Milton Community

Resource Centre

2012 Annual Report

All of the photos in this report have been taken by children at either Bronte Street School or Bruce Trail Early Learning and Child Care Centre.

As we look back over the past year we see evidence of MCRC’s strong belief in an integrated “systems”

approach to service planning and provision of a high quality, seamless and a well-coordinated system for

all children and their families. MCRC has a strong and solid history of providing quality early learning and

care programs and services in our community. We are a multi-site, multi-service not-for-profit organization

governed by a voluntary Board of Directors and operate with open and transparent processes.

This year on behalf of the Board of Directors and staff, we submitted MCRC’s ideas to the provincial

conversation on transforming Early Learning and Child Care in Ontario. We took the opportunity to

respond to the Provincial document Modernizing Child Care in Ontario: Sharing Conversations.

Strengthening Partnerships, Working Together, released by the Ministry of Education in June 2012. This

discussion process gave us the opportunity to share some of our ideas and successes in working together

as a “system” with the province, the Region, community partners, families, and our community-at-large to

modernize the early learning and child care sector. You can find our response to the Provincial document

on our website www.mcrc.on.ca .

In September, we opened our new Early Learning Centre (ELC) which demonstrates our commitment to

an integrated “systems” approach to providing services within our community. Through a strong and

creative partnership with Milton Christian School, MCRC has been able to secure the lower floor of

Milton’s former Public Library site on Bruce Street to house our expanded Nursery School Program. At this

location we also provide Family Resource and Early Years programming. We also provide dedicated

space to the Community Intervention Program (CIP) which is a community based program supporting

children with special needs to gain, improve and/or maintain skills that would assist their transition into an

inclusive child care setting.

Further to our “systems” approach, MCRC has been designated as the lead organization for the Our Kids

Network’s key integration project which is to build a web-based Community Information System. This will

be used by both service providers and families as part of an enhanced “service navigation” strategy. We

are eager to see how this develops as a true support to our staff, families and the broader community.

We would like to acknowledge and thank our funders, board members, staff, community partners and

the many volunteers who are the foundation of our organization. Without you, our part within a system

that provides strong service provision and community responsiveness would not be possible.

Sincerely,

Tiffany Stewart Rebecca Barrows-Vrankulj

Chair, MCRC Board of Directors Executive Director, MCRC

A Message from the Board Chair and Executive Director

Chair: Tiffany Stewart Director: Mike Cluett

Vice Chair: Grace Mater Director: Diana Godfrey

Treasurer: Wilfred “Buddy” Edge Director: Cheryl Hayles

Secretary: Robert Pell

MCRC Board of Directors

MCRC Staff

Accounting/Finance

Aleksandra Dhyaneshwar

Helen Romary

Bronte Street School

Christine Bechara

Naomi Bonicelli

Andrea DeBartolo

Sarah Dunning-Saleh

Rahelah Faghi

Kristin Hogan

Katerina Ivanovic

Megan Lantz

Jacqueline Luce

Holly Manson

Claudia Maya

Susan Moniz

Jennifer Nunes

Kelly Raposo

Campbellville

Blanca Bolanos

Noura Latif

MCRC ELC/Nursery School

Robyn Anders

Kelly Donnan

Ashley Green

Kim Parker

Bruce Trail

Jessica Barringer

Irina Boiangu

Jennifer Boyer

Melissa Brownlee

Corin Charles

Cynthia Faucher

Kerry Ann Gardener

Flora Harjinder

Manny Kainth

Bradley Krantz

Natalia Leal-Nye

Jennifer Lee

Rachel Nesbitt

Betty Read

Sherry Standish

Jaime Stevens

Derek Tellier

Su Yatiwell

Kerri Zacny

CCDIL

Jean Brown

Anne Wassenich

Early Years/FRP

Sue Brathwaite

Katie McDonald

Kathy Page

Petra Samson

Karen Sickinger

Norma Smith

Executive Director

Rebecca Barrows-Vrankulj

Housekeeping

David Giroux

Patsy Mallais

Karin Villeneuve

Human Resources

Stephanie Martel

Mary Vrankulj

Rebecca Webber

Operations

Maria Evans

Reception

Alex Godfrey

Nancy Gourlay

School Age

Sarah Farrugia

Grace Fialho

Cheryl Haug

Chris Hadfield

Rukhsana Aftab

Amita Anand

Tara Gottfried

Sucharita Kirtikar

Nicole VanderVeen

Hawthorne Village

Sabah Majid

Carmelia Palmieri

Nicole Thissen

Margo Youssef

P.L Robertson

Leleika Haughton

Susy Infante

Kyle Mongiardi

Karen Ordonez

Kylene Oreskovic

Jessica Young

School Eight

Mamta Mistry

Farhat Saddiq

TJ Singh

Lindsay Boyce

Bronwyn Lewis

Sarah Naim

School Age Support

Pauline Bishop

Erin Hainey

Emily Hunter

Quality First

Melanie Cunha

Jennifer Davero

Barbara Harrison

Zenab Karimjee

Frances Killingbeck

Cathy Lipton

Denise MacDougal

Kim McMahon

Wendy Pavao-Terlizzi

Tina Santonato

THRC

Bonnie Brooks

Sharon Campbell-Springstead

Niza Chaudhry

Pat Douglas

Amanda Feener

Serena Le Chat

Alanna Merkley

Stephanie Salibay

Ruth Anne Wollaston

Volunteer and Resource

Lee-Ann Babin

CHERISH

Kate Sherwood

Early Learning Facilitator

Victoria Armstrong

MCRC would like to

thank the following

funders for their

on-going support:

Year ended: December 31, 2011

MCRC Financial Statement

Tina Santonato– Quality First

Tina Santonato RECE is the Coordinator of Quality First and the Child Care

Directory and Information Line. She has been with MCRC since 2006 and is well

known for her innovative, energetic, and entrepreneurial leadership. She is

dedicated to the field of Early Learning and has made significant contribution

to promoting quality child care both on an organizational and broader

community level. Tina loves a challenge and thrives with the opportunity to

take on new programs, tasks or initiatives. Upon being asked to bring

Developmental Assets (DA) into the fabric of our organization, she became

personally immersed in DA by attending the 4 day Train the Trainer session

hosted by the Our Kids Network. As a DA Community Trainer she has facilitated

3 community and 7 MCRC staff training sessions. She champions the DA internal

staff committee and looks for every opportunity to integrate DA into our organization and our individual practice.

Most recently she was an active member of the planning committee for the National DA conference Do Your Part

hosted by Halton. She also provided DA training at the Early Years pre-conference which was the very first held in

Canada. Tina conceptualized and produced MCRC’s new Our Human Rights video which premiered at the

conference and has since been viewed extensively. As one of her peers aptly said… “She inspires us all in our own

work and we are fortunate to call Tina our colleague and friend.”

Jean Brown– Child Care Directory and Information Line

Jean started at MCRC February 1st, 1999, working in OEYC and FRP, as a RECE.

Jean was involved in a variety of programs with Infants and toddlers like;

Mother Goose, Baby Milestones, Messing Around, Busy Fingers, and more. In

January 2009 Jean was hired as a Parent and Provider Consultant for The

Child Care Directory and Information Line with The Halton Resource

Connection. Jean brings passion and compassion to everything she does at

MCRC. In 2012 she was involved in two MCRC Committees; The Green

Committee and the Move More Milton Committee. Jean doesn’t take her role

in these committees lightly; she is instinctively driven towards these initiatives

promoting the well-being of the community and the environment. Jean has

contributed many ideas and recommendations, taken action on all tasks and

projects, and is the first to motivate and encourage all MCRC teams. Jean is

the ultimate cheerleader, she is always ready to support you with an

encouraging word and a smile...but if you put your garbage in the wrong recycling bin...watch out! Jean will find

you and make sure you don’t make the same mistake again! Thank you Jean for being such a dedicated and

caring member of the MCRC family.

Katelyn Sales - Volunteer of the Year

Katelyn began volunteering in MCRC’s Ontario Early Years programs and Family Resource

Programs in the summer of 2011. She has gone above and beyond the high school 40

hours volunteer requirement. In fact, between July 2011 and February 2012 Katelyn spent

over 100 hours volunteering in MCRC programs. She took an active role supporting staff

in the summer-mini camps and Yogi ABC, to name a few, and often brings in her guitar to

play for the children. Katelyn continues to volunteer with MCRC at special events and

helping to supervise youth at MCRC’s youth dances. We look forward to her continued

volunteer help.

MCRC Stars

We opened our new ELC September 4, 2012! It is a beautiful space (the Town of Milton’s former

children’s public library) located at 45 Bruce Street. At this location we operate our expanded

nursery school program, Ontario Early Years programs, and a drop-in for caregivers of our

Cherish Home Child Care program. We also provide dedicated space for the Community

Intervention Program (CIP) to operate a rotation of 6 week intensive programs for children with

special needs. CIP has not had a consistent space to be able to provide this program and we

are thrilled to partner with them to provide this much needed and very successful program.

In the New Year MCRC ELC will be starting an Intergenerational program for local seniors to

become involved in our nursery school program. We anticipate that this will bring much joy and

happiness to both the children and seniors who become involved.

Our community room is available to rent at a reasonable cost for meetings and presentations. It

is furnished with adult size tables and chairs as well as a large screen T.V. with laptop hook up.

The community room also has an observation area with a one way mirror into an adjacent

classroom.

Our official Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting ceremony was held on October 10, 2012 in

collaboration with Milton Christian School. Mayor Gordon Krantz was in attendance as well as

representation from the Ministry of Education and the Region of Halton.

We owe tremendous thanks to the many staff, MCRC volunteers, community partners, family

and friends who helped make opening this new program possible. It was with your help and

dedication that we were able to open on time and provide a rich and welcoming program

from day one.

Staff members (from right) Ashley Green, Robyn Anders, Kelly Donnan and Kim Parker at the ELC Opening

MCRC Early Learning Centre (ELC)

Artists and Children Together (ACT) is MCRC’s newly redesigned

Art at the Centre program and is funded in part by The Ontario

Trillium Foundation. This exciting new program connects local

artists, from a broad range of disciplines, with the children

enrolled in our early learning and licensed child care programs.

This new integrative approach invites artists directly into

classrooms and programs to build on and extend children’s

ideas. Through active listening, observation and collaboration,

our hope is that artists will use their expertise and creativity to

offer children different ways to communicate their thoughts;

whether that be through clay, painting, sculpture, music,

movement, photography and more.

Inspired by the ideas and work of the children and teachers in Reggio Emilia, Italy,

documentation for the purpose of making thinking and the process of learning visible, will be a

key part of the work that the artists engage in with the children. Documentation of children’s

ideas, questions and explorations could take the form of photos, video, children’s sketches or

other work samples, transcribed conversations, as well as adult interpretations and theories

about the work of the children.

We are excited about this new program and anticipate that it will provide many new rich,

creative, and meaningful opportunities for children in our programs.

“Creativity becomes more visible when adults try to be more attentive to the

cognitive processes of children than to the results they achieve in various fields of

doing and understanding.”

– Loris Malaguzzi

Artists and Children Together (ACT)

Ontario Early Years 10th Anniversary