Thursday 30 June 2016

P.A.C.E. Initiates Plans for 30th Anniversary in 2017






























Our 30th anniversary in 2017 provides an opportunity to showcase our accomplishments and to promote our strategic plan.

Several potential action items are being discussed, and a formal Organizing Committee will be established by the Fall.

The Committee will be seeking volunteers and participation from P.A.C.E. members, so look for opportunities to be involved in this exciting and historic project.


Adopt-A-School Update

P.A.C.E. continues to have a strong partnership with the Jamaica Ministry of Education – Early Childhood Commission primarily through Ms. Michelle Campbell, Director, and Sector Support Services. This ensured that cheques to schools are delivered in a timely manner and forms and thank you notes to sponsors are obtained.
Issues last year with school accounts at non-commercial financial institutions have now been mostly resolved thanks to follow up by our Vice-Chair and ECC support.
December Gift Box donations received now totals $1,200.
AAS funds for your sponsored school are due April 1st each year.  If you have not donated yet this year your sponsorship is now due. Please visit our website to donate online or to download and mail in the AAS form: pacecanada.org/DonateMembership


New Schools Adopted:
· Franklyn Town Church of God, Kingston by Joseph Halstead
· Spicy Hill Basic, Trelawny by Dahlia Rose
· Spicy Hill Basic, Trelawny by Elaine Lawrence
· Gospel Refuge Basic School, St. Andrew by Issley Josepheson Medicine PC
· Masie Green ECDC by Janet Collins Group




100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women

Congrats to the following P.A.C.E. members, patrons, and adopters of P.A.C.E. schools who were among the many women who were honoured as 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women:


· Margarett Best
· Marsha Brown
· Grace Lyons
· Rita Cox
· Kamala Jean Gopie
· Mitzie Hunter
· Dr Anna Jarvis
· Nadine Spencer
· Sandra Whiting


Highlights from the June 2016 Strawberry Social

Two collages that provide some highlights of the Strawberry Social on June 5, 2016.




Monday 27 June 2016

President's Message


Summer is finally here and it is already looking glorious. Real tropical weather in true TO style.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the volunteers and board members who assisted in making our June Strawberry Social very special indeed.

A very big thank you to a new Pace member, Nadine Spencer, who stepped up to the plate and organized a boonoonoonos fashion show.  And to two our new board members Mark Fullerton & Jackie Thomas who strutted in style on the catwalk.

Also new member Marsha Brown who not only modeled but made sure she sold tables and ads and to Raf Walker who even though she should have been taking full care of herself she was selling tickets from her bed.  I could go on and on. See yah we have some Tallawah PACE people on board.
We are taking a short break for the summer as we begin planning for the rest of 2016 and begin finalizing our plans and budgets to celebrate 2017-OUR 30th YEAR!!

Plan to up your donations (if you can). Encourage friends and family to get involved and most importantly please do share your ideas with us.

Welcome to the new and returning board members. I am honoured to serve.
Walk Good.


Sandra Whiting




President, P.A.C.E. Canada


Friday 24 June 2016

Sam Sharpe Teachers' College Sponsorship

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information is to undertake a number of infrastructural development projects during the 2016/2017 academic year.

Addressing a recent JIS ‘Think Tank’, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, said a total of 24 early-childhood and primary institutions will benefit from infrastructure upgrade valued at $38.6 million.

Additionally, under the early-childhood revitalisation programme, which is part of the Ministry’s rationalisation strategy, infant departments will be added to 13 primary schools at a cost of $16.8 million.

The Minister also informed that two state-of-the art early-childhood institutions are to be constructed during the new school year  at  Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College in St. James, through Project for the Advancement of Childhood Education (P.A.C.E. Canada); and at the Sir Clifford Campbell Primary School in Westmoreland, by the Rockhouse Foundation at a cost of $50 million.

“Our vision is to have one of these institutions in every parish,” the Minister noted.
Sixteen secondary schools will be upgraded at a cost of $218.4 million, and $113.5 million will be spent to complete works started on 12 schools.

Senator Reid pointed out that under the Ministry’s Sanitation Project, the remaining 27 primary and one infant schools with pit latrines will get flush toilets.

This project will cost $20 million.

In addition, 27 primary schools that have only one classroom will benefit from the installation of partition walls, at a cost of $20 million.

As published at Ministry's Website

Thursday 16 June 2016

Annual General Meeting 2016


Our Annual General Meeting was held on Tuesday May 17, 2016 at the Consulate General for Jamaica on Eglinton Avenue East.



The Moderator for the evening was Kamala-Jean Gopie.













The Consul General of Jamaica, Mr. Lloyd Wilks addressed the gathering and gave an update on activities that his office is supporting.


Some of the beautiful models from the Strawberry Social
gave a preview of what to expect on the runway.


Diana Burke presented an update on the Adopt-A-School program.

Paula Fennell presented the Auditor’s Report. This was Paula’s last term as Treasurer.






Sandra Whiting recognized and thanked the members who were retiring from the Board. Ken Bowen & and Carolyn Goulbourne–Warren were presented with a plaque to recognize their work as long time members of the organization.
 
Following the election of Officers, we were fortunate to have two guest speakers; Dr. Edith Lorimer & Dr. Yvonne Frater-Mac Donald.





Wednesday 15 June 2016

Strategy Planning Meeting

Strategic Planning Meetings were held on January 12th and January 30th, 2016. The items reviewed by the participants were: PACE Mission, PACE History, 2015 Accomplishments, PACE Objectives, PACE 30th Anniversary Celebration in 2017.

PACE keeps aware of the Jamaica Government's focus on their Early Childhood Education Strategies and impact it may have on our programs.
The main areas of impact currently includes:
  • School Rationalizations - This involves building model infant schools attached to Primary Schools with incentives of free tuition to move children from the older and less efficient Basic Schools. The Early Childhood Commission has been asked to keep PACE informed if our schools are to be rationalized.
  • Teacher Training - The government has targeted having University trained or Level 3 certified Early Childhood teachers in all Basic Schools. PACE has been a partner in this area through our support for HEART trained teachers for 4 years now.
  • The Early Childhood Education Act outlines 12 areas for each school to meet Early Childhood Education standards and all 2500+ schools have been evaluated to these standards. PACE has modified our Feedback Form on donations to align with these standards.
Five key objectives (and potential action plans) were supported by the group, along with action plans to implement each of the objectives:
  • Enable young children to have positive early learning experience, focusing on ages 3 to 6
    • Focus support for the needy schools
    • Establish and annual increase in the number of schools supported
  • Encourage students to enter pre-school teacher training
    • Continue with bursaries and scholarships for ECE student teachers
    • Develop a Research Award grant for students to do community based research in ECE
  • Encourage parents of pre-school children to improve the learning experiences available to children in the home
    • Develop a Speaker Series by ECE professionals
    • Develop Research Grants for organizations to address this area
  • Encourage community participation and partnership
    • Target new community partnerships
    • Expand membership to include men and youth
  • Leverage technology to promote and stay connected with members, schools, partners, and the community
    • Keep up to date on technology especially in social media
    • Leverage Constant Contact for email communications
    • Identify a graphic designer to help with message focus and format
Our 30th anniversary in 2017 provides an opportunity to showcase our accomplishments and to promote our strategic plan. Several potential action items were discussed, and it was agreed that a formal Organizing Committee would be established once the 2016-2017 Board has been established. The Committee will be seeking volunteers and participation from the PACE members, so look for opportunities to be involved in this exciting and historic project.

Boys' and Girls' Club Playground


For close to sixty years the Boys & Girls Club of East Scarborough has been providing quality programs for children and youth in East Scarborough. Being able to support families by providing a safe space and quality programs is fundamental role for the Club in our community.
The Boys & Girls Club of East Scarborough has been a strong supporter of the importance of early childhood education and the impact that it has in the development of a well-rounded child. As an organization we have developed 4 licensed childcare programs in neighbourhoods throughout East Scarborough that supports the development of early learning. The ongoing support of our Licensed Childcare Programs by PACE has gone a long way in enhancing the experiences of many children who participate in the program.
The Eastside Childcare Centre located at 20 Waldock Street in Scarborough offers, toddler, preschool, and Kindergarten Licensed Childcare Programs. This centre is located in Eastview Public School, a Toronto District School Board facility.
The outdoor space that the childcare currently has is a concrete space with minimal shade and play equipment. They would like to retro fit this space with some natural play structures to bring more nature into the space. They would also include areas of manufactured green space to insure the equipment will work for the children in the space.
The Boys & Girls Club of East Scarborough is located in one of Toronto’s 13 priority neighbourhoods, Kingston Road /Galloway and Orton Park. This has been identified and designated as critically underserved and “high risk” area by The Strong Neighbourhoods Task Force.
Deeply imbedded within this neighbourhood are societal problems such as poverty, substance abuse, and gang-related violence. Efforts to reduce these problems and to increase opportunities for children and youth are greatly needed.
East Scarborough including the Kingston/Galloway – Orton Park area is populated predominantly with new immigrants, refugees, Aboriginals and other racialized ethnic groups.
In this particular area 29% of families are living below the low income cut-off. 22% of children in Kingston/Galloway are under the age of 14 years old. 13.6% of the population are youth 14-24 years old, in comparison to 12% in the rest of the city. The 2006 census report indicates that 32% of families are lone parents in comparison to the city average of 19.7%.

In support of this playground initiative, Sandra Whiting attended their recent Annual General Meeting and presented a cheque on behalf of P.A.C.E. Canada. The funds will be used to build the playground and a dedication plaque will be installed. In recognition of their appreciation for our support we were presented with a certificate and a drawing by one of the students.
The playground equipment will include:
  • Backless Log park Bench - This offers a great space for children to gather and connect as well as offering gross motor skills. It can be a balance beam, a log to jump from or anything a child's imagination can conjure up.
  • Log Tunnel - These are fun for all ages. It's fun to crawl, walk, and run through allowing children to practice their motor planning skills while moving through the tunnel. This helps a child develop core strength and body coordination skills.
  • Stump Table - This provides opportunities to participate in focused activities and/or climbing structure for children. Its height and stability is perfect for children using a walker. The seating with a stump table provides a nice seating/gathering/snack area.


Tuesday 14 June 2016

Meet The 2016/17 Board Members

We are pleased to introduce the new PACE Canada Board of Directors for 2016/17, as elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May17.




The P.A.C.E. 2016/17 Board at the AGM from the left: Jackie Thomas,  Patricia Gloudon, Joan Smith, Mardi South, Mark Fullerton, Candice Walker, Diana Burke, Patricia Chorney Rubin, Lorna King, Sandra Whiting

Here are the new members of the Board who are serving a term for the first time:
 
Colette Kane
is the Manager of two of George Brown College’s School of Education lab schools. The Queen Street Child Care Centre is located in the Centre for Addiction and

Mental Health and Parkdale Child Care Centre is housed inside Parkdale Junior and Senior Public School. Prior to becoming a Manager at the college, Colette was part of the Early Childhood Education team at George Brown since 1989 as a Toddler and Preschool teacher.
For a number of years, Colette has taught in the Continuing Education Program at the College and continues to be faculty coordinator for students completing placements. Currently she is involved in an International Project, which takes 2nd year E.C.E. students to Jamaica for a month to work in a Basic or Infant School and completes their fourth placement. Colette obtained her diploma in Early Childhood Education from George Brown College and is currently completing her 4th year in the Early Childhood Leadership Degree program at George Brown College in partnership with Ryerson University.

Patricia Chorney Rubin is the Director Community Services and Early Childhood at
George Brown College, a position she has held since 2002. Patricia came to the College in 1984 when she joined the team as an Early Childhood Educator. She has collaborated with others in the department in the area of Lab School development and has been the Manager of many of the Lab School teaching childcare centres operated by the college. Patricia has taught and coordinated in both the full and part-time Early Childhood Programs. Patricia was appointed to the Ontario Government's Best Start Expert Panel on Human Resources in the Early Childhood Sector (2007). In 2009 Patricia led the launch of the Bachelor of Applied Arts in Early Childhood Leadership at George Brown College. Patricia obtained a diploma from Sir George Williams University, and a B.A. in Early Childhood Education from Concordia University.

Candice Walker is a Registeredd Early Childhood Educator. She earned a Bachelor of Applied
Arts Degree from Ryerson University in 2011. She also is a graduate from the Early Childhood Education program at George Brown College, is a member of the Ontario College of Early Childhood Educators, and has been working with children and families for over nine years.
She currently works in the Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program at the Toronto Distirict School Board. This is Candice’s second year working full-time with the TDSB. Candice also works part-time at Yorktown Child and Family Services with women and children, who have been exposed to violence in their home. In addition, she works part-time as a Child and Youth Program Worker with YWCA Toronto. When Candice is not working she can be found volunteering, reading, travelling, and spending time with her family and friends.

Sharon Barnes-Simmonds (CPA-CGA, MBA) migrated to Canada from Jamaica in 2003
and is a qualified Finance and Accounting Professional with over 10 years post qualification experience in both the not for profit and for profit sectors. She is a Certified Chartered Accountant with designations from the UK (ACCA) and Canada (CPA-CGA) and holder of an MBA. She works well in any fast-paced dynamic environment, as well as any medium-paced organization. Her experiences span the shipping and transportation industry, government and entertainment sectors.
Sharon currently holds the position of Director, Accounting at The Toronto International Film Festival.  TIFF delivers programming 365 days a year, in addition to the well-known 10-day film festival that takes place every September. She also held previous positions as Senior Accountant of Maersk Canada Inc and Senior Financial Analyst at The Regional Municipality of Peel.

An avid volunteer who strongly believes in giving back to her community, Sharon has held volunteer roles with Circle K International (College) and Kiwanis International and more recently with the United Achievers Community Services Inc as well as CPA Ontario where she sometimes deliver speeches on the University Circuit on their behalf.

Jacquline Thomas moved to Canada from Jamaica in 2013. She holds a BA in Business
from Nova University and certifications as; Paralegal, Addictions and Community Service, and Personal Support Worker. Jacquline was Administrator for PACE and enjoys volunteering with the Sickle Cell Association of Ontario, JCA Walk Good, PACE Strawberry Social and Toy Drive. Jacquline loves to cook, read, and travel. She is a single mother of a teenage daughter and presently works in the health care sector.











Saturday 11 June 2016

KatieBears Trip to Jamaica

Since September of 2012, KatieBears has sponsored the Dalmally BasicSchool in Dias, Westmorland.

KatieBears has contributed a minimum of $500 CDN per year to Dalmally as well as helped to provide toilets for the boys/girls as well as teachers. Access to power, a new propane stove (6 burner and oven), 650 gallon water tank, teddy bears every 3 years minimum, first aid kits (replenished yearly), supplies (books, puzzles, stickers and sweets) yearly. We have also provided sports equipment, food kits to feed each child's family, and clothing from infant to adult sizes.

In 2016 we plan to level the school yard, build a fence and plant trees to provide shade for the children. Attendance in Dalmally has improved dramatically from 60 pupils in 2012 to 81 currently. We carry a continued relationship with the school each year throughout the year to best suit their current needs.

We have sponsored the UpperTop Lincoln ECI in GrangeHill since Sept of 2013. KatieBears has contributed a minimum of $500 CDN per year to UpperTop Lincoln as well as helped to provide a new propane stove, 650 gallon water tank, teddy bears every 3 years minimum, first aid kits (replenished yearly), supplies (books, puzzles, stickers and sweets) yearly. We have also provided sports equipment, food kits to feed each child's family, and clothing from infant to adult sizes. We carry a continued relationship with UpperTop Lincoln throughout the year to best suit their current needs, too.

In 2015 and 2016 some volunteers for KatieBears were able to accompany Lynda and Ian Fraser to the schools. Below are a few testimonials from some of our volunteers:

Laura 2015-“Going to Jamaica with KatieBears was one of the most enriching experiences of my life! Seeing the difference that has been made in the schools we sponsor has made me see how blessed we really are in Canada.”

Janet & Paul 2016-“In February 2016 we had the distinct pleasure to spend time at two of the basic schools that is generously supported by KatieBears. On arrival we were welcomed by the most enthusiastic group of children we have had the pleasure to meet. Their classrooms, although very modest, were displayed with pictures, vocabulary and alphabet letters. The teachers and volunteers show their total devotion to all of the children in their care. We both commented on the fact that this was indeed the most rewarding part of our vacation. Keep up the good work, these little minds are absorbing the knowledge like a sponge.”

Our volunteers who have been able to see these schools first hand have commented on wanting to help even more after seeing the difference that KatieBears has been able to make these past years.