Frontline Reflections · 11 July 2018

LANGUAGE MATTERS AT ANY AGE: A child’s experience in early years is pivotal for language development. A child’s brain grows faster in the first three years than at any other time in the child’s development. Many factors, such as a child’s relationships, experiences and environments, promote brain development. Communication grows from the positive and caring stimulation provided by parents, educators and other caregivers.

Frontline Reflections · 09 May 2018

Every single school day, ONFE’s School Breakfast Program greets 13,500 K-12 students at school, and offers them a nutritious meal. It’s our goal that all children and youth are set up to succeed in their day of learning...

Frontline Reflections · 21 November 2017

Featured member: Jessica MacDonald, Carleton University placement student As the visibility and awareness of transgender identities increases throughout the years, it is important that policies and social practices follow, ensuring that the spaces meant for learning and developing are welcoming and inclusive to all students, including those of varying gender identities. [i]

Frontline Reflections · 22 February 2017

Featured member: Andrea Poncia, Coordinator for the Community Suicide Prevention Network Health promotion campaigns often highlight the negative impacts of a harmful behaviour, and then provide information about healthier alternatives. It’s an approach that assumes the audience is capable of changing habits and behaviours, and it works best with things that are fairly easy to change, like wearing seat belts.

Frontline Reflections · 14 September 2016

Featured member: Shannel Watt-Charley of the Ottawa Child & Youth Initiative When a baby is born, he/she already knows how to breathe, blink, cry, drink, and sleep. But in order to fully adapt to its new surroundings, that baby will have to learn other complex, skills. Some of these skills can be directly taught, but others must be experienced.

Frontline Reflections · 08 December 2015

Featured member: Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa There are 206,000 children and youth in Ottawa that we can help to grow up great. Every year at the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa, we see over 4,500 of them walk through the doors of our eight locations across the city. Our program is offered in the afternoon and evening hours, times that have been identified as being critical for children and youth to be engaged in programs and recreation. Those hours are when you will see Dan at his best.

Frontline Reflections · 26 August 2015

Featured member: Kathy Knight-Robinson, RECE, Program Supervisor - Ontario Early Years Ottawa South, Andrew Fleck Child Care Services New research is constantly surfacing about the adverse effects of screen time on children’s health. Awareness campaigns around screen time guidelines and recommendations for children are promoted by multiple public health units, child development experts and children’s advocacy groups. The current recommendations are: Children under 2: Screen time is not...

Frontline Reflections · 20 August 2015

Entry By: The Ottawa Child and Youth Initiative Recent media reports have covered the topic of school readiness as it relates to the famous children’s show, Sesame Street. While an important topic to discuss, this messaging has been highly contradictory at best and very harmful at worst. In an era where early childhood advocates are struggling with the unprecedented challenges raised by children growing up in the digital age, the media appears to be telling parents: Don’t worry; it’s OK...

Frontline Reflections · 16 July 2015

Featured Member: Naomi Tessler, Artistic Director/Facilitator, Branch out Theatre Every child is creative, courageous and capable of being a leader for social change. By supporting children to harness their imaginations and express their innate sense of creative play, they build the confidence to let go of inhibitions and just be themselves. Through the art of storytelling, performance and theatre games, I have witnessed and heard young people freely express their personal hopes, collective...

Frontline Reflections · 20 May 2015

Featured member: Ottawa Carleton Headstart Association of Preschools (OCHAP) Headstart programs are a unique example of how Ottawa invests in their community by providing barrier free early intervention programs for multi-risk children and their families. Children 15 months to 5 years of age can attend a full or half day program that supports school readiness by placing a particular emphasis on the development of social emotional skills, fostering healthy attachment, and supporting family and...