Early Childhood Week activities

(in French)

This year marks the 15th year that the Municipalité amie des enfants (Child-Friendly Cities) initiative has been active in Quebec. Espace MUNI would like to take advantage of Early Childhood Week to celebrate the progress made in advancing the rights of children and youth, and acknowledge the many outstanding contributions made by municipal stakeholders since 2009.

Participating municipalities are invited to a day-long program of activities where the focus will be on importance of play, one of the guiding principles behind the Child-Friendly Cities Initiative. Attendees will have an opportunity to learn more about the role of play and leisure in municipal settings and to discuss how local governments plan to support children’s needs going forward.

For more information about the event and to sign up, go to https://espacemuni.org/evenement/15e-anniversaire-municipalite-amie-des-enfants-mae/.

The Collectif petite enfance and Espace MUNI have contacted municipalities across the province to encourage them to express their support for our littlest citizens on Monday, November 18.

(In French)

Join us during Early Childhood Week for this first annual event celebrating our collective commitment to the youngest members of society and emphasizing the importance of doing everything we can for children during the prenatal to preschool years.

The focus of the inaugural edition of this brand-new event will be on children whose families are newcomers to Montreal.

It will feature a panel discussion with a group of experts from various fields, personal stories, a series of hands-on activities… and a very special visitor!

All early childhood professionals, advocates, community leaders and families are cordially invited to attend. Because we all have a role to play in building their future.

Information and registration: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/billets-grand-rassemblement-montrealais-pour-les-tout-petits-1031291720297

(in French)

Once again this year, early childhood development partners will be holding a wide range of activities throughout Early Childhood Week.

The full program is available here: https://cosmoss.qc.ca/matapedia/actions/grande-semaine-des-tout-petits.html

(in French)

For Early Childhood Week, the partners of COSMOSS Rimouski-Neigette worked together to create a hopscotch grid that, instead of numbers, outlines the founding principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as summarized by the Collectif petite enfance. More than 30 organizations in 11 communities in the region will be able to make use of this tool. They also got a group of local children together to sing a new version of the classic nursery rhyme À la claire fontaine highlighting the fundamental rights of each and every child. Last but not least, they made their own special paper fortune teller.

These will all be unveiled on November 18 at the Maison des Familles de Rimouski, at a kick-off event attended by families served by the organizations involved in this project.

(in French)

This webinar will present a study on the lifestyle habits of 0-to-5-year-olds in Montreal, a research project led jointly by Montréal physiquement active (MPA) and the Direction régionale de santé publique de Montréal. The purpose of this project is to take a closer look at healthy lifestyle habits in early childhood, specifically those related to physical activity and nutrition, and to do so within a continuum of living environments, including home and daycare. It is also an opportunity to compare and contrast the experiences of adults and children on this topic, with input from children themselves incorporated into one aspect of the study. The results will be presented by research consultant Véronique Gosselin, PhD.

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0tc-6vrDwpHNWqPX_1tn5zPV7HeMU9wlhf#/registration

(in French)

Networking meeting for childcare and school stakeholders. The theme will be the transition to school.

Registration full

(In French)

Advocates for actively involving children in public decision-making processes will discuss various ways of gathering, analyzing and getting the most out of children’s input in such fields as urban planning, health care, culture, civic engagement and local politics.

To learn more and register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/la-parole-aux-enfants-tickets-1015396587527

(in French)

The event will feature a number of thought-provoking presentations on several key topics, including screen time and its impact on child development. There will also be some engaging discussions on aligning actions and environments conducive to healthy lifestyles and positive mental health in children’s environments.

General admission sold out (see link to join the waitlist).

For more information: https://www.zeffy.com/fr-CA/ticketing/394f0837-5dbf-4078-88c3-81f5940e0f25

(in French)

During Early Childhood Week, let’s ask children in the Chaudière-Appalaches region what their hopes and dreams are, so we can make them twinkle like stars in the sky! Together, we can create a whole constellation of their wishes and display them on Facebook, online and/or in a special message for parents.

Early childhood stakeholders in Chaudière-Appalaches are invited to get children to share their wishes and proudly display them in a cut-out star on November 20.

The downloadable star can be found here.

(in French)

On the program (broader component open to partners and the media):

10:15 a.m.

Talk: Comment vont les parents au SLSJ?

Michèle Kearney, Planning Officer, Programming and Research, Service de surveillance de l'état de santé de la population, Direction de santé publique, CIUSSS du Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean

11 a.m.

Launch of the group’s rebrand

Achievements and objectives

Strategic plan for 2024–2027

For more information: https://crepas.qc.ca/nos-projets/la-gaillarde/

(in French)

During Early Childhood Week, Grandissons tous ensemble, which represents a large number of early childhood stakeholders in the Capitale-Nationale region, will be hosting La (Très) Grande matinée des tout-petits, a day-long lineup of training activities, presentations and networking opportunities. Join them from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the Centre de foires de Québec.

To learn more or register, go to: https://www.ciusss-capitalenationale.gouv.qc.ca/concertationgte/gmtp/2024 

(in French)

This discussion-style presentation will explore some of the disparities in youth protection from one region of Quebec to another, even though services are supposed to be universal. Recent data from longitudinal studies will be used to illustrate these divergences.  

The webinar will expand on some of the key findings of the Special Commission on the Rights of the Child and Youth Protection and touch on what this means for practitioners. How can services be adapted to meet the specific needs of families, especially those struggling with social problems and poverty? How can the inequality gap be bridged? Are there other solutions that should be considered in order to produce fairer results? 

This webinar will be moderated by Tonino Esposito, Associate Professor & Canada Research Chair in Social Services for Vulnerable Children at Université de Montréal.

Register Now : https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mXdxZy5cTqmrzWJBALGRUA?fbclid=IwY2xjawGIl_NleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHcaqy0PwQ9wdpsAZ2e76lonu-spGUHhz_M7rRtJkR7HpdV9u5i6N0A_GTA_aem_wWm0sDmwGBLSK_pTiiEa_g#/registration