Childcare and Daycare days

Any parent will tell you: early childhood educators are superheroes. They work in Childcare centres (CPEs) and daycares and play a crucial role in the life and general development of young children. Since 2016, the TD-Blue Metropolis Children’s Festival organizes a yearly Childcare and Daycare day to highlight educators’ contribution to the growth and wellbeing of preschoolers.  

We invite educators throughout Quebec to take part in theme-based days on social and educational issues that can be adapted to the very young. All the educator has to do is select a picture book from the daycare library, or from our suggested reading list, and read the children a story that deals with the day’s theme. Naturally, we’re always thrilled to get photographs and comments from their event!

Childcare centres and daycares that register for the event are automatically entered in a draw for 2 gift certificates worth $250 each, redeemable at an independent bookstore in their region. So far, Blue Metropolis has awarded the prize to happy winners in the Beauce, the Côte-Nord, the Lanaudière, the Montérégie, and the Lower St-Lawrence.

The following suggested reading list is meant primarily for educators. But it will also serve parents, grand-parents and any adult who is looking for a great picture book with which to share a moment of discovery with a little child.

In 2022-2023, two Childcare and Daycare Days are planned. The first event, held in French, occurred on November 25, 2022 and was about discovering numbers. The two winners were the CPE Tam Tam, installation 2 (Châteauguay) and the Garderie Les petits poussins bleus (Montreal). On April 21, 2023, we’ll introduce children to ecology and the environment.

Childhood isn’t always this idyllic stage of life. The sky can cloud over. A best friend moves away, a grandparent passes, a beloved family dog is put to sleep, classmates reject another… Children’s books offer a means of grappling with such realities, gently and with sensitivity. Tailored to age groups, picture books and novels for young readers can help parents open up a dialogue with their kids, and provide them with an ideal opportunity to express their fears, anxieties, and sadness. These works give parents a chance to find the right words, thanks to those of children’s authors, to reassure them. This Blue Metropolis platform provides reading and activity recommendations to bolster the emotional and mental well-being of children.