Emmanuel at Brighton Child Care Centre
65 Noecker Street N2J 2R6 Waterloo, ON, Canada

Today is #TransDayOfVisibility and we want to honour all the Trans, Non-Binary, and 2spirit educators, children, and families. The work of educators is essentia...l to creating spaces that acknowledge, respect, value and respond to the experiences and knowledge of members of the Trans community. We know that there is much work to be done to ensure that child care and early years spaces are truly inclusive and safe. We are grateful for all the advocates who have led this work and today we celebrate the Trans community for all your contributions to our sector. See more

EaB is hiring supply educators. Come and work with an amazing team! Please send your resume and cover letter to [Email hidden]

Help the Region of Waterloo identify what's important to families. Please take the Parent Survey and share your thoughts about Child Care and Early Learning services. All parents/guardians with children ages 12 years or under are invited to participate.

Celebrating Indigenous Pedagogy Woodside National Historic Site Forest and Nature Schools relie on the Millenia old sophisticated, experiential, and systemic knowledge and pedagogy of Indigenous Nations around the World. Throughout the last seven years of FNS learning we have been graciously supported by Northern Cree, Mohawk, Abenaki, Anishnabeg, Haudenosaunee, Mi’kmaq, and Métis elders, knowledge keepers and youth. Due to the pandemic we haven’t been able to invite the com...munity into our classrooms, and we have missed the wonderful learning and growth opportunities. Dewe’igan has joined our community as an educator and is graciously sharing her knowledge, and creativity with us. Dewe’igan has been sharing her language, Anishinaabemowin, with the children, introducing The Word of The Day each day. Dewe’igan shared the origin story of Anishinaabemowin evoking the sound, power, and beauty of Water. At Woodside, Dewe’igan talked about the four sacred medicines: Tobacco, Sweetgrass, Sage, and Cedar. The children learned the Anishinaabemowin word for Cedar: Giizhik, and explored the smell and texture of the Medicine. Dewe’igan shared her techings about Ghiizhik and about the benefits of Ghiizhik Tea. The children joined the sound of the drum and joined the songs with their own voices. Miigwech Dewe’igan! We are greatful and inspired by your teachings.

Moments of kindness and co-operation emerged as the children built the fire for the Kelly Kettle at Woodside National Historic Site on a sunny March morning. The children brainstormed ways to build the fire in the small vessel. The conversations were truly inspiring. Did you ever wonder how the fire burns inside the Kelly Kettle? Now you have a wonderful explanation:

Welcoming Spring at Woodside National Historic Site March 24th. 2021 The inhabitants of the woods at Woodside National Historic Site welcomed us with song and acrobatics. New voices returning from the South joined the beautiful chorus in the Trees. We said hello to the large Maples and compared the consistency and coulour of Maple sap to Maple syrup. We revisited our previous experiences exploring the textures of Maple bark, listening to the sap rising in the Maple Trees. We ...have been observing the annual changes in the lifecycle of trees simultaneously discovering other plants surrounding or growing on them. The children took charge of gathering the kindling such as: grass, leaves, pine cones to create our fire of the day inside the Kelly Kettle. The children gathered loose materials testing each piece for moisture content. Groups found dry grasses, and announced: I tell you, this will burn very well and will make a good little fire!. A group of children gathered around a friend to ensure everyone was included in the process. They brought the loose materials to him and discussed how to best arrange the kindling in the small vessel. The fire was small but burned beautifully carrying the smoke into the air through the tiny chimney. The water in the kettle sang for us and the children expressed their satisfaction at the work well done: We told you, you needed that good grass for a great little fire!. We made chamomile tea with Maple Syrup and thanked the Trees for this delicious gift. It is heartwarming to see the children taking care of each other, taking initiative to build fires independently and building an experiential understanding of the science of combustion. As the children gathered dry leaves from last year’s bounty for the fire they surprised us by identifying Oak, Maple and Birch leaves. Some children explored the colours of the tiny fungi on the decomposing leaves commenting on the beauty of the patterns. The children explored lichens on the bark of trees and mosses around the base of the trees with magnifying glasses, marveling at the details, forms and colours. The Trees are inspiring teachers connecting us to the Wood-Wide-Web underground, to the birds and insects exploring the canopy and the complex yet small systems they create for other life forms to flourish. Love, Eva