More than 70 Early Learning Professionals, volunteers and students received recognition last evening at the 22nd Annual Niagara Early Learning and Child Care Awards of Excellence celebration at the Holiday Inn & Suites in St. Catharines Conference Centre. The event was coordinated by the Early Childhood Community Development Centre (ECCDC).

There were close to 400 guests in attendance at the English Garden style gala, sponsored by Louise Kool & Galt, Canada's leading suppliers of classroom resources and equipment. Five local businesses also supported the event, including: Gold Level Sponsors YMCA of Niagara and the St. Catharines Standard; Silver Level Sponsor A Child's World Family Child Care Services of Niagara and Bronze Level Sponsors Minuteman Press Niagara and Mountainview Homes. Many other businesses contributed items for the silent auction fundraiser.
Click here to view/download the full media release.

This year's annual Early Learning and Child Care Awards of Excellence will celebrate the achievements of Niagara's early years sector with an English Garden Style Gala. The event will take place today, from 5:30 to 9:00 pm at the Holiday Inn & Suites on Ontario Street in St. Catharines.

The Awards of Excellence recognizes the expertise and dedication of educators, students, and volunteers involved in Niagara's early learning, kindergarten, and child care programs for their knowledge and commitment to children and families. This special ceremony will be hosted by 105.7 EZ Rock's Tami Jeanneret. Also present will be Adrienne Jugley, Commissioner of Community Services and Darlene Edgar, Director of Children's Services with the Niagara Region. Beth Deazeley, Registrar & CEO and Cynthia Abel, Manager of Registration and Member Services of the College of Early Childhood Educators will also be joining us. Also in attendance will be Amy O'Neil, Board Member of the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Ontario. The Awards of Excellence are coordinated by the Early Childhood Community Development Centre (ECCDC).
Click here to view/download the full media release.

On Friday June 15, 2018 the Early Childhood Community Development Centre (ECCDC), Niagara's Roots of Empathy Coordinating agency, hosted the annual Baby Celebration alongside partners from the Niagara Catholic District School Board at their office, 427 Rice Road, Welland.

The celebration was well-attended with 102 present celebrating Niagara's youngest Teachers, including 30 babies, the Roots of Empathy instructors and dedicated families who participated in the program. Roots of Empathy is hosted by Niagara Catholic District School Board, District School Board of Niagara, French Catholic District School Board MonAvenir, Niagara EarlyOn Programs and Niagara Children's Centre.

Guest speaker Sheree Wells, Ontario Provincial Manager, spoke on behalf of the Roots of Empathy Ontario office touching on the program's impact including its reach of approximately 31,000 children in Niagara in the last 18 years. Sheree also shared a heartfelt video recording of President and Founder Mary Gordon expressing her deepest gratitude for all the hard work and dedication the community of Niagara has shown for the Roots of Empathy Program.
Click here for full media release.

This year has been an incredible one for the internationally recognized program, Roots of Empathy. From a video feature on BBC World Hacks with over 18 million views to the founder and president Mary Gordon receiving the Governor General's Innovation Award which recognizes Canadian individuals, teams and organizations for their outstanding accomplishments, it's safe to say Root of Empathy is making a tremendous impact and "changing the world child by child."

This year's annual Roots of Empathy Baby Celebration will be honouring the world's youngest teachers: the Roots of Empathy babies. For the past 10 months, approximately 1,500 children across the Region in the Niagara Catholic District School Board, the District School Board of Niagara, Conseil Scolaire Catholique Mon Avenir, and EarlyON Child and Family Centres had the opportunity to show and be shown empathy through the lens of the Roots of Empathy program. The event will take place on Friday June 15, 2018 at Niagara Catholic District School Board office at 427 Rice Road, Welland. The doors will open at 9:45 a.m. with the celebration ending at 11:30 a.m. There will be approximately 90 guests in attendance....
Click here for full media release.