At Islington Village, there are plenty of opportunities for celebration and special activities. Just recently, we planned a Tropical Day for all to participate in. After sending out the photos from the day via email, responses from parents were that of appreciation as well as remarks on staff involvement, it's great how the teachers participate.
Our staff at Islington Village are encouraged to participate in special planned days, just as much as the children are. We find that this truly depicts the sense of wholeness and community that we strive for at Islington Village. Having the caregivers be so engaged with the children on out of the ordinary days, fosters strong bonds and relationships between the caregivers and children.
With such a busy centre, and so many great caregivers, it's a goal for us to maintain active and cooperative relationship between caregivers. Once a month even, staff enjoy socials which occasionally involve out of centre experiences, like bowling, or dinners out. Most recently, staff planned and organized a potluck lunch at the centre. Staff organized the menu so well, there was definitely a feast!
Annually, at Islington Village the staff, children as well as families gather in different means to fundraise for varying causes. We want to encourage and involve parents in our fundraising, as we support the community and important organizations. In November of 2015, Islington Village staff and children sold various flavours of cookie dough, with the proceeds being donated to The Geneva Centre for Autism. Brainstorming and planning for this year's fundraiser has already begun, as it's such an important opportunity for us to give back. Stay tuned!
This type of closeness and friendship amongst caregivers, families and the community, models closeness to the children. We strive to inspire children, to be kind, generous, understanding, as those are the foundations of a community.