Consider...Barnes Street Early Childhood Centre

Barnes Street Early Childhood Centre located in downtown Toronto is on the ground floor of a large high-rise condominium. Children living in professional two-income families working in nearby offices and often living in the surrounding high-rise condominiums attend the centre. Other parents are employed in the garment industry. Many of the families are “low-income”, living in assisted housing a couple of blocks away and are recent newcomers to Canada. The park square across from the centre is a gathering spot for families with young children, apartment dwellers with dogs and other residents. Many of the younger children know each other from Barnes Street Early Childhood Centre. They often gather together in a corner of the park to play. Their parents – and sometimes grandparents – are drawn together into conversation with each other. They chat about the centre and how their children accommodate life in a big city. Sometimes they organize a weekend picnic or day of games in the park. Together they decided to ask the local library to offer storytelling on Saturday mornings. As families get to know each other, they often make arrangements to look after each other’s children for an evening or even the weekend.

Maria, a single parent with two preschool children, said, “You know, it is only because of my children that I have this network that makes a big difference in my life. Without the friends I have from the centre, I probably would not talk to another adult from Friday evening until Monday morning. Sometimes it takes a child to raise a village”.