6 reasons we appreciate early childhood professionals in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon

With thousands of families benefiting from early childhood professionals in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon, Peel Region is taking the opportunity to thank these workers and raise awareness of all the good they do.

This year on October 24^th is Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day, an annual day in Ontario to show gratitude to the teams who work in child care and EarlyON.

That’s why we’re taking the opportunity to say “thank you!” to early childhood professionals and show appreciation for how they care for Peel’s children and families every day.

Peel’s child care workers and early childhood educators, we appreciate you for all the ways your work benefits children, families and the community:

1. You make a strong positive impact on a child’s development

You are experienced in designing play-based learning activities determined by each child’s interests and abilities. You understand how important brain development is for children and you build caring relationships with children and families in safe, inclusive spaces.

Evidence shows that the activities you design in child care and EarlyON have a positive impact on the cognitive, social and emotional development of young children. At such a pivotal time of their life, you create healthy learning experiences that boost a child’s brain development and set them up with valuable opportunities later in life.

2. You make all children feel included and keep each child’s interests and abilities in mind

Whether you work in licensed child care or at one of Peel’s EarlyON centres, no child is left out. You expertly design play-based activities to meet each child where they are – for example, if a child has challenges speaking English, you help them work through the language barrier to communicate with others and fully participate in activities.

Every child in these programs gets opportunities to thrive, and you encourage every child to learn and grow through play and exploration.

Additionally, those of you working in Special Needs Resourcing agencies support the healthy development and inclusion of young children in early years settings, providing valuable resources for families with children with special needs to access.

3. You help children socialize at a young age

In addition to the cognitive benefits, you help children by allowing them to develop their social skills early on. When children interact and communicate with you and with each other, it helps them build confidence in their ability to make friends and maintain relationships. This gives them a healthier foundation that will last as they get older.

4. You give children a sense of structure

Licensed child care and EarlyON programs are a great way to give children a newfound sense of routine that they may not otherwise have. You help get them used to a schedule of regular activities in a safe and engaging space, which ensures that they’ll have a strong sense of structure to help them more easily transition to various settings when they get older.

5. You make it possible for families to go to work

Early childhood professionals working in licensed child care settings, you make it possible for families to go to work to provide for themselves and contribute to a stronger economy. Families can also go to school and participate fully knowing their children are playing, learning and safe in the care of experts in early childhood development like you.

6. You help families play and bond with their children

As early childhood professionals working in EarlyON centres, you help create safe and welcoming spaces where families with children newborn to six years old can play, learn and grow together. You also answer questions that parents and caregivers might have about their child’s development.

What we’re doing to show our support and appreciation for you

You’re one of almost 6,000 dedicated early childhood professionals currently working in Peel, making it one of the largest workforces in Ontario.

Over the past few years, Peel Region has worked hard to support you. Staff connected job seekers and employers through early years and child care job fairs, held a Professional Learning Day for more than 4,200 childhood professionals and partnered with GTA colleges to provide tuition funding and train new early childhood professionals.

We know that you can always use more support, which is why we’ve put together helpful resources on our workforce strategy page, such as information on job postings and job fairs.

Thank you again to all early childhood professionals for everything you do for the community!

Sincerely, Peel Region