News

Healthy Baby, Healthy Brain: Videos to share with parents

Parents and caregivers play an important role in the healthy development of a baby's brain. This website is full of helpful videos to share with parents to help them understand how they can support their baby's healthy development.

Building Key Relationships in Early Education is Fundamental to Quality Practices

In every relationship, especially in early education settings, the adults must work hard to recognize the uniqueness and cultural context of each individual. This powerful webinar offers insights and strategies to help early childhood educators build and enrich their relationships with the children, parents, and other staff members in their organizations.

Infographic: What is epigenetics and how does it relate to child development?

Epigenetics explains how early experiences can have lifelong impact. Science tells us that environmental influences—including the experiences we provide for children—actually affect the expression of their genes. This means that the old idea of Nature vs. Nurture is no longer a debate. It's nearly always both! To understand more about epigenetics and how it affects child development and long-term health outcomes, check out this new infographic.

Video: How Does Positive Guidance Work?

Are you still using 'time out' in your program and struggling with challenging behaviour? If so, watch this quick video that explains alternative positive guidance strategies, why and how they really work!

Sensory Clay Nature Ornaments

Children love these simple clay nature ornaments... the white ‘clay’ dough takes less than 5 minutes to make, and the ingredients are probably already in your cupboard, so setup is easy too!

Learning Shapes for Preschoolers: Our Favourite Activities

Learning shapes helps to introduce preschoolers to early math concepts and vocabulary while giving them a better understanding of space and the shapes they see in the world around them. Luckily, there are a lot of fun ways to incorporate learning shapes for preschoolers into your program. Here are just a few of our favourites!

Helping children become brave, informed and thoughtful about race

EmbraceRace is a multiracial community of parents, teachers and experts who identify, organize and create tools, resources, discussion spaces, and networks. Their goal is to nurture resilience in children of colour, nurture inclusive, empathetic children and programs, and support a movement of advocates for all children. Their website is full of information, videos and tip sheets for caregivers like you.

Relationships matter: How you can support positive parenting in the early years

This resource was originally written for health care providers, but it's relevant to your work in CNC too! Find out more about the ‘ABCs’ of how you can help strengthen relationships with—and within—the families you work with each day.

Culturally Appropriate Positive Guidance with Young Children

Many parenting approaches and children's behaviours have cultural roots, and while it's important for early childhood educators to foster each child’s developing identity, it's also important to share cultural lessons and help cultivate shared norms for your program. This article is full of examples and strategies for helping culturally diverse children and families to understand and negotiate differing norms and social expectations.

Hamilton is celebrating Newcomer Day this Friday!

Initiated by the Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council, a local community planning table funded by the federal government, the Newcomer Day event will feature performances by a wide variety of newcomer artists, a marketplace with handcrafted and imported goods, a diverse range of food vendors and family-friendly activities. A citizenship ceremony will be held in Council Chambers at 2 p.m. An information fair featuring services of interest to newcomers will be located inside and in front of City Hall.