Programs and Activities

42 Easy Activities to Share With Parents

When parents are trying to work, it can be tricky to find things to keep the kids busy. Here's a great list of activity ideas to share with parents - and most require no special equipment, just common household items!

Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices

What does this term mean to you? How does it apply in early childhood education? With Black History Month in mind, Dr. Nefertiti Poyner sits down and discusses what culturally responsive means, and how we can all reflect on and improve upon our practices when working with our youngest students. Here's Part 1, Let's Dig Deep: Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices


Affirmation and Celebration: New Report Offers Recommendations for Supporting Multilingual Preschool-Age Children during the Pandemic

Affirming and celebrating all language practices supports children’s identity, and social and emotional well-being, as well as fosters their learning and development. That’s the top message from a new report that focuses on ways that parents, family members and other adults can help multilingual preschool-age children cope with the stress and trauma of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. Nurturing Your Preschool-Age Multilingual Child Amid COVID-19: The Important Role of Languages describes the language development of multilingual children and how to nurture them through daily conversations and other interactions.

A new way to find and share CNC activity ideas…

Do you have a child who’s really interested in building with blocks? Or maybe you have a group of children who really love to dump and pour? Do you ever feel like you’ve run out of activity ideas to extend their play and learning? We gathered a team of experienced CNC staff to put their heads together and develop a collection of inspiring play extension activity ideas for CNC. Now, these programming ideas can be found at LET'S PLAY: CNC Activity Ideas


Making Caring Common

Making Caring Common has a variety of resources for families, parents, and caregivers. They offer activities, tips, resource lists, and discussion guides to help you and your team foster kindness and caring with the children in your program.

Children’s Book: Building a Home – Available Online in 7 Languages!

The New Canadians Centre in Peterborough has published this new children’s picture book that shares the experiences of immigrant children when they arrive in Canada. Building a Home is available online in 7 languages. Written and illustrated by Peterborough artist Casandra Lee (herself a recent immigrant), Building A Home was inspired by the stories of six local newcomer children.

Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity in Teaching ‘People Safety’ Skills

Kidpower has developed a list of lessons learned about creating cultural awareness to address potential obstacles in teaching people how to advocate for and protect the emotional and physical well-being of themselves and others - especially children. The purpose is always to build a mutually trusting and respectful relationship, listen, and adapt to meet people where they are.

Creating Opportunities for Active Play

By now, you have probably heard about the importance of regular physical activity. You are likely aware that establishing strong physical activity habits at a young age increases the chance of maintaining healthy activity levels into adulthood. Here are some developmentally appropriate activities that can help us instill a love of physical activity for children of all ages!

How to help young kids cope with the trauma of the last year

https://hechingerreport.org/we-know-how-to-help-young-kids-cope-with-the-trauma-of-the-last-year-but-will-we-do-it/

Webinar: Working Well with Babies

The first three years are a distinct developmental period in which quality of care and education have long-lasting effects. Babies have unique needs, and infant/ toddler education is one of the most important, complex, and challenging jobs. The Working Well with Babies webinar provides a set of comprehensive competencies, organized into 9 domains, along with the supports that educators need!