Child Care Archives - Page 2 of 4

The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville’s Collaborative EarlyON-Social Housing Summer Pop-Up Program

by Mattea Steacy | July 2023

Leeds and Grenville’s EarlyON programs are delivered as a branch of the Children’s Services Department within the greater Community and Social Services Division, the same division that delivers the Social Housing program and Ontario Works. Years ago, the idea came about for a Pop-up Play program dedicated to the families that were living in some of the Social Housing units. Mattea Steacy, the EarlyON Supervisor with the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville explains how this program works and the benefits to service users in the community.

Reflections on the 2023 Exchange Conference

by Tod Duncan | June 2023

Held in Ottawa this past May, OMSSA’s 2023 Exchange Conference brought together more than 330 people for two days of learning, sharing, and connecting. It was a huge success! Over the one and a half days of the conference, attendees got to see many great examples of the excellence of OMSSA Member organizations and the staff and managers who carry out important work geared towards improving the lives of so many Ontarians. The Conference program was packed with content related to the work that OMSSA Members do in housing and homelessness, children’s services, and employment and income supports. Learn more about our 2023 Exchange Conference.

An Interview with Debbie Cercone

by Rob Kirsic | January 2023

In 2006, Debbie started in the role of Executive Director of Housing and Children’s Services with the City of Windsor responsible for housing, homelessness, child care and early years and emergency social services and held this position for over 15 years until her retirement in 2022. Debbie is also one of the recipients of the 2022 OMSSA Lifetime Achievement Award. OMSSA sat down with Debbie to discuss human services, her career, and involvement with OMSSA.

An Interview with Greg Bishop

by Rob Kirsic | January 2023

Greg Bishop has been the General Manager, Social and Community Services Division at the County of Simcoe since 2015. This role includes leadership and oversight to the Social Housing, Community Services, Ontario Works and Children Services Departments. Greg is also one of the recipients of the 2022 OMSSA Lifetime Achievement Award. OMSSA sat down with Greg to discuss human services, his career, and involvement with OMSSA.

Who Says That Promoting the ECE Profession Can’t Be Fun?

by Tammy Kealey-Donaldson | August 2022

Read our latest blog post from Tammy Kealey-Donaldson, Manager of Children’s Services with Lanark County about the promotion and recruitment of Early Childhood Educators (ECEs). Lanark County is recognized for its Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Dino campaign which has proven to be a huge success. Building on its 2021 Local Municipal Champion Award, learn more about Lanark County’s work to recruit and retain ECEs in the community.

Heartwork and so much more…

by Michelle Schurter | July 2022

Read our latest blog post from Michelle Schurter, CEO and Founder of the Millennial Strategist, talking about a recent professional development event led by the Municipality of Chatham-Kent for Child Care and Early Years workers. The focus was on celebrating the service provided to families and communities, particularly over the past two years with the pandemic, and digging deep into the value Early Childhood Educators bring to children, families, community, and the economy. Twelve communities partnered with Chatham-Kent and shared the cost of one virtual day of learning bringing together over 4,000 educators! Learn more about the event and what’s next for the Child Care and Early Years workforce in Ontario.

OMSSA Report on the 2022 Federal Budget

by Darryl Wolk | April 2022

On April 7, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland, delivered the 2022 Federal Budget. Housing was the highlight of this Federal Budget with $10.1 billion in new spending over five years and a goal to double the amount of homes built over the next 10 years addressing housing supply.

OMSSA Report on the 2021 Federal Election

by Darryl Wolk | October 2021

On September 20th, Canadians voted in the 2021 Federal Election and the outcome did not produce much change from the 2019 Election. From an OMSSA perspective, we were paying the most attention to early years and child care, housing, expiring pandemic benefits, long-term care and healthcare.