Welcome to our new St. Patrick’s location!

We’re thrilled to welcome families to our newly opened infant classroom at St. Patrick, a warm and nurturing space designed with, care, and love. Over the past two weeks, our amazing infant team: Shefali, Tai, Bea, and Shannon; have come together to transform a blank canvas into a place of comfort, curiosity, and connection.

Each educator brings a unique perspective and passion for early childhood education:

Shefali joins us from Punjab, India, inspired by her family of teachers. She’s excited to begin her journey alongside your little ones, fostering growth and joy every step of the way.

Tai (short for Taiane), originally from Brazil, feels privileged to be part of this vibrant community. She looks forward to supporting each infant's learning and development with warmth and intention.

Bea (Phuong Anh) is from Hanoi, Vietnam and has lived in Canada for nearly seven years. She’s excited to collaborate with her fellow educators and create a space where infants thrive.

Shannon, a long-time educator with over 20 years of experience in infant, toddler, and preschool rooms, brings a wealth of knowledge. She also serves as the Centre’s health and safety representative and supports in the kitchen when our cook Seyi is off.

Together, we set out to create an infant room that feels like a second home. We thoughtfully designed cozy corners for quiet moments, sensory-rich spaces to spark curiosity, and open areas for movement and exploration. Each handcrafted touch reflects who we are, as a team that values intentionality, creativity, and the power of connection. When the infants began visiting for the first time, the real magic began. Some children observed quietly, others confidently crawled or walked into the space with wonder in their eyes. 

Paxton enjoyed the feel of the sensory toys while his brother Gunner showed off his amazing drumming skills. Vihana stretched out her hand to feel new textures, exploring a sensory moment. She also enjoyed pulling the toys out of the bucket completely on her own as the bucket sat sideways. Jason showed us his balance, sitting, while exploring the soft toys in our toom. Rhyett smiled as he found a soft toy in the cozy corner, clearly feeling the warmth of the environment. Rhyett was curious as he explored a colorful shape sorter. He grasped and investigated it, exploring its texture and function. Later, he picked up glowing heptagon shakers, shaking them eagerly, clearly fascinated by the movement and sound. Bea wondered whether it was the sound or the glowing lights that captured his attention. A beautiful example of infant inquiry in action. Habiba tried out the lunch table chair and got to experience her fire fire drill. Wyatt was exploring his interests in cooking as he explored the role play kitchen, dishes, food and sink. Wyatt discovered how to get the sink to come out and the sound it made when it hit the floor. Maria came looking fabulously dressed for the occasion in a gorgeous dress and a beautiful bow headband in her hands.  Outside Remy, Rhyett explored going down the slide...wee! What fun.

Their families shared routines, preferences, stories, ask questions, share insights, and observe their child’s early engagement with the space. These interactions helped foster trust and mutual understanding, laying the groundwork for strong partnerships. We began to build deeper understandings of each child. 

As educators, we loved discovering that the whole team enjoys messy play, and felt energized by the opportunity to align practices and pedagogies. Seeing the infants' smiles and witnessing their first connections in the space reassured them that this is just the beginning of meaningful learning and relationships. We recognize that creating a safe, warm, and engaging environment is a collaborative effort. The room feels like a second home not only because of our educators’ hard work, but because of the openness of our families and the curiosity of our children. These moments affirmed our intention: to create a space that invites exploration and wonder.

We are excited for the journey ahead. To witness our infants grow, explore, and learn within a space that reflects who they are and what they need. Each milestone, each discovery, each smile is a reminder of why we do what we do.