CMAS
Community Resources
Provincial
Ontario Children’s Aid Society’s
The Ontario Children’s Aid Societys provide child protection services and parenting programs. This website can link you to your local CAS.
EarlyON Centres
EarlyON centres offer free drop-in programs for caregivers and children from birth to 6 years old. You can learn and play with your child, meet people or get advice.
Ontario Public Health Association
The Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA) galvanizes communities, governments and decision makers to manage current public health challenges.
Preschool Speech and Language Program
The provincial Preschool Speech and Language Program is a program of the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services. Click here for local PS&L programs.
Transition From Home to Early Childhood Education Settings: The Experience of Children of Ethiopian Immigrant Parents
Read the full text of this research paperCulture and Diversity links
The Canadian Council for Refugees is a non-profit umbrella organization dedicated to advancing the rights and protection of refugees in Canada (and around the world) and to the settlement of immigrants and refugees in Canada.
Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development
The Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development is a consortium of researchers and academics who identify, synthesize, conduct and disseminate research on early childhood social and emotional development. The site offers summaries of research, a regular bulletin and occasional reports.
Child Care Resource and Research Unit
This site is linked to U of T’s Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU). In it you will find free articles about quality research into excellent childcare methods, free access to interesting and noteworthy developments about early childhood education, fact sheets and videotapes plus much, much more.
ConnectABILITY
ConnectABILITY is a project of Community Living Toronto. The ConnectAbility website is a virtual community dedicated to lifelong learning and support for people who have an intellectual disability, their families and support networks.
Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers
The Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers site provides research and resources, including the study “Mapping the life experiences of refugee and immigrant families with preschool children” (2004).
Health and Safety Links
Government of Canada Websites
Health Canada
General information on health issues, including product recalls, product warnings and advisories.
Consumer Product Safety
Health Canada’s site with information on products for use by the general public. On this site you can also subscribe to receive email alerts on product recalls, advisories and warnings.
“Is your child safe?”
A series by Health Canada on the safe use of toys, cribs, clothing, and other products children and parents use.
healthycanadians.gc.ca
Established by the Government of Canada to inform families of recalled food and children’s products.
Other Child Health and Safety Websites
The Best Start Resource Centre
The Best Start Resource Centre (BSRC), Health Nexus Sante. BSRC is Ontario’s Maternal, Newborn and Early Child Development Resource Centre. BSRC partners with other organizations to develop resources in health promotion, prevention and early intervention. The website provides many resources that are translated and culturally adapted including the Canada Food Guide.
Caring for Kids
Caring for Kids is a project of the Canadian Paediatric Society. The site provides child health information from Canada’s paediatric experts, including information on immunizations, childhood illnesses, and general health promotion.
Safe Kids Canada
Safe Kids Canada works with partners across Canada to conduct research, raise awareness, and educate families and practitioners on how to create safe environments for children and prevent childhood injuries.
Mylanguage.ca
Mylanguage.ca is a great starting point for information on maintaining home language. When home language is maintained children become confident bilinguals who will do well in school. Family members are able to communicate in meaningful ways. Classrooms become places where children's linguistic differences are viewed as resources. To learn strategies for protecting home languages go to www.mylanguage.caHandle With Care
Handle with Care – Mental Health in Child Care – Tips and Real – Life Experiences
Handle with Care: Strategies for Promoting the Mental Health of Young Children in Community-Based Child Care
prepared by the Canadian Mental Health Association and
the Hincks-Dellcrest Centre.
The development of “age-appropriate and culturally relevant life skills that enhance children’s well-being”
and outline strategies for achieving this goal through activities and
regular day-to-day interactions is outlined in this resource.
Supplemented with many real-life experiences, ideas and best practices,
Handle with Care deals with subjects such as:
- self-esteem,
- respecting diversity,
- expressing emotions,
- challenges and problem-solving,
- practitioners’ well-being,
- communication with parents,
- the child care environment, and
- policies and practices.
For More Information, click here
Creating a Positive Play Environment for Infants
There are many things to consider when planning a successful program for newcomer infants. One important aspect is creating the right environment This resource has strategies on how to create an environment that is welcoming and inviting, so both children and families feel more comfortable.Inclusion: What Does It Mean in Care for Newcomer Children?
In Care for Newcomer Children (CNC), inclusion means that children can attend and benefit from the same program regardless of their diverse abilities. Inclusion removes barriers in order to allow all children—regardless of race, background or special needs—to fully participate. It requires full collaboration between administrators, CNC staff, families and specialists to ensure that the needs of all children are met. Find out more in this tip sheet, available in English and French.Early Identification of Special Needs is Important!
Parenting a child with special needs is challenging for anyone—let alone for newcomer parents who are juggling the demands of settling in to a new country, learning a new language, attending classes and managing life at home. Find out why early identification is so important in this resource, available in English and French.Today’s Parent
Today's Parent magazine is about helping parents build happy, healthy families. Speaking to families of children from birth to 14, articles tackle the complete range of parenting issues, including health, education and behaviour. Todaysparent.com provides:- a library of information on all of the ages and stages of a growing family,
- fun tools and features,
- Pregnancy & Birth,
- Newborn,
- Baby & Toddler
- and their French–language counterparts.