EarlyON Child and Family Centre
EarlyON Child and Family Centres exist across Ontario, and provide FREE high-quality, inclusive programming that support early learning and development for children ages 0-6.
EarlyON Facilitators create warm and welcoming environments that foster learning, creativity, and social skills. Children are able to engage in positive interactions with other children and adults, while parents and caregivers learn and play alongside their children.
At Connections
Play is the foundation of all our programming and services. Play is how children learn. It is simple, creative, unplanned, rewarding, and doesn’t need to have a specific goal. Play helps children of all ages learn, develop, explore, and be healthy.
Our space and selection of toys and activities are specifically designed to support age-appropriate learning and development through play.
We have spent the last 50 years lovingly cultivating our space for families to enjoy. Our EarlyON consists of 4 distinct rooms – the main playroom, a STEM room, a sensory room, a creative room - and an outdoor space.
Play helps children with:
EMOTIONS
Free play lets children experience a range of emotions.
PROSOCIAL BEHAVIORS
Children take on many different roles when they play, which help them practice their communication skills, experience being leaders and followers, and be sensitive towards others.
LANGUAGE
When children play, they learn how to talk and listen to others, take turns, solve problems, and express themselves.
SELF-REGULATION
Children learn how to express their thoughts, wants, and needs.
What we offer
Connections EarlyON Centre is centered on family support; which means we are focused on not only a child’s development, but on the needs of the entire family. We let parents and caregivers lead, deciding how they want to engage with us. Which is why through the Connections EarlyON we offer a wide variety of programming that children and their parents and caregivers can access. This includes:
Come & Play
Drop-in Come & Play sessions with a variety of activities. See monthly calendar for session times.
Bright, active Babies & you (B.A.B.Y.)
Dedicated programming for families with newborns and infants 0-18 months.
Parenting Groups
Parenting groups are scheduled, structured gatherings of parents experiencing similar moments in their children’s lives. Groups can cover a range of topics from positive parenting to going to school to self-regulation.
Early Learning Programming
Within our come and play sessions we will host programming and activities for parents and children to engage in, from Healthy Together™, Readers are Leaders, and Family Math.
Outdoor Learning
The Good Friends Garden ~ Kitigan mino inawendiwin, an outdoor play space, is open from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM Monday through Friday. Find out what kind of activities we plan in the space.
Connections Dads Activities Committee (CDAC)
A group of dads who plan, sponsor, and implement activities for families and their children 0–6 years of age.
Visiting Our Centre
What to expect
Activities. Children and their caregivers may engage in independent, small group, and large group activities. Children are free to move about activities and to use their imagination. They are encouraged to explore materials and use toys in ways that make sense to them. Towards the end of any programming we begin to sing the ‘Tidy Up’ song, and encourage parents to show their children how to tidy up through role modelling. We end all of our sessions by gathering around the carpet in the Main Play Area to engage in songs and stories. The purpose is to have structured time where parents and children can engage in song and play together. You have the choice to stay and participate or to use that time to help your little one to leave. Our staff will be there to support you as needed.
Cleanliness / Illness. We are rigorous in keeping our Centre sanitary, clean, and tidy. We clean our space daily to ensure it is as safe an environment as possible, and all toys are disinfected at the end of every day. Any objects that have been in your child’s mouth should be placed in the cleaning bin immediately after use. We ask that you be free of illness for at least 24 hours (as per Public Health guidelines) before visiting the Centre. If you or your child is suffering from a stomach virus, diarrhea or any communicable illness we ask that you please do not come to the Centre. For more information, please check the Health and Safety policy posted in the Main Play Area.
Food and snacks. A nutritious and well-balanced snack is provided at all EarlyONs. A variety of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains are available during our programming for children to enjoy when they feel hungry. To prevent choking, we ask that all children remain seated in our kitchen area with their parent or caregiver while eating. We have a variety of seating available for different ages, including booster seats and highchairs, as well as age-appropriate options for plates and cups. Our EarlyON Centre is NUT FREE. Please do not bring any food that may contain nuts or nut products into the Centre.
Visitors from other community agencies. From time to time there will be representatives from community agencies sharing their knowledge and experience with families. These trained staff are here to listen to your concerns and can help families with referrals to other services or community resources.
Schedule
Parking and strollers
There is free street parking available on Giles and on Marentette, as well as the surrounding streets. We have a specially designed covered stroller storage in our outside space. We advise you not to leave any personal belongings in the stroller. Our staff are available to help you when you are arriving and leaving.
What to bring
We know some children love to walk barefoot, however, for safety reasons children must wear sandals, shoes, running shoes, boots, or slippers at the Centre. We encourage weather appropriate clothing for any outdoor activities. You are welcome to bring in diaper bags, purses, or other personal items. We have cubbies for you to store them in our Main Play Area. Personal belongings are your responsibility.
Signing in
We are required to register each person that attends the Centre and report our numbers to our funders. Upon registering, you will be given a scan tag to make scanning in easy and fast. All EarlyON centres in Windsor-Essex use the same system so it will work anywhere. The Province of Ontario requires statistics on how many people use our services; scanning in allows us to show that our programs and services are used by our community, which is directly used to determine our funding. Your privacy is important to us, please read the privacy statement posted in the Main Play Area if you have any concerns. Parents must give their verbal and/or written consent before any information is shared with any other individual or agency outside of our Centre.
Accompanying your child
Adults are expected to fully participate with their children in all aspects of the program. This allows you to keep your children safe while they explore and discover all that is offered. Get down at their level and enjoy your time together! You are responsible for your child at all times while at our Centre. If you must step out of the room, please ensure another adult is looking after your child.
Photography and social media
We may use photography or video during our programs for documentation of children’s learning and/or to promote the Centre. All participants will be asked to sign a Photo Waiver. We always ask permission before taking any photo. If you do not wish to be included in pictures or videos, please alert our staff, we are very respectful of your wishes.
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