We’re thrilled to announce that St. Andrew’s Co-op Playschool has officially been accepted into the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program! This is exciting news for our families and community — and it means lower fees for everyone starting this school year.

💰 What Is CWELCC?

The CWELCC (Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care) program is a government initiative to make licensed child care more affordable for families across Ontario. Participating in this program enables us to offer significant savings on monthly childcare fees without compromising the quality of our programming.

🧠 What CWELCC Means for Your Family

By joining the CWELCC program, St. Andrew’s Co-op Playschool can now offer high-quality early learning at significantly reduced costs. This means more families can access our nurturing, play-based programs without financial strain. Our participation also ensures we continue meeting the strict quality and safety standards set by the province — giving parents peace of mind and children a strong start. Whether you’re looking for toddler care or preschool readiness, you’ll receive the same trusted, community-based experience we’ve been known for, now with added affordability.

📉 New 2025–2026 CWELCC Fee Schedule

Thanks to CWELCC, here’s what families will now pay starting September 2025:

💡 Preschool fees include our extended day program — no additional charges!

📅 Flexible Payment Options

We know every family’s budgeting needs are different, so we’re offering three convenient payment options. All payments are due the month prior to care (e.g., September fees are due in August).

Fee Due Dates

• Monthly Fee (Sept) → Due in August
• Fall Semester (Sept–Dec) → Due in August
• Winter Semester (Jan–Mar) → Due in December
• Spring Semester (Apr–Jun) → Due in March
• Full Year (Sept–Jun) → Due in August

❤️ Why Parents Love St. Andrew’s Co-op Playschool

As a non-profit, parent-run co-operative, we believe in creating a warm, inclusive, and enriching environment where children thrive. With small class sizes, passionate educators, and hands-on programming, we offer exceptional care at a fraction of the cost.

📞 Ready to Register?

Spaces are limited — and with CWELCC in place, they’re filling up fast! Visit our programs page to learn more.
📩 Email us today to book a tour or register online here.

May activities at school!

April Showers Bring May Flowers. Let’s hope the warm weather is here to stay as we have some exciting activities this May. We are in the home stretch just over 2 months until summer break.  The children have been busy little bees working on many different projects. Busy bees are happy Bees.

We spent the month of April focusing on Easter, Earth Day and special celebrations that families celebrate during the month. We also finished our first round of letters of the weeks.  For the month of May we are going to continue focusing on the formation of all the letters and the sounds they make.

We are working on the children’s self-help skills.  We encourage you to give some extra time at home to allow your child to develop these skills.  These skills could include but not limited to as putting on shoes, coats on using the flip method and any other outerwear on.  To promote self-confidence and independence in the children, we suggest shoes that are not lace-ups.

For our May activities, we will be exploring and discussing our Moms, Grandmas and all the important women in our lives, we will also be exploring numbers and nursey rhymes. We will be working on our names and talking about what makes us all so Special. There are some pretty exciting activities planned.

We have been working away on our Alphabet crafts and talking about the sounds of different letters.  All the children have been enjoying doing all the art. They are all very hands-on, which we love here in the classrooms. We are continuing with all the sensory play and incorporating some more open craft centers. Check out our calendar and menu for other key May activities.

Exciting news, we have booked our year end trip to Brooks farm. We will be going on Friday June 6^th by bus.  The bus will be at the school for 9:15 so please arrive by this time, we will be back to the school by 2pm so on this day please pack a lunch for your child.  Additionally, parents and siblings are welcome to join, however we will not have room for everyone on the bus. Toddler parents do have to attend and be on the bus. There are 46 spots on the bus 20 children, 4 staff and 5 toddler parents this leaves space for 16 additional parents.  The fee for the children at the school will be covered; parents’ and siblings’ fees are not covered. A permission form will be going home shortly. Check out our Gallery for photos from our previous trips to Brooks Farms.

Our graduation has been set for Thursday June 26^th in the evening starting at 6:30, this will also be the last day of school for the children.  School day will end at 12pm for everyone. We will be reaching out for some help with items to make this a magical even for the children.

As we approach the end of the school year we will be wrapping up our fundraising with a graduation t-shirt fundraiser and a year book fundraiser.

Class Wishlist:

• Playdoh

Upcoming Events:

• Virtual AGM: May 21
• School Trip: Brooks Farm Friday, June 6^th.  Bus pick up at 9:15
• Graduation: June 26

Reminders:

• School will be closed Monday May 19^th for Victoria Day
• Please ensure your Child has a pair of clean indoor shoes and a spill-proof water bottle labeled with their name
• An extra change of clothes, diapers, and wipes may be stored above your child’s cubby
• The last day of school is Thursday June 26^th.  This will be a half day for everyone.

Message from the Board:

We’re excited to share that St. Andrew’s Co-op Playschool has been invited to join the CWELCC program (Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care). We’re working on the next steps for full enrolment and will keep you updated, especially about any fee changes. Thank you for your ongoing support!

To help us plan for the 2025/2026 school year, we’ll be sending a short survey via email to current families to see who plans to return or you can access here.

Our next board meeting is on May 21 at 7 PM, and all are welcome. Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) will also take place virtually on the same day. AGM documents and voting info will be posted on our website.

Menu:

May 7 from 7-8 PM at 32 Main Street North, Markham

We are thrilled to invite you to our Open House on Wednesday, May 7, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. Whether you’re a prospective family interested in joining our playschool community or a current parent excited to reconnect, this is an event you won’t want to miss!

Current families are also invited for an exclusive early visit between 6:30 and 7:30 PM.

Why You Should Attend Our Open House

✨ Meet Our Amazing Teachers
Our passionate and caring educators are at the heart of everything we do. During the Open House, you’ll have the chance to meet them, ask questions, and hear firsthand about their approach to early childhood education.

✨ Tour Our Bright and Cheerful School
Come and see where the magic happens! Take a walk through our classrooms, check out our learning center, and envision your child thriving in our nurturing environment. Take a sneak peek at our photo gallery here!

✨ Learn About Our Play-Based Learning Philosophy
At St. Andrew’s, we believe children learn best through play. Our program focuses on fostering creativity, independence, and social development through fun and engaging activities. During the Open House, we’ll share more about how our curriculum sets the stage for a lifetime love of learning.

Big News: CWELCC Participation & September 2025 Enrollment

We’re excited to share that St. Andrew’s Co-op Playschool has been invited to enroll in the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system!
This program is designed to make child care more affordable for families like yours. Participating playschools will offer reduced tuition fees, helping to make high-quality early childhood education more accessible to everyone.

Spots are now open for new students starting in September 2025, and we anticipate filling up quickly.

Special Open House Offer: Save Your Registration Fee!

If you decide to join our St. Andrew’s family and register before May 31, 2025, we’re offering a special bonus:
We’ll waive your registration fee!
That’s right — by acting early, you’ll save money and secure your child’s spot for next year.

Don’t miss out — spaces are limited, and with our CWELCC participation on the horizon, we expect interest to be higher than ever.

Event Details

📅 When: Wednesday, May 7, 2025
🕖 Time:

• 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM: Current families welcome
• 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM: Prospective families welcome

📍 Where: St. Andrew’s Co-op Playschool – See directions here
(Feel free to bring your children along!)

Ready to Join Our Community?

We would love to welcome you and your family into our co-operative community where parents and teachers work together to create a vibrant learning experience.

Start your journey with us by visiting our Registration Page or take a stroll through our Photo Gallery to get a glimpse of everyday life at St. Andrew’s Co-op Playschool.

Questions? Feel free to reach out at standrewscoopplayschool@gmail.com— we’re happy to help!

Mark your calendar, invite a friend, and come experience the St. Andrew’s difference on May 7!
We can’t wait to meet you and your little one. 🌟

Learn about what’s happening in the classroom this month!

March has come and gone, warmer weather is on its way we hope. We spent the month of March focusing on All About Me, the children did great activities that described who they were and made face portraits. We also focused on the letter-of-the-week activities in the classroom. 

We are working on the children’s self-help skills. We encourage you to give your child some extra time at home to allow them to develop these skills. These skills could include but are not limited to, putting shoes on, coats on using the flip method, and any other outerwear on. To promote self-confidence and independence in the children, we suggest shoes that are not lace-ups.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Big Box of Card fundraiser.  They should be in soon.

During the month of April, we will explore Easter, Passover, Earth Day, and weather. We will work on our names and talk about what makes us all so Special. We have some pretty exciting activities planned.

We have been working away on our Alphabet crafts and talking about the sounds of different letters.  All the children have been enjoying doing all the art. They are all very hands-on, which we love here in the classrooms. We are continuing with all the sensory play and incorporating some more open craft centers.

In January we introduced show-and-share Fridays for the children. We will continue this through March so please remember to have your child bring something on Fridays that they can share with their friends.  The item must be related to the topics that we are talking about.  For this month it will be Easter, Passover, Earth Day and Weather.

Class Wishlist:

Paper Towel

Canvas

Playdough

As the weather starts to change, please review our sick policy, and if your child is feeling under the weather, please keep them home.  Please help us keep everyone safe and healthy.  If your child is going to be absent, please remember to call.  If we do not hear from you by 10 a,m we will call and check in.

As a reminder about our Inclement weather policy, if the York region school buses are cancelled, school will be closed on that day.  Notifications will go out via email and will be posted on our social media accounts.

Reminders:

• Easter Egg fundraiser orders due April 2.
• School will be closed Friday, April 1,8 for Good Friday and Monday, April 21, for Easter Monday
• Please ensure your Child has a pair of clean indoor shoes and a spill-proof water bottle labeled with their name
• An extra change of clothes, diapers, and wipes may be stored above your child’s cubby

Message from the Board:

Our next board meeting is on April 16th, 2025 at 7 pm

Menu:

Learn what’s happening in the classroom this month!

 February has come and gone, and warmer weather is on its way, we hope. We spent the month of February focused on talking about our friends and family.  The children all did great activities that captured who was in their families. We also focused on the letter of the week activities in the classroom.  All the children have been enjoying the activities and have been improving their writing and recognition skills for letters and numbers.

Thank you to everyone that participated in the Candy gram fundraiser the children really had a great time handing out their Valentine’s to their friends.

During the month of March, we will be exploring all about me. We will be working on our names and talking about what makes us all so Special. We have some pretty exciting activities planned.  

We have been working away on our Alphabet crafts and talking about the sounds of different letters.  All the children have been enjoying doing all the art. They are all very hands-on, which we love here in the classrooms. We are continuing with all the sensory play and incorporating some more open craft centers.

March marks our next Fundraiser.  We will be doing The Big Box of Cards.  This is a fundraiser where you purchase a box of 30 cards.  I have the boxes here at the school to look at.  If you would like to try something different, please let me know.  There is also a sample that is being sent home for you to see as well. This will run from March 1^st to March 21^st. All orders are due back to school no later than March 21^st.

In January, we introduced show-and-share Fridays for the children. We will continue this through March so please remember to have your child bring something in on Fridays that they can share with their friends and talk about why it is special to them.

Class Wishlist:

• empty baby food jars/mason jars
• canvas
• Kleenex
• playdough

As the weather starts to change, please review our sick policy, and if your child is feeling under the weather, please keep them home.  Please help us keep everyone safe and healthy.  If your child is going to be absent, please remember to call.  If we do not hear from you by 10 am we will call and check in.

As a reminder about our Inclement weather policy, if the York region school buses are cancelled school will be closed on that day.  Notifications will go out via email and will be posted on our social media accounts.

Upcoming Events:

Big Box of Cards Fundraiser

Reminders:

• School will be closed Monday, March 10 to Friday, March 14,2025 for March Break
• Big box of cards fundraiser is due back March 21,2025
• The child has a pair of clean indoor shoes and a spill-proof water bottle labeled with their name
• An extra change of clothes, diapers, and wipes may be stored above your child’s cubby

Message from the Board:

Thank you to everyone who attended our parents’ night. We appreciate the outpouring of support and commitment to our school. Our next board meeting is on March 19, 2025 at 7pm

Menu: