News

CNC in Action: A Step-by-step Journey to CNC

When the New Canadians Centre of Peterborough (NCC) wanted to create a short term CNC program in the bare bones children’s room in an old church, the project was not without its challenges. But with a helping hand from the experts, they were able to transform it into a safe and welcoming place for newcomer children. Read more...

Online CMAS Tutorial: Consistent Care and Relationship Building in CNC

The evidence is clear: successful attachments with primary caregivers in the early years have a profound impact on children in almost all areas of development! In fact, a child's growth and development depends on the capacity of their caregivers to understand, perceive and respond to the child needs. So developing relationships and trust with the newcomer children in your care is key to supporting their settlement and early development. In CMAS' new Consistent Care and Relationship Building in CNC tutorial, you'll have an opportunity to consider how relationships impact children's development and health, what is consistent care and why it is so important, which children might need a little more attention and care, and strategies for improving consistency and relationships for everyone. At the end of the tutorial, you'll also find resources, references, a facilitator guide, and added group discussion questions so that you can easily facilitate your own team training.

Family Life in Canada Video Series for Parents

Did you know that Families Canada produces resources and programming to help newcomers settle in Canada? Explore their website to find resources to support your work with newcomer families, including parent resources like this Family Life in Canada Video Series for Parents.

Dressing for the cold

The outdoors in winter is most enjoyed most when dressed properly. Remember: there is no bad weather, just bad clothing. In winter, the best idea is to stay warm and dry. Being too hot makes you sweat, creating moisture. When it is cold outside, being damp is uncomfortable and can be a danger as you will lose body heat more quickly. Here are a few things to think about and share with parents to keep everyone safe in the cold weather.

Sign up for free weekly activity ideas!

Sign up to receive developmentally appropriate, weekly activities for infant-toddlers, preschool, or school age children. All activities include helpful tips on developmental milestones for observation and programming. Each week you will receive one activity for each age group in the areas of STEM, Literacy, Arts, Movement, Social-Emotional, and Transitions - right to your phone!

Health Canada: Information About Coronavirus

Visit the Health Canada website for the most up-to-date information about Coronavirus. And remember... you can always find important health and safety updates in the In the News section. (Bottom right corner of this page.)

New CMAS Promising Practices Webinar: Parent Orientations

A good parent orientation sets the stage for a smooth transition for newcomer families, but not every CNC team knows how to do it well. In this webinar, you have thee opportunity to hear directly from three experienced CNC administrators. They share their unique perspectives, promising practices and strategies that they find helpful when it comes to CNC parent orientations. In response to participant requests, Polycultural Immigrant and Community Services has also shared their Sample Visual Parent Orientation Form. Watch the webinar...

Play and Exploration for Infants and Toddlers

When infants are thought to be helpless, then they are often treated as helpless - leading to limited learning opportunities and experiences in our programs. The Play and Exploration for Infants and Toddlers booklet reminds us that we need to reframe our thinking and recognize that even our youngest learners are competent and capable. It also provides readers with strategies for encouraging independence and competence as infants and toddlers grow, mature and achieve new skills.

Playful Storytelling – Using a Story Bag, Basket or Prop Box

Have you ever tried using a story bag, basket or prop box to help you share a story with young children? If you sometimes get frustrated trying to keep a child’s attention while reading stories why not try making this time a little more playful and interactive for those short attention spans and put together a few story bags that you can use over and over. And story bags are a fantastic early literacy resource to add to your collection for very little cost.

Winter safety: Advice for parents and kids

Winter is a great season for fun outdoor activities like sledding and skating, but cold weather, ice, and snow can also be intimidating for newcomer families and potentially dangerous for children. Here's some tips to help parents and children enjoy winter activities safely.