Introduction

Welcome to West End Parents Daycare! This is a private not-for-profit daycare with a long and successful history.

The aim of West End Parent's Daycare is to provide a safe, secure, supportive and stimulating environment where children are free to grow to their full potential.

Daycare is different than school and here we promote another kind of learning which is more oriented to the individual child and is geared towards the principle of enriched play. Childhood should be fun. We provide an inviting environment for children not yet attending school (Toddler and Preschool Rooms) and then work to complement school once your child is a little older (Kindergarten and School-age.)

Our learning is more three-dimensional than what the children experience in school, with many art projects, outdoor and indoor exercise, and cooperative activities. A large part of the experience of daycare is social: learning how to play happily with other children, how to share, how to respect each other, and conflict resolution.

The teachers ensure that there is a variety of equipment and materials from which the children can choose. Programs are developed to foster physical growth, independence, self-help skills and community awareness.

Each child is a unique person whose individuality is to be respected and encouraged. The goal of the centre is to provide not only a good environment for children but also to be responsive to the parents' needs.

History

WEPD has a long history as a daycare in this community. We began as a grass roots operation in 1971 when a group of mothers at the West End YMCA, led by Natalina Furfaro, applied for a grant to start a summer day camp program. In the third year, when the funding was in jeopardy, the mothers who worked in the program plus 22 kids took a bus to Ottawa and set up a daycare in the lobby of Parliament. They got the funding!

In 1975 the Centre was officially incorporated though still operated out of the YMCA. Needing more space, they moved into Ossington Old Orchard School in 1981, and then when the daycare continued to grow, moved across the park to our present location which was at that time an annex to the school. We are now separate from the school, although the building itself is still leased from the Toronto District School Board.

What made the daycare special from its start was the idealistic and committed staff who worked co-operatively to create a warm and stimulating environment for the children. In the early days the Centre was known as the "hippy daycare". Many of the staff had children at the daycare, some of whom later worked there, including Natalina's daughter Anna who grew up to become a daycare teacher at WEPD for several years and now teaches at Ossington Old Orchard Public School.

In 1985 new by-laws were adopted and the position of director was created. Parents also took on more responsibility. The staff has been unionised since the early 80's and has, together with the parent/staff board and the director, remained a vital part of running of the daycare. Four of our present staff date back to the early years of WEPD. This ongoing staff loyalty and commitment to the daycare is a unique characteristic of WEPD.