Celebrating Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day

Tuesday, October 18, 2022 is Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day. The District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB) encourages the community to show their support of the child care profession and the educators that support their families.

“On behalf of the Board, I extend my deepest gratitude to child care workers and early learning heroes across the District for all you do to enrich the lives of children. Early childhood education is vital to the development of young minds and these professionals deserve our admiration and respect. Thank you for helping our children to explore and engage with the world around them.” – Lucy Kloosterhuis, Board Chair, TBDSSAB

“Child care and early years programs are critical to the success of our communities, and it’s important that we acknowledge that and show our appreciation. Being a child care professional is not easy—especially with the ups and downs faced in the last couple of years. It takes a big heart and dedication to support the development of children in the early years. Child care professionals should know that their commitment to families and children is appreciated.” – Bill Bradica, CAO, TBDSSAB

In recognition of Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day, TBDSSAB would like to thank all the child care and early years professionals across The District of Thunder Bay for their commitment to serving families and children. Thank you for fostering a sense of wellbeing, curiosity, and belonging in our children, and for giving them the tools to learn from the world around them.

If you know someone who works within the child care profession or is an educator to your child(ren), please take the time to say a special thank you. Encourage children to decide how they’d like to show their appreciation.

Early Years gala!

We are excited to invite you to this year’s appreciation event, Early Years’ Gala: Celebrating the ProfessionWe encourage you to get dressed up and join us on the red carpet for an evening full of great food, good company, and a whole lot of fun!!

Click HERE to reserve your seat! RSVP today!!

This invitation is for all TBDSSAB-funded child care and EarlyON programs, as well as the special needs resourcing team at CCTB. Please share this INVITATION with your colleagues , they won’t want to miss out!

For more information about this highly anticipated event please visit HERE!

Early Years’ Gala

We are excited to invite you to this year’s appreciation event, Early Years’ Gala: Celebrating the Profession! We encourage you to get dressed up and join us on the red carpet for an evening full of great food, good company, and a whole lot of fun!!

Click HERE to RSVP and reserve your seat!

This invitation is for all TBDSSAB-funded child care and EarlyON programs, as well as the special needs resourcing team at CCTB. Please share this INVITATION with your colleagues – they won’t want to miss out!!

Asian Heritage Month: Anti-Asian Racism

While Asian Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate Canadians of Asian descent , it is also an important opportunity to address the realities of anti-Asian racism. Below, we take a closer look at recent examples of the impact of Anti-Asian racism and what non-Asians can do to help.


Anti-Asian racism in Canada

Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/asian-heritage-month/anti-asian-racism.html

In Canada, anti-Asian racism refers to historical and ongoing discrimination, negative stereotyping, and injustice experienced by peoples of Asian descent, based on others’ assumptions about their ethnicity and nationality. Peoples of Asian descent are subjected to specific overt and subtle racist tropes and stereotypes at individual and systemic levels, which lead to their ongoing social, economic, political and cultural marginalization, disadvantage and unequal treatment.

The term Asian encompasses a wide range of identities that the very term Asian can obscure. While all may experience being “otherized,” specific experiences of anti-Asian racism vary. Some are constantly being perceived to be a threat, some face gendered exotification and violence, some are more likely to be subjected to online hate and racist portrayals in the media, while others face Islamophobia and other forms of religious-based discrimination.


COVID-19 and anti-Asian racism

Xenophobia and racism toward Chinese and other Asian communities has been on a rapid rise since the outbreak of COVID-19.  To confront that racism, several Chinese Canadian organizations across Canada have partnered on the COVID-19 Racism in Canada incident reporting project (covidracism.ca) to amplify voices and experiences. For more information on reported acts of anti-Asian racism in Canada, check out the Fight COVID-19 racism website: https://www.covidracism.ca/

To learn more about the experiences of Asian-Canadians during this pandemic, check out this recorded CCDI Webinar:
The intersection of race, mental health, and stigma in the age of COVID-19.
May 28, 2020:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T106ittMlTo


Fighting anti-Asian racism

Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/asian-heritage-month/anti-asian-racism.html

Here are some ways we can all contribute to tackling anti-Asian racism and building an even better and consciously more inclusive society where everyone is able to participate fully:

  • Learn about pan-Asian diversity and the unique identities and cultures that have enriched Canadian society
  • Challenge stereotypes and consider how they are rooted in the history of anti-Asian racism
  • Show solidarity with Asian communities in Canada, i.e. by supporting local Asian businesses and organizations
  • Be an ally – call out acts of racism, discrimination, and micro aggression and actively support those victimized by anti-Asian racism
  • Interrupt unconscious biases and consider how they can affect your behavior and decision-making

Interested in learning more about how to be an ally to Asian-Canadians? Check out these free training opportunities:

Bystander Intervention Training to stop Anti-Asian/American and Xenophobic Harassment.
Via: Right to Be Foundation.

May 24, 2022: 8:00pm – 9:15pm EDT:  Link

Bystander Intervention in the Workplace: Mini Training.
Via: Right to Be Foundation.

May 31, 2022: 5:00pm – 5:30pm EDT: Link

Celebrating Asian Heritage Month

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada, a time to reflect on and celebrate the contributions that Canadians of Asian descent have made and continue to make, to the growth and prosperity of Canada:

Asian Heritage Month has been celebrated across Canada since the 1990s. In December 2001, the Senate of Canada adopted a motion proposed by Senator Vivienne Poy to officially designate May as Asian Heritage Month in Canada. Over the last two centuries, immigrants have journeyed to Canada from East Asia, Southern Asia, Western, Central and Southeast Asia, bringing our society a rich cultural heritage representing many languages, ethnicities and cultural traditions. (Source)

Want to spread the word about Asian Heritage Month?
Check out the campaign toolkit here: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/asian-heritage-month/toolkit.html

Events in Asian Canadian History

Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/asian-heritage-month/important-events.html

Since the late-1700s, people of Asian descent have made important contributions to Canada’s history and identity. Each year, as part of its annual Asian Heritage Month campaign, the Government of Canada encourages Canadians to learn about how Canadians of Asian descent have and continue to help shape Canada as we know it today. These include, amongst others:

Interested in a more community-driven perspective on Asians making an impact?
Check out this list from the Cold Tea Collective, a website dedicated to celebrating the Asian diaspora. https://coldteacollective.com/asian-canadians-making-it-while-making-a-difference/

A Night to Remember!

Trivia Night was a HOOT, led by your very own…  

MACARONI MEGAN 

ALEX LASAGNE 

annnd JODI FETTUCINI!!​ 

Thank you so much to all who came out to have some fun with us. Participants went head-to-head for 3 main Kahoots – Child Care and Early Years Trivia, Local Landmarks, and Community Partner Logos. It quickly became clear that Jocelyne is the Kahoot Trivia extraordinaire!!  …but everyone was a winner because of the fun and laughs we had together! And nobody will forget all of our pasta-tively amazing jokes… 

Where did the spaghetti go to dance?  

The meatball! 

 The winners took home the following prizes:  

Let us know what types of prizes you would like to win at our next FUN EVENT in the comments below.  

Don’t be upsetti-spaghetti if you missed out on this incredible experience, there will be more fun to come… including, BINGO NIGHT! Join us on Thursday, April 21 for BINGO! We will have more awesome prizes, and maybe even some NEW JOKES! 

Please let us know in the comments below what other type of events you would like to see. Our participants shared some awesome pasta-bilities with us last night – draw-a-saurus, scattergories, karaoke, and more! Help us decide what to plan next.  

JOIN OUR PLANNING TEAM

Are you interested in expanding your professional experiences in the early years sector? Do you want to try something new and exciting this year?! Join our planning team and get ready to have some fun!

The team at TBDSSAB is looking for 5 enthusiastic, energetic and creative individuals to participate in the planning of Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day 2022! 

What do you want to see this year as we celebrate the incredible and talented educators in the early years field? What fun ideas do you have that we may be able to incorporate into an event?! 

Your voice matters – and we want to hear it!!!! 

Please fill out the form HERE if you are interested in joining our planning teamIf you have any questions, e-mail us at early.years@tbdssab.ca

Click HERE to download a copy of our poster. ​