The April to June 2013  edition of Esteem is now available online!   Find it, along with our Monthly Planner and other special event inserts, on the Esteem page on our website. Watch for a copy in your mailbox coming soon!  

The Early Childhood Community Development Centre is pleased to introduce our new portfolio of Interactive Observation and Documentation Tools! Available in both English and French! Related training for implementing the tools within early years settings may also be arranged. Contact eccdc@eccdc.org for more information.

The Child Care Human Resource Sector Council has recently updated its Occupational Standards for Child Care Administrators to ensure they reflect all the skills, knowledge and abilities administrators currently may require to work effectively. The Council has also created a new Occupational Profile on School-Age Child Care and updated their Infant Care Profile. The profiles are additions to the Occupational Standards for Early Childhood Educators. While the core knowledge described in the ECE standards remains the same, the profiles provide an...

Please find a letter written by Minister Laurel Broten and the Ontario Early Years Policy Framework released by the Ministry of Education on January 23, 2013. The Ontario Early Years Policy Framework sets out principles and next steps in the implementation of an integrated policy for the early years, including a commitment to continuing the roll out of full day kindergarten and the creation of an integrated system of Best Start Child and Family Centres.

The Niagara Region Children's Sevices Information Portal for Child Care Providers website was created by the Niagara Region in response to feedback they received from Niagara’s child care service providers. It's aim is to support child care business needs by keeping you informed, providing updates and communication related to key issues, and through sharing demographics and mapping to support planning. Click here to visit thier website.

Niagara Child Care Sector Updates, Reports, and Meeting Minutes may be found on the ECCDC website at http://www.eccdc.org/NCCS/default.php including Niagara Child Care Sector’s response to Modernizing Child Care in Ontario: Sharing Conversations, Strengthening Partnerships, Working Together.

Visit our Conferences and Special Events page for more details about this annual celebratory event,  a list of this year's award winners, and our post-event media release!

Clink the link below to read a letter from the Ontario Minister of Education,  Laurel Broten; December 18, 2012. Transitioning to Ontario's New Child Care Funding Formula and Funding Framework

Discover Niagara's History - click here to view our postcard with information on the Past is Present Book Clubs and Online Scavenger Hunt and how to win commerative War of 1812 collector coins! The ECCDC is delighted to be partnering with Literacy Link Niagara (LLN) on the Past is Present Community Book Project - an initiative that will bring children’s literature, a toolkit of curriculum planning ideas and training tied to the War of 1812 bicentennial celebrations to Niagara’s licensed child...

Check out our NEW Fall Grab and Go Learning Project! Or choose from a variety of other learning centre activities that support all areas of the curriculum. They’re inexpensive, quick to implement and appeal to many age groups. For further information click Grab and Go Learning Projects.

It is with deep sadness that the board of directors and staff of the Early Childhood Community Development Centre (ECCDC) announce the medical leave of the ECCDC’s founding Executive Director, Tammy McCormick Ferguson. Tammy’s condition is currently being diagnosed by specialists at the Gloria & Morton Shulman Movement Disorders Clinic at Toronto Western General Hospital, with assistance from specialists at the Mayo Clinic, the National Institutes of Health, Columbia Medical Centre, and the University Of Washington. Doctors, researchers and geneticists are...

We are pleased to advise that the ECCDC has recently received a donation from the Academic Upgrading Teachers of Ontario's Community Colleges of a children's book for each of Niagara's licensed child care programs. The book selection is all different, so we will be distributing them on a first come first served basis. Please drop by the ECCDC at 3340 Schmon Parkway during our operating hours over the coming weeks to select a complimentary children's book for your program. The ECCDC...

We are at once delighted and disheartened to announce the retirement of Judy Arnott, effective June 15, 2012. Judy has been a dedicated employee of the Early Childhood Community Development Centre for 16 years and has been a positive and passionate advocate for child care for nearly 50 years. Please join us for a farewell reception to honour Judy to be held on Wednesday, June 13, 2012. Click here to view the full invitation.

LOCAL PROJECT WILL PROVIDE OBSERVATION AND DOCUMENTATION TOOLS TO LINK YOUNG CHILDREN’S PLAY WITH LEARNING The ECCDC is proud to announce its receipt of a $70,100 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to provide those working with young children in Niagara with observation and documentation tools to help them better understand, interpret, and communicate how children’s play connects to learning. The ECCDC will undertake this project in conjunction with the Regional Municipality of Niagara, Children’s Services Department; Quality Child Care Niagara;...

The ECCDC launched a new web portal for families in Niagara - Parent Direct Niagara! Parent Direct Niagara is a free, online information service designed to help connect the parents of young children with the programs, services and supports they require. This service has been made possible with funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Niagara Community Foundation, and with the support of the Early Years Niagara Planning Council, its affiliate organizations and the Regional Municipality of Niagara, Children’s Services Department. Please...

We have added some new features to ECCDC Intranet pages for Child Care Centres! We have been working on expanding and improving our ECCDC Intranet, primarily in the area of contact information and Professional Resource Library membership management. If you are a Licensed Child Care Centre in Niagara and possess a login to our Intranet, click here for more detailed information on the changes you will see and how to use the new features. Please contact the ECCDC at eccdc@eccdc.org or...

Tammy McCormick Ferguson,  the ECCDC's Executive Director, and Andrea Hannen have published Part 2 of the three-part  article Leadership in the 21st Century in the Winter 2012 issue of the AECEO's eceLINK magazine: "Characteristics of 21st Century Leaders". "Today’s leaders face a new reality. The characteristics and behaviours of 21st century leaders differ dramatically from those of leaders in earlier times......" The first installment of this article, from the Summer/Fall 2011 issue, examined six aspects of 21st century leadership. The current issue also includes a tribute to...

The Niagara Licensed Child Care Centre Numeracy Project held its Wrap-up and Recogntion Breakfast Event at the Holiday Inn. Visit our Community Projects and Initiatives page for details and summary of the project and to view pictures!

Niagara’s Fifteenth Annual Early Childhood Educator’s Awards of Excellence  were held on Thursday November 24th at 6:00 pm at the Holiday Inn Suites St. Catharines Conference Centre. Congratultions to all the award recipients! Please click here to read more and view photographs from the event.

Are you interested in building relationships with parents and caregivers that will support information sharing and the development of collaborative strategies for addressing needs and difficult issues? The ECCDC is offering a new training opportunity: "Building Supportive Relationships with Parents and Caregivers". Click here to view the flyer.

The McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership at National Louis University recently published their Fall Research Notes, which includes the research we produced through the MPCC project! Topic: Mentoring Directors as a Strategy to Improve Quality in Early Childhood Programs. Findings and interpretation: Changes in Administrator Behavior, Overall Program Quality, and Teachers' Interactions with Children.  

View our ECCDC Mentoring Update flyer to find information on data gathered from the formal MPCC program, new resources, and current "Continuing the Momentum" activities.

The Ministry of Education launched its Early Learning Framework website. Visit the website to: familiarize yourself with the six guiding principles of the ELF hear early learning experts talk about early childhood development, view videos and photos from various early learning and care settings, and get ideas about how to put the principles into practice. Cliquez ici pour le site Web en français.

Click the link below for information regarding the transfer of child care from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS) to the Ministry of Education (MEDU) on January 1, 2012. Update on child care licensing transfer to the Ministry of Education Cliquez sur le lien ci-dessous pour trouver des informations sur le transfert des responsabilités pour les soins des enfants du ministère des enfants et des Services de la jeunesse (MSEJ) du ministère de l'éducation (MEDU), le 1er janvier 2012. Le point...

The ECCDC Board of Directors and Staff Team are absolutely thrilled and very proud to announce that our Executive Director, Tammy McCormick Ferguson, was the 2011 Recipient of the Canadian Child Care Federation’s Award for Excellence in Child Care! Click here to read more!

The ECCDC is pleased to announce that we are now completely settled and at full operation in our new location! Come visit us at 3340 Schmon Parkway in Thorold. We are now more centrally located and an easier commute for members located in Niagara Falls, Welland, Port Colborne, Pelham and Thorold. Check us out on Google “street view” at: http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=EN&q=3340%20Schmon%20Pkwy,%20Thorold,%20ON%20Canada Thank you to all our valued partners and guests who helped us make our Open House and Grand Re-opening such a success! We are...

Mentoring Pairs for Child Care program evaluation tools and data have been gaining some international recognition! Martha Friendly's Childcare Resource and Referral Unit highlighted the MPCC Final Outcome Report in its latest email update to subscribers...click here to read more. The MPCC program also agreed to allow the Institute for Child Development Research & Social Change in Arizona, USA to use our Occupational Standards, Mentoring Attitudes & Predispositions and Professional Development questionnaires and embedded measurement scales in the evaluation of their own...

Visit our Resources and Publications section to find out more about our Occupational Standards Checklists and the Mentoring Toolkits, DVD, and T-shirts! Occupational Standards Checklists - these self‐assessment checklist booklets are intended to be used to identify areas of strength and need according to the tasks and rating scales outlined in the Occupational Standards for Child Care Administrators and the Occupational Standards for Early Childhood Educators created by the CCHRSC. Available in both English and French. Mentoring Toolkits - a unique, easy-to-use, and...

Mentoring is a hot topic at national and international gatherings this past May.... Mentoring Pairs for Child Care Project Manager, Glory Ressler, presented in Saint John, New Brunswick at the national child care conference Valuing Children: A Canadian Conversation hosted by Early Childhood Care and Education New Brunswick and the Canadian Child Care Federation. Topic: "Mentoring Pairs for Child Care: Building Knowledge, Skills, Reflective Practice, Positive Relationships & Learning Environments in Ontario" Additionally, at the request of the World Forum Foundation, Ms. Ressler and MPCC Advisory Committee member...

The Family Supports Institute of Ontario highlights the ECCDC’s Play-Based Learning Kits and Grab and Go Projects in their latest issue of  “Ontario Connections”!  Click here to view the ad and the full publication.

The ECCDC is pleased to present a new tool to support your curriculum planning, observation and documentation efforts - our Curriculum Planning, Observation and Reflection Tool – 8.5x11” pad of planning charts! For more detailed information, visit our new Curriculum Planning page on our Professional Library Resources: Resources for Sale tab.

The ECCDC recently introduced two exciting new products: the Strengthening Child Care Communities - Network Facilitation Manual and the Strengthening Child Care Communities - Orientation Manual. Please follow the link to our Network Manuals page for more detailed information and how to order.

AWARDS PRESENTED TO NIAGARA-BASED EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS (December 1, 2010) The Early Childhood Community Development Centre (ECCDC) in partnership with the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Ontario, Niagara Branch presented professional recognition awards to approximately fifty Early Childhood Educators (ECEs), staff and volunteers of early learning and child care programs across Niagara, at a special ceremony on Thursday November 25 at the Quality Parkway Hotel and Convention Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario.  Awards were presented in a variety of categories,...

Please see the link below for the article published in the St. Catharines Standard on June 29, 2010. The article highlights the Niagara Numeracy Project :  The Early Childhood Community Development Centre in partnership with the Kiwanis Clubs of Niagara received a Trillium Foundation grant to provide all licensed child care centres in Niagara with a numeracy resource kit containing over $1,000 of educational resource materials. http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2645109

Here are various articles and documents related to Full Day Learning May 19, 2010 - Day Nurseries Act Notification  (english) (french) April 27, 2010 - Ontario Passes Full-Day Learning Act April 15, 2010 - Full Day Kindergarten curriculum draft February 23, 2010 - Jim Grieve, Ministry of Education: letter introducing Bill 242 (english) (french) February 17, 2010 - Premier McGuinty: Implementing Full-Day Learning For Four- and Fire-Year Olds February 17, 2010 - Premier McGuinty: Ontario's Next Step For Full-Day Early Learning January 19, 2010 - Niagara Region: Invitation to Information Session January...

NEW KIWANIS PROJECT WILL HELP CHILD CARE CENTRES BOOST CHILDREN'S MATH SKILLS St. Catharines: The Early Childhood Community Development Centre (ECCDC) and the Kiwanis Clubs of Niagara are pleased to announce the launch of a new project designed to enhance children’s numeracy skills. The project, which is funded by the Trillium Foundation, will provide 150 of Niagara's licensed child care programs with classroom resources related to math and numeracy skills instruction. Additionally, over 1000 Early Childhood Educators will be specially trained...

ECCDC APPLAUDS NEW PROVINCIAL POLICY ON FULL-DAY LEARNING FOR YOUNG CHILDREN St. Catharines: The Early Childhood Community Development Centre (ECCDC) is pleased to welcome the Honourable Laurel Broten as the new Minister of Children and Youth Services and looks forward to working with other Niagara stakeholders to implement the new Provincial child care policies announced earlier today. “The announcement is a first step toward implementation of the broadly supported recommendations made last spring in a report by the Premier's early learning advisor Dr. Charles Pascal,”...