YMCA of Central East Ontario To Sign On To Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care System

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The YMCA of Central East Ontario will sign on to the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system along with the other 13 YMCA associations across Ontario announced Tuesday.

File photo.

The YMCA says in a press release that while “considerable work remains to address workforce shortages and to improve equity, inclusion and accessibility, (they) look forward to working alongside government and community partners to support its successful implementation and future growth.” The CWELCC system is an “opportunity to build a stronger publicly-managed early years system that will benefit children and their families for years to come.”

"Ultimately our goal is affordable, accessible and high-quality child care for parents, we have advocated for that and understand the importance of high-quality and affordable childcare for families in our community,” said David Allen, YMCA Central East Ontario president and CEO. "Fees will vary from family to family depending on what they’re paying now. For example, more care is required for an infant than for a six-year-old. But providers like the Y who have opted into CWELLC will be reducing fees for 0-6 years old by more than 50 per cent on January 1.”

YMCAs advocate for a high-quality licensed childcare system that is affordable and accessible. They say they have developed and honed a research-based early learning curriculum that is now delivered across Canada.

"As the largest provider of childcare in the province, we are also the number one choice of parents and families, making us the most trusted provider in the province. We have long known that healthy and robust childcare programs set children up for success," said Allen.

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Felicia Massey


Fleming College Fall Open House To Run This Saturday

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Fleming College is welcoming prospective students at the annual fall open houses at Frost, Sutherland and Haliburton campuses this Saturday.

File photo.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., attendees can check out different events taking place at each campus and speak with instructors and professors from a wide array of programs, who will be on hand to answer questions and meet prospective students.

Guests can tour our campuses, learn more about the services that are available to students and get the latest information on financial aid options, the application process, residence life and making the transition from secondary school to Fleming College.

The Sutherland Campus will commence with a land acknowledgment at the front entrance of the Kawartha Trades and Technology Centre (KTTC). There will be fitness demonstrations put on by law and justice students and instructors, and the Child and Youth Care program will be running a sensory simulation lab for visitors. There will be many other displays and demonstrations throughout campus labs and at the KTTC throughout the day.

At the Frost Campus visitors can catch some live tree climbing and blasting technique demonstrations along with interactive demonstrations on the heavy equipment simulators. Displays of rocks, minerals, geophysical equipment and specimens from Frost’s Fish and Wildlife labs will be on display.   

Visitors to Fleming’s Haliburton Campus have a chance to tour the Haliburton School of Art + Design and try their hand at felting in the Fibre Arts Studio or hand building with clay in the Ceramics Studio.  

Fleming’s Pre Service Firefighter program will be hosting its open house at the Eastern Ontario Emergency Training Academy located at 36 Industrial Rd. in Norwood. 

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The Lang Pioneer Village Presents the Historic All Hallows’ Eve Halloween Celebration

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Learn about spooky traditions and paranormal investigations this Halloween season at The Lang Pioneer Village’s 19th-century All Hallows’ Eve celebration on Oct. 28 and 29 at Lang Pioneer Village Museum.

Photo courtesy of The Lang Pioneer Village Museum.

From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. each evening, discover the origins of trick-or-treating and rhymes for “soul-caking” at the Milburn House, or about coffins and body snatching at the Carpenter Shop.

Take a tractor and wagon ride and learn about paranormal investigations undertaken at Lang Pioneer Village Museum by the Paranormal Seekers, and see the ghost hunters’ specialized equipment that they use to make discoveries.

Museum goers can hear tales of the Michi Saagig people’s at Aabnaabin Camp, or visit the Print Shop for an 1800s fairytale. Witness a traditional 1890 Halloween party at the Town Hall, and learn about the history of candy corn at the General Store.

The Peterborough County Agricultural Heritage Building will have dinner covered with grilled cheese sandwiches, and the Keene Hotel will be serving hot chocolate and other treats to keep warm.

The all-ages event is $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors (60+), $7 for youths (ages two to 14) and free for children under two. Family admission is available for $40 and includes 2 adults and up to 4 youth tickets. Children are encouraged to come dressed in a costume and are reminded to collect their treat bag at the end of the evening for the ride home.

Visitors can purchase admission in advance using the museum’s online shop, but advance purchase is not required.

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In-Person Continuing Education Classes Return to Trent University

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Registrations are open for in-person, interactive workshops and multi-week courses through Trent University’s Continuing Education program announced on Tuesday.

File Photo.

These in-person classes are back at Trent University’s Traill College starting Oct. 17 and are open to lifelong learners from the community who are looking to build connections and learn something. Topics including beekeeping, music, American Sign Language (ASL), writing, cooking and money management are available as classes.

“For the first time in two years, in-person Continuing Education classes are back at Catharine Parr Traill College in downtown Peterborough,” said Dr. Michael Eamon, Trent director of Continuing Education. “Members of the greater community can find inspiration and discover something new alongside fellow lifelong learners while immersing themselves in Traill’s unique learning spaces, using the College library or taking in a meal at The Trend café.”

Multi-week courses start at $260 (including HST) for the series and workshops start at $40 (including HST), plus appropriate materials.

Traill will be hosting a Continuing Education open house event on Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. where community members can learn more about the courses being offered, meet instructors and explore the learning environment at the College’s downtown Peterborough location (the Scott House at 315 Dublin St.).

Registration is available online at trentu.ca/continuingeducation.

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Peterborough Recognizing National Truth and Reconciliation Day Honouring Residential School Victims

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Observed in 2013 and elevated to a statutory holiday, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation honours survivors of the residential school system and the children who didn’t make it home.

Crystal Scrimshaw (pictured) was part of the City’s efforts and official recognition of Truth and Reconciliation last year. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Friday is the second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day concludes the Truth and Reconciliation Week from Monday to Friday.

Wearing orange on this day is a symbol of support and recognition for those who attended residential schools.

This holiday was created through Parliament’s legislative amendments, under the Call to Action #80 from the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015.

As well as remembering these children, Truth and Reconciliation Day/Week gives Canadians the opportunity to educate, listen and learn about the treatment of Indigenous peoples.

“September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Formerly known as “Orange Shirt Day,” it originated as a day for all Canadians to learn about and reflect on the horrific treatment of Indigenous children at residential schools across Canada,” said Diane Therrien, Peterborough mayor in her statement. “Children were taken from their parents and held against their will. Parents were threatened with arrest when they resisted the apprehension of their children. The first residential schools opened in the 1880s. The last residential school in Canada closed in 1996. For over 100 years, children were stolen from their families, their communities, and their homes.”

The City Hall flags are half-mast on Friday with the lights at Centennial Fountain being lit orange.

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International Week of Deaf People Addresses Inclusion Through American Sign Language

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DeafBlind Ontario Services is celebrating International Week of Deaf People from Sept. 19-25.

Sara Quick and her American Sign Language book. Photo courtesy of DeafBlind Ontario Services.

This year’s International Week of Deaf People (IWDP) theme is ‘Building Inclusive Communities for All’ which addresses the need to eliminate barriers to inclusion for deaf people.

DeafBlind Ontario Services provides customized services to deaf, hard of hearing, non-verbal and deaf-blind individuals which accommodate their various methods of communication, unique needs and goals to enrich their lives.

Peterborough’s Sara Quick teaches American Sign Language (ASL) through the book of signs she’s created.

ASL is a visual language with the same linguistic properties as spoken languages but different grammar than English. It is one of 200 different sign languages used around the world.

Being born profoundly deaf, 34-year-old Quick strives to eliminate the barriers deaf people face through teaching and advocating for the use of ASL.

Though ASL is her first language, Quick communicates with hearing individuals through written English.

“Learning sign is really fun. You use facial expressions, body posture and gestures,” she said. “A great place to start is with your ASL alphabet. Taking steps to learn ASL is an important way to connect hearing and deaf people.”

Quick teaches her Direct Support Professionals (DSP) and friends American Sign Language.

“She is amazing at teaching sign, I’ve learned so much from her,” said DSP with DeafBlind Ontario Services April Ferguson. “We started with the ABCs and built on them with a new sign everyday.

For more information on DeafBlind Ontario Services and IWDP contact senior coordinator of communications Samantha Marren at s.marren@deafblindontario.com or 1-855-340-3267 ext. 224.

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Photos From 50 Years Of Bata Library At Trent U

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Trent’s Bata Library, which Chatelaine included in a list of “The 15 Coolest Libraries in Canada”, turned 50 years old on September 6th.

Since the library opened its doors in 1969—just weeks after Woodstock—it has been a great many things to different people: a gathering place to exchange ideas, a quiet and comfortable study spot, and a landmark location to connect with friends. 

In 2018, Trent unveiled the Bata Library Transformation, and the building was modernized into a state-of-the-art facility equipped to support the needs of the future, while also preserving an important piece of Trent’s past. View photos from past and present below (photos via Trent’s Facebook page)…

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PRHC Opens Doors To 4,300-Square-Foot Martin & Denise Pick Learning Centre

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On Tuesday (May 14th), Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) announced the opening and dedication of the hospital’s new, purpose-built Martin & Denise Pick Learning Centre.

Using flexible design principles, the 4,300-square-foot Learning Centre is the largest available meeting space in the hospital, offering a 100-person-capacity area that can be converted into two smaller spaces.

It also has a dedicated clinical training area providing a wide range of state-of-the-art training tools and equipment in a simulated patient care environment, and comes equipped with sophisticated Information Technology (IT) tools and services to fulfill the organization’s clinical and support service training needs.

Members of the Pick Family pose at the entrance to the new Martin and Denise Pick Learning Centre that now bears their name. From left: Dr.Rardi van Heest, Denise Pick, Martin Pick and Charles Pick.

The dedicated educational space was made possible by the generous support of the PRHC Foundation donors who funded the $3.1 million project, and support of the Pick family was essential to the Foundation’s fundraising efforts.

Otto and Marie Pick Charitable Foundation representative and former PRHC Foundation Board Member Martin Pick said the choice to support the Learning Centre and the hospital was a very personal one for his family:

“My father, Otto Pick, died from his third heart attack in 1959 at the age of 54, but in his short life, he and his amazing wife Marie laid the foundation for a seed enterprise that’s now a global presence in the industry,” says Pick. “The last years of his life, however, lacked any quality. Had he lived today in the period of bypasses and stents, his life would likely have been much longer and a great deal more comfortable. We chose the PRHC Foundation and the Martin and Denise Pick Learning Centre to honour our parents’ hard work and imaginative foresight, and because advances and innovation need the support of the community to become possible.”

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Transformed Trent Bata Library Opens

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The transformed “Library of the Future”—Trent University’s iconic Bata library—opened on Monday (October 29th) and it features a combination of the familiar and the stunningly new, with amazing views.

“With an emphasis on the original Ron Thom architecture and more open views to take in campus vistas, there is oodles of student space,” says the Trent University Alumni Association in a Facebook post.

Photo via Trent University Alumni Association Facebook Page

Folks on Twitter are raving about it…

Bata Library 2.0 includes a makers’ space with a 3D printer and other high tech gadgetry.

Photo via Trent University Alumni Association Facebook page

Make sure to sign the welcome board there as well…

Photo via Trent University Alumni Association Facebook page

This is a soft opening as some areas of the Bata building still require finishing touches. An official Bata Library Grand Opening Celebration event will take place November 16th, with more details to come on that from Trent U.

Here are some more pics of the new space…

Photo via @trentuniversity

Photo via @trentuniversity

Photo via @BataLibrary

Photo via Trent University Facebook page

Photo via Trent University Facebook page

Photo via Trent University Facebook page

Photo via Trent Univesity Facebook page

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Collaborative Conference Model EdCamp Comes To Peterborough October 18th

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Photo via EdCampPTBO.ca

Photo via EdCampPTBO.ca

EdCamp, a popular new user-generated conference model built on collaboration—it's basically an "unconference"—is coming to Peterborough October 18th at Fleming College. EdCamps are free, and are designed to provide participant-driven professional development. They have a primary focus on technology, education and computers/mobile devices—as the world of learning and teaching is changing dramatically in a connected world. You can register here, follow @edcampPTBO on Twitter and check out their website here. More deets below on this innovative approach to learning, including a "101" video lesson on EdCamp (no homework, we promise)...

EdCamp 101: Brief introduction to what EdCamp looks like; also to help educators to facilitate the EdCamp sessions Follow me on twitter @SuhunLee Teaching Portfolio website: http://mrleeteach.weebly.com/

Register here!

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