canada in August 2014. We were absolutely thrilled in being the successful recipient of a $25,000 grant. We quickly brought together a variety of community partners to form an Advisory Committee to inform planning and to offer guidance throughout the project.
Click here to read full article, by Lorrey Arial Bonilla OCT, B.A. (Hons) Child Studies, B.Ed. Executive Director and Katelyn Robins, RECE, B.A. (Hons), Early Learning and Child Care Program Consultant of the ECCDC.
November 2015
Awards Celebration Will Honour Niagara’s Early Learning and Child Care Community
Niagara’s 19th Annual Early Learning and Child Care Awards of Excellence will take place on Thursday, November 19, from 5:30 to 9:00 pm at the Holiday Inn & Suites on Ontario Street in St. Catharines. Lori Love from 105.7 EZ Rock will emcee the event. This year’s event will feature a medieval masquerade theme and approximately 300 guests are expected to attend.
The Awards of Excellence is coordinated each year by the Early Childhood Community Development Centre (ECCDC). This year’s gala will include greetings from Darlene Edgar, Niagara Region’s Director of Children’s Services and Vice President of the College of Early Childhood Educators; Lois Mahon, President of the College of Early Childhood Educators; and Shani Halfon, Interim Coordinator with the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Ontario…..
Click here to view/download the full media release.
Summer 2015
Kiwanis & the ECCDC Join Forces to Enhance Science & Technology Experiences for Young Children
Children’s science and technology learning has been enhanced in over 150 licensed early childhood programs thanks to the Kiwanis Clubs of Niagara and the Early Childhood Community Development Centre (ECCDC). The Science and Technology project, which began in 2012 and took two years to complete, is the most recent of a series of initiatives the Kiwanis Clubs of Niagara and the ECCDC have undertaken together, with the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Louise Kool & Galt, Niagara Region Children’s Services, and other local organizations.
Click here to read full article, by Andrea Hannen and Lorrey Arial Bonilla, published in the AECEO’s Summer 2015 issue of eceLINK.
May 14 2015
Tim Gill
View the TV Cogeco Niagara video with Tim Gill during the Niagara stop in his cross-Canada tour to speak about more child-friendly communities and the need for more outdoor play among children.
May 12 2015
Playground Safety
View the St. Catharines Standard’s article on the Tim Gill event, From Protection to Resilience: Why Do Educators Need to Take a Balanced Approach to Risk, and What Does it Look Like?
May 5 2015
UK AUTHOR TIM GILL TO SPEAK ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF OUTDOOR PLAY IN NIAGARA ON MAY 13TH AS PART OF A CROSS CANADA TOUR
On Wednesday May 13, the Early Childhood Community Development Centre and Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds will be presenting a seminar by researcher and author Tim Gill. The event will take place at 6:00 p.m. at Amici’s Banquet & Conference Centre in Thorold and is of interest to educators, parks and recreation staff, community outdoor planners and service providers involved in children’s learning, health and well-being. Tickets are $55 each and the cost includes a copy of Tim’s book No Fear: Growing Up in a Risk Averse Society.
Tim Gill is one of the UK’s leading thinkers on childhood, and an advocate for positive change in children’s everyday lives. His work has focused on the changing nature of childhood, children’s play and free time, and their evolving relationship with the people and places around them. Tim’s cross-Canada speaking tour, which includes presentations in eight cities, is sponsored by the Canadian Wildlife Federation. Niagara’s presentation is also being supported by Walker Industries. Gill’s appearance in Niagara is one of just two Ontario stops on his Canada-wide tour.
Click here for full media release.
May 1 2015
Moving Away from Themes: Embracing Inquiry-Based Learning Session Highlighted in Snapd St. Catharines
Click here to view.
April 2015
Intergenerational Pilot Project Wrap-up Celebration at Gilmore Lodge in Fort Erie
Article in Snapd St. Catharines.
Winter 2015
College of Early Childhood Educators (CECE) References ECCDC and Intergenerational Project Partners
Connexions; Winter 2015, Vol. 6: Issue 2
February 17 2015
Niagara Infant Mental Health Pilot Project to Launch March 3 2015
A new pilot project designed to identify infant mental health strategies will launch with a special breakfast on Tuesday, March 3. The event will take place at the St. Catharines Museum Lock 3 Complex. It will feature a presentation by Dr. Chaya Kulkarni, Director of Infant Mental Health Promotion, Toronto SickKids Hospital. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Robin Williams, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health for the Province of Ontario.
Click here to view the full media release.
View article in St. Catharines Standard, March 4 2015