Technology Caution

We have felt concerned about technology and young children for a long time and we have made it a point not to have computers/ TV's or ipads in our classrooms - its part of honouring childhood for us - we believe children's play is rich in learning and connection and life-skill building and not in any need of technology to enhance it.

What do you think?

http://www.theprovince.com/life/parenting/Digital+detox+time+take+iPad+away+from+your/9104181/story.html

ART

We have some fabulous art and amazing silent auction items for our upcomming Starry Night Art Auction!

Please join us - its a great night for just $15 for some appetizers, music and great art!  See  and "Like"our Facebook PAGE for more items!  

Call 604-214-3490 for tickets

Open for Business

West Cambie Children's Centre will open it's doors and welcome 42 children on Tuesday September 3, 2013.

It is a huge moment for the Society.......long awaited.

The staff teams and the playground installers worked hard all week to be ready .... and we are......I will post some better shots soon but here is a little peek.

Encouraging Early Writing

REPOST from Exchange Everyday

August 7, 2013

A smile is the universal welcome.
-Max Eastman

In her article, "Encouraging Preschoolers' Early Writing Efforts: Take Another Look at That Scribble," which serves as the basis for theExchange Out-of-the-Box Training Kit:Encouraging Early Writing, Leslie Falconer provides these insights:


"If there’s one object common to pre-schools and child care centers the world over, it’s pieces of paper covered with looping scribbles made by small hands learning to hold a pencil or crayon.  The next time you’re cleaning up at the end of a busy day, though, consider taking a closer look at those scribbles.  They’re actually samples of early writing, and an invitation for you to channel those small hands into recording their new ideas and creative thoughts....

"Writing is an extraordinarily complex process for young children.  It requires children to formulate personal opinions or ideas and then translate them into written symbols that represent words they use in oral language.  Because this process is very demanding on both an emotional and intellectual level, it is important for educators to celebrate the child each time she experiments with writing.  Cultivating a child’s willingness to express herself through scribbles or inventive spelling will yield benefits in her long-term social, emotional, and intellectual development."

West Cambie Children's Centre - Welcome to the family

We moved in to our new centre  - West Cambie Children's Centre last week and it was a very sweet moment after years of waiting and planning......

We open with the children on September 3rd and we are full.

We plan to open a preschool upstairs in 2014 so let us know if you are interested in that.

SPACES

We have September 1, 2013 openings at:

Cook Road Children's Centre for 3-5 year olds

and at our new

West Cambie Children's Centre for 4 year olds 

Please call 

Cook Road : 604-214-8271

West Cambie : 604-231-0870 or 604-214-3490

These centres are just 5 minutes from one another in central Richmond.

Gratitude

We are so grateful for this meaningful letter to the Editor from a parent......

Child care, a community effort

 

 

RICHMOND NEWS JUNE 28, 2013

 

 

The Editor,

As a first-time parent in 2003, I worried about returning to work in the midst of a childcare shortage, particularly for infants and toddlers.

Ten years later, and after enrolling three children at Bowling Green Children's Centre, our time has come to say goodbye.

My husband and I learned so much from the talented early childhood educators at Bowling Green. They taught us strategies to deal with challenging behaviour and opened our eyes to the amazing things our children were capable of. They helped prepare us and our children for kindergarten.

And, at the end of every day, they made us feel as if our children were special.

The Society of Richmond Children's Centres is a non-profit organization currently running Bowling Green, Cook Road and Terra Nova Children's Centres. Under the guidance of their dedicated executive director, Nicky Byres, and board of directors, the society provides an outstanding service for our community.

Luckily for Richmond families and businesses, the society is growing and will soon open the West Cambie Children's Centre.

Sadly, 10 years after having my first child, the overall shortage of quality childcare, particularly for infants and toddlers, still exists.

As parents, we don't work to buy fancy cars, Jimmy Choo shoes or go on elaborate vacations. We work to pay our mortgages, afford orthodontics and give our children music lessons. We may work, but we also devote ourselves to our children.

Childcare is not about delegating the raising of our children to someone else. It is about a community of care - one that allows families to be financially stable, keeps skilled and educated workers in the workforce and nurtures our future leaders.

To Byres and the Bowling Green teachers - our heartfelt thanks for all you do. The Pan family will miss you immensely.

Teresa Pan Richmond

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