Wooden Hill Child Care Centre

We are really looking forward to welcoming back all our families in the fall. In the meantime, we are updating our policies to reflect the developing guidance from the government, so that you can feel confident your child is in the safe, healthy, and nurturing care you know to expect from Wooden Hill. We can't wait to see all the smiley little faces in September!

Some local centres are trying to adapt to the new Covid regulations, others (like us) are waiting to reopen in September, and some have been forced to close because of the increased costs and labour required https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com//child-care-providers-f/

Hello Wooden Hill families, After polling parents and much deliberation, we have decided to delay our re-opening until September. Regrettably, we will not be offering a summer camp program. At this time, low numbers of returning children, mandated lower group and building ratios, combined with a lack of a firm funding commitment from the Provincial government, make our program fiscally unfeasible. It would not be practical to charge families 3 times the previous rate. We al...l miss the work that we do with the children we care so very much for and look forward to being together in the fall. Arrangements will be made with families to obtain belongings left at both locations, as we are able to access the to respective schools. Stay well. Emily Nicholls-Harrison, RECE Executive Director See more

Dear Wooden Hill families, On behalf of all of the staff, I hope that you are all well. We are encouraged by the recent announcement about plans to allow childcare centres to re-open, as well as the announcement allowing small day camps to operate. At this time, we have not received direction from the local Chief Medical Officer, nor the school board about when we will be permitted to re-open. We are all missing the children, the families, and the work that we love. However,... we must protect the health of our staff and students, and work within the many new guidelines being set out by the Ministries of Education and Health. We have developed plans to feasibly re-open, but we will not be doing so immediately. I will continue to share updated information with our families, and if you have any questions, you are most welcome to email me: [email protected]. I look forward to seeing you all soon. Best wishes, Emily See more

Here is a list of more read-a-loud storytimes for your family to enjoy.

Are you tuning in to the Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library online storytimes for infants and toddlers? They also have thousands of children's audiobooks and eBooks available with your library card!

Another great easy craft idea from Lexi!

Here's a craft you can do using items you probably already have in your house. Lexi is a registered apprentice at our St. Basil's site (but can sometimes be found at Wooden Hill too).

'Science experiments' like this are a great way to help children see why they need to wash their hands! And all you need is a bowl of dish soap, a bowl of water, and some pepper. Another idea is to put a little water in a spray bottle to demonstrate a cough or sneeze, then show them how to 'catch' their coughs and sneezes in their elbow. Staying healthy and stopping the spread of viruses can be fun!

Dear Parents, As per regulation from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, we will be closed effective this afternoon alongside all publicly funded schools. We are regretful for this closure and the impact it will have on our students, parents and our own staff. Naturally, families will not be charged for this closure and accounts will be updated as soon as we are permitted to re-open. If you have any questions, please direct them to Emily at [email protected]. We have only just been informed of the required closure and we regret not having been able to provide families with more warning. In our nearly 30 years in operation, we have never been faced with a situation like this, so thank you for your patience as we work through it. Sincerely, Emily Nicholls-Harrison, Executive Director See more

This great post was created by Becky Kennedy. You can follow her on Instagram at @DrBeckyAtHome

Snow Day #2. Because of the weather, we have to close our centre again today. Enjoy your snow day!

Due to the weather conditions, our centres are closed today. Enjoy your snow day!

Our New Year's resolution is to do more for the environment! We encourage children to think about our planet and how we interact with nature on walks, by growing food in our large vegetable patch, by learning about recycling, and repairing books and toys whenever possible. But we want to do more. We are NO LONGER using single-use plastics, including glitter and plastic bags. ... Instead of using plastic bags to send children's clothing home, we have sewn cloth bags. We are looking into sparkly biodegradable alternatives to glitter because microplastics (like glitter or those microbeads in soap) are almost impossible to remove from the environment. They often end up in waterways, and in the stomach of fish and birds.

Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at our holiday party from 4-5 pm!

Families, please join us for our holiday celebration on Friday, December 20th from 4-5 pm! There will be carolling, Christmas crafts, tasty holiday treats, and Santa! Hope to see you there!... (Please note that the daycare will close at 5 pm, so the staff can prepare the centre for cleaning over the holidays)

There are so many warm, healthy and yummy choices on our December menu!

Meet our wonderful staff! Dan works with a school-age group at our St. Basil's program. His favourite book (nominated by his group) is 'Wings of Fire' by Tui T. Sutherland. Have your children read any of the books in this series?

Meet our wonderful staff! Amanda P works with a school-age group at our Notre Dame site. Her favourite book is 'Llama Llama Red Pajama' by Anna Dewdney. Have you read this with your family?

Meet our wonderful staff! Danielle works with a school-age group at our St. Basil's program. Her favourite book is 'Alice in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll. Did you read this book with your family?

Meet our wonderful staff! Smriti works with the school-age group at our Notre Dame site. Her favourite book is 'Horton Hears A Who' by Dr. Seuss. Is this book a favourite of your family too?

Meet our wonderful staff! Crystal works with the senior group at our Notre Dame site. Her favourite book is 'Puff the Magic Dragon' by Peter Yarrow and Penny Lipton. Have you read this book with your family?

Meet our wonderful staff! Kim works with a school-age group at our St. Basil's program. Her favourite book is 'Mr. Popper's Penguins ' by Florance and Richard Atwater. Has your family read this silly story?

Meet our wonderful staff! Amanda B works with the toddler group at our Notre Dame site. Her favourite book is 'The Animal Boogie' by Fred Penner. Have you sung along to this book at home?

Meet our wonderful staff! Jess works with a kindergarten group at our St. Basil's program. Her favourite book is 'The Giving Tree' by Shel Silverstein. Have you read this book with your family?

Meet our wonderful staff! Jill works with the pre-school group at our Notre Dame site. Her favourite book is 'The Watermelon Seed' by Greg Pizzoli. Have you read this book with your family?

Meet our wonderful staff! Katlyn works with a school-age group at our St. Basil's program. Her favourite book is 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle. Do you have memories of reading this book with your family?

Meet our wonderful staff! Amanda M works with the junior group at our Notre Dame site. Her favourite book is 'She'll Be Coming Up the Mountain' by Kim Norman. Have you read this book with your family?

Meet our wonderful staff! Julie works with a kindergarten group at our St. Basil's program. Her favourite book is 'How Full is Your Bucket' by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer. Have you read this book with your family?

Meet our wonderful staff! Barb works with a school-age group at our St. Basil's program. Her favourite book is 'Somebody and the Three Blairs' by Marilyn Tolhurst. Have you read this book with your family?

We have one full-time preschool spot available! We seldom have open full-time spots, so if you are interested please contact us and we will arrange a time for you to tour the centre.

Take a look at our September menu and have a great first day back to school!

We're hiring, but the application deadline is fast approaching! Do you know someone who enjoys working with kids? Planning and leading games, sports and crafts? We are looking for an enthusiastic part-time employee to support our afterschool programs. Applicants must be at least 18 years old.... Please share! https://www.indeedjobs.com/wooden-hill/jobs

Have you seen our August menu? It's packed with healthy snacks and yummy lunches. Plus, lots of the veggies come from our own garden!

We're hiring! We are looking to hire a passionate and motivated Registered Early Childhood Educator. Do you know an ECE who would be a good fit to join our team? Please share!... For more info: https://www.indeedjobs.com/wooden-hill/jobs