Creative Beginnings Early Learning & Care

🌟 This past weekend, four members of the Creative Beginnings team attended the AECEO Members’ Retreat & Advocacy Summit.

They joined ECE professionals from across Ontario for a weekend of learning, connection, leadership, and advocacy. We are proud to invest in opportunities that strengthen our educators and support the advancement of our profession.

Thank you to the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario (AECEO) for hosting such an inspiring event! 💛

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🌈 Happy Pride Month from Creative Beginnings Early Learning & Care! 🌈

We believe every child, family, and educator deserves to feel safe, valued, respected, and celebrated for who they are.

This month and every month, we celebrate diversity, inclusion, and belonging. Together, we are creating a community where everyone is welcome, supported, and free to be their authentic selves.

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Just a few short weeks ago, six of our early learning professionals also took part in a week long study tour in Reggio Emilia, Italy. 🇮🇹

Just yesterday, Princess Kate Middleton also did a tour. One of her primary causes is to focus on Early Years.

Today is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. 💚🎗️

When it comes to kids, mental health begins in the places where they live, learn and play. Evidence shows that nature connection can enhance children’s mental health and emotional resilience.

We’ve pulled together a suite of resources highlighting the importance of nature access for the mental health and well-being of children. Whether it’s a leafy schoolyard or a local park, the research shows that nature acts as a natural buffer against stress, supporting mental health and resilience.

Explore our toolkit to find:

🌿 4 ways to practice self-care in nature
🌏 How to transform ecological grief into constructive hope
📗 Research on nature’s role for kids facing trauma and displacement
💚 And more!

Find this toolkit in our latest Finding Nature News — and take extra care.
https://www.childrenandnature.org/resources/fnn-mental-health-awareness-month/

SAMHSA



🌟 Join the movement for children and nature. Support us at bit.ly/forchildrenandnature. 🌟

It is not too late to sign up and spots are still available.

We’re excited to offer families a wonderful opportunity for their children and youth to build confidence, independence, and essential life skills! Creative Beginnings Early Learning & Care is partnering with Diamond Medical and the Canadian Red Cross to host an engaging training course, conveniently scheduled on a WRDSB PD day.

Stay Safe Course (Ages 9–13)
May 29, 2026
2415 University Avenue East, Waterloo
9:00 AM – 2:30 PM
This course helps children develop the skills they need to stay safe at home and in the community. They will learn how to make safe choices, respond to unexpected situations, and gain basic first aid knowledge—empowering them with greater independence and confidence.
Cost: $75 per course
Spots are limited, so early registration is encouraged!
To register, please scan the QR code on the poster or contact Angela at [email protected]
Give your child the tools to feel confident, capable, and prepared—because care starts early.

Baden Amethyst Preschool group.

During morning free play, a simple idea became something much more.

Silas wondered aloud about adding a ramp, and with Lisa’s support, the children began exploring movement, speed, and possibility with their monster trucks. Lorenzo joined in, and together they built excitement through connection and play, counting down “3, 2, 1” before launching their races.

What began as a ramp quickly evolved.

Sophie and Willa reimagined it as a slide, inviting others into the experience. The space filled with curiosity as children tested new ways of moving. Silas explored going hands-first, while Daxton moved backwards, each child experimenting, taking risks, and building new understandings through their bodies and ideas.

The exploration continued to transform.

Daxton gathered additional materials and redesigned the structure into something new. With pride, he shared that he had created a bridge. When asked about his intention, he explained, "I think it should be for people!" As he carefully stepped up and crossed, peers eagerly followed, turning his idea into a shared journey.

A ramp. A slide. A bridge.

This moment captures the power of open-ended materials and child-led learning. The children led with imagination, collaboration, and problem-solving, continuously redefining their environment.

As educators, we step in as co-learners, observing, listening, and responding in ways that honour the children’s thinking and extend their discoveries.

We feel incredibly fortunate to have sent 6 of our Early Learning & Care educators to Reggio Emilia 🇮🇹
To experience, firsthand, a deeply intentional philosophy that centers children as capable, curious, and unique individuals is something truly special. This isn’t just professional learning—it’s living and breathing a way of thinking that honours relationships, environments, and the many ways children express themselves.
We can’t wait to welcome them back home and continue exploring what this means within our own spaces. Together, we’ll keep building on our Reggio-inspired approach—grounded in care, connection, and a deep respect for each child’s voice.
Because when we invest in our educators, we invest in children. 💛

This week, we are so fortunate to have 6 of our very own early learning professionals attending the study group in Italy! We can't wait to see and hear all they have experienced and how that will show up in our classrooms when they return.

The children in the Maple room in Elmira have shown a tremendous interest in being helpful assimilating tasks independently. They have also shown a great interest in exploring everyday tasks. Often times, they ask their educators to help wipe the tables before meals.

With this being said, Olivia created a table washing station for the children to engage in. Using spray bottles full of soap and water and cloths, the children learned about the importance of cleaning the tables. Within these conversations, we explored other areas and items for the children to clean. These included the windows, doors, cubbies, and counters. These are everyday spots that are constantly being exposed to germs so we discussed that by cleaning them frequently, all of our friends will stay healthy and be able to come to school and learn. Maeve and Grayson were cleaning the chairs, while Leah was working hard to scrub the table. Maeve looked at Olivia and said, " look it's so wet" so Olivia asked Maeve " What can we do? Maeve responded and said, " Use the white cloth". We made the connection with the white cloth which is used often at mealtimes to clean up spilt milk.

This invitation encouraged the children to take pride in the way their environment looks and to care for things in their everyday lives. It opened up conversations and connections to their home life and allowed them to engage in intentional conversations with their peers.