EarlyON Child and Family Resource Centres - Update

On July 30, the Premier announced the reopening of Ontario school this September, which included a plan to reopen EarlyON Child and Family Resource Centres. Our goal is to have a strong understanding of all the details so that we can open and provide the level of programming and services you have come to expect from EarlyON | Waterloo Region. As such, we do not have an anticipated date of reopening to share with you. The reopening of EarlyON Child and Family Centres will be a passed-in approach; not all centres and mobile sites will reopen at the same time. As you can expect, there are a lot of moving pieces to this announcement, and we are working tirelessly to ensure that the health and well-being of your child(ren), your family and our communities remain central to our re-open plan. At this time, we are awaiting local public health guidelines and EarlyON expectations from the Ministry of Education. We are also working closely with our local school boards and municipalities to safely open our centres.

As we receive more information from the Region of Waterloo, our local Public Health and the Ministry of Education, we will continue to update you with any changes or new information as it becomes available. Please continue to check our Reopening Page for updates. We appreciate that your EarlyON experience may look or feel a little different during this time. We thank you for your patience and understanding and commit to keeping you informed of any changes to our programming or services in a timely manner. Please continue to check this page often, and look out for messages through our Email Newsletter or social media pages on Facebook and Twitter. If you have any questions regarding COVID-19, please contact your regional public health unit.

This Fall, Our Place Family Resource and Early Years Centre will continue to deliver all of our programs on virtual platforms online.

STORK SECRETS: To register for this group, please access our website: Virtual Stork Secrets

This virtual peer support program is geared to pregnant and postpartum mothers of infants under age 2, who are adjusting to the changes and challenges of parenthood while coping with the additional stress of postpartum life during a global pandemic. This pre-registered program will take place within a private Facebook group, and via a Zoom meeting.

PARENTING IN A NEW SOCIETY: To register for this group; please access our website: Virtual Parenting in a New Society

Come together to connect over Zoom and Facebook with other parents from different countries wanting to build relationships during this challenging period of physical distancing, and wanting to learn about:
life in Canada, how and where to find support, and how to feel at home when you are far away from your friends and relatives – and even physically isolated from the people around you.

PARENTING IN A PANDEMIC: To register for this group; please access our website: Parenting in a Pandemic

Parenting in a Pandemic with Our Place is a private peer support Facebook group where a Peer Health Worker and a Registered Early Childhood Educator facilitate conversations, host Facebook Lives and twice-weekly Zoom gatherings, and provide content and resources in conjunction with Our Place’s Self Regulation team.

VIRTUAL PLAYDATES: Virtual Platform is a CLOSED group format. To Register for this group; please access our website: Virtual Playdates

Does your child miss being able to interact with their friends and educators? Would you like them to practice relationship-building and social skills over the summer before returning to school? Join us for a two-week session of Our Place's Virtual Playdates. ​
A Registered Early Childhood Educator will facilitate three 25-minute play dates per week on a virtual platform for small groups of children 3-6 years old (and a caring adult close by). The sessions involve open-ended play, songs conversation and fun! Register to join in on a 2 week session of playdates for your child. ​

If you have any questions regarding our EarlyON | Waterloo Region locations, please reach out to earlyyearsinfo@ckw.ymca.ca