The Early Childhood Community Development (ECCDC) was grateful to be the recipient of a four-year financial commitment of $50,000 from the Kiwanis Clubs of Niagara from 2022 to 2026 to support the van lease. This sponsorship included the St. Catharines, Welland and Niagara Falls Clubs.

In June 2026, The Kiwanis Clubs of Niagara renewed a second financial commitment to the Early Childhood Community Development Centre (ECCDC) for four years to subsidize the cost of a community outreach van. The ECCDC is so grateful to receive this second financial commitment to be able to continue offering a delivery service to increase Educators’ access to play-based materials, equipment, and mentoring supports. The new four-year financial commitment brings the total investment of the Kiwanis Clubs donation to over $70,000.

Visit Young Children Priority First to view media releases and project articles.

In 2025 and 2026, generous funding of nearly $16,000 provided by the Kiwanis Clubs of Niagara will provide literacy resource kits to more than 120 licensed child care programs, supporting early literacy through storytelling props that engage young children and enhance comprehension. In addition, educators will participate in a training workshop focused on effectively using story sacks in their programs, providing practical strategies and tools they can share with their teams to further enrich children’s learning experiences.

Visit Young Children Priority First to view media releases and project articles.

In 2017-18, the Kiwanis Clubs of Niagara donated a set of Community Playthings - Outlast Blocks to 26 Early Learning and Child Care programs in Niagara. Outlast Blocks are specially designed to encourage creative play and child-directed discovery.

Visit Young Children Priority First to view media releases and project articles.

After more than a decade, the ECCDC is proud to relaunch a hybrid, revitalized Mentoring Pairs for Child Care program, leveraging the past Mentoring Pairs process and framework while providing updated curriculum in alignment with today's trends in early learning and child care. Mentoring Pairs for Child Care inspires longstanding supervisors to work alongside their newer colleagues, to help support the development of emerging leadership skills and the critical issue of retention through the building of strong, trusting, and collaborative relationships. The MPCC program is currently active in several communities around the province.

Visit Mentoring Pairs for Child Care website for more information.

In Spring 2022, through the support of the Kiwanis Clubs of Niagara,, "Treasure Baskets" were provided to child care programs in Niagara to provide sensory-rich play experiences for pre-verbal children and support the development of play schemas. Licensed child care centres in Niagara received unique infant and toddler materials and complimentary training thanks to a generous contribution of more than $20,000 from the Kiwanis Clubs of Niagara.

Visit Young Children Priority First to view media releases and project articles.

This project linked seniors residences to child care and family support programs so that seniors could share their knowledge, skills and experiences with the younger generation.

The ECCDC and Niagara Region Children's Services joined forces to pilot the use of iPads with educational apps that enhance speech, language and emergent literacy within 30 Niagara child care programs.

Tools for observing and documenting children's play were piloted within 22 early learning and child care programs across Niagara.

In partnership with the Kiwanis Clubs of Niagara,, Niagara's licensed child care programs were offered science and technology based resources and training developed in alignment with Ontario's Early Learning Framework: Early Learning for Every Child Today. Visit the Young Children Priority First website for more information on this and other collaborations of Kiwanis and the ECCDC.

The ECCDC was delighted to partner with Literacy Link Niagara on this initiative that brought literature and a toolkit of curriculum planning ideas and training to Niagara's licensed child care programs and a family literacy kit to families across Niagara, all tied to the War of 1812 Bicentennial celebrations.

A national initiative enabling communities to better understand the needs of their young children and families to determine best programs and services for them.