Sign On for Safety in Child Care
Our day care staff, together with the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, are asking the provincial government to:
- Reinstate PCR testing and reporting in child care;
- Increase financial support to child care;
- Provide adequate and ongoing supply of personal protective equipment;
- Legislate 10 permanent paid sick days for child care workers;
- Sign the $10 a day child care agreement.
COVID-19: The safety of your child, your family, and the safety of our staff is our top priority.
We are following all Ontario government and Toronto Public Health guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Our reduced child-to-staff ratio helps maintain physical distancing. Additional staff carry out enhanced cleaning and sanitizing and other COVID-19 related duties.
University Settlement Day Care is a very special place!
Located in University Settlement’s unique setting on Grange Park, in the heart of downtown Toronto, children participate in a wide range of activities, all of which have been adapted to meet strict government COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Our Early Childhood Educators are creative, caring professionals who ensure high quality programming under these restrictions that supports the social, cognitive, creative, emotional and physical needs of each of the infants, toddlers and preschoolers in our care.
Our exceptional licensed program offers a nurturing environment that encourages children’s creativity, self-expression, and respect, while fostering their imagination, curiosity, and intellect. Structured, challenging, and age-appropriate cognitive activities help children understand cause and effect, develop hand-eye coordination, improve literacy, and help develop conceptual thinking and problem solving.
Registration / Waiting List
If you are interested in adding your name to our waiting list, please fill out our Application Form and email it to daycare.services@universitysettlement.ca. Remember to check in every 6 months to keep your application active.
Parenting through the pandemic
2021 was a tough year to be a parent. Parents struggled with balancing working from home, helping kids with their schoolwork, and worrying about the entire family’s safety and health. For those with young children, it was especially difficult to make the decision to return to
Day Care when the pandemic continued to rage.
At the University Settlement Day Care, we worked hard to make that decision easier for parents. Our enhanced health and safety measures assured parents that their children were kept as safe as possible. Our educators did everything in their power to create warm and inviting spaces where children could thrive in a positive learning environment.
“I was worried about what it would be like for my child to interact with caregivers in masks and protective gear and be distanced from peers in addition to her health and safety” said Elizabeth, a University Settlement Day Care parent. “My fears were alleviated when we were welcomed back warmly. The kindness and genuine affection of the Day Care staff towards my child shone through the masks and PPE. University Settlement was a great choice for us as the values of the Day Care best mirrored our own. We have tremendous gratitude towards the team that has taken such good care of our family throughout this challenging time. Our child will be joining Junior Kindergarten this fall, but we will surely be returning for next year’s summer camp.”
What it means to be an ECE worker in the pandemic
A day in the life of Candace Whynot, an Early Childhood Educator at University Settlement Day Care…
Sometimes all it takes is one incident to bring things into focus.
I’m responsible for screening every child and staff member before they enter the Day Care (a high-risk job that demands wearing full PPE). One winter morning a child, let’s call him Sam, was being dropped off to the preschool room. After taking off his boots, Sam stepped on the wet floor with his socks. Sam is on the Autism Spectrum and sensory stimulation can trigger an emotional reaction. He became overwhelmed by the sensation of his wet socks. I tried to calm him but I was wearing full PPE, which is already a problem for Sam because he relies mostly on non-verbal communication; a mask and face shield creates a barrier… Read the full story