The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

iNew committee to develop early childcare programs in region , , P, - it a 0: :Mg,- , few ye: C crucial I of life-l éiouran g Base iMost parents and cam- it givers know the first , fewymusofachiid'slifeare c crucial to the development I of life-long learning, behav- i iour and health. 0 Based on a recent study F,demonstrating that impor- 3100mm RtrtheChgontcte lance. the province is step- ping in to ensure programs supporting children are available to parents wherev- er they lie _ A _ In May, the Ontario gov- ernment announced a plan to invest $114 million in new funding to enhance targeted and universal programs for young children The Waterloo any Years Steering Committee was formed (mutt this month to develop an action plan vital in creating and supporting those programs in Waterloo rayon. In June, a group of dri- zens dedicated to parents and young children sat downtowoxkonaplanto provide resources, male public may apd forge isasmershipa withhusineis fstdtltecommunitytoheli? support existing ones Shelley McWhirter, child resource coordinator with the Wilmot Family Resource Centre. is among ll dele- gates selected for the com- mittee from a number of community leaders and child devdopmem expert "I wanted to provide the rural perspective," says McWhirter, who knows first - hand the unique issues faced by parents in this and neighbouring townships. Many parents are unable to acceiOmgrams in this axes because of limited mm- McWhirter says ahe will be gathering ideas New- ing proposals for the Early Years action plan and mobi- lizing the community to cre- ate a "one-stop shopping" centre for parents looking for help. The first role of the steer- ing committee is to bring local businesses together with charitable and volurr tary sectors to provide financial and in-kind resources. The group will raise public awareness and improve education, take stock of early years services and resources. review Early Years Challenge Fund sub- missions and develop part- nerships. agreements and protocols to support the action plan. - The group, whose first meeting was last month, is one of37 Eadeean steering committees formed across the province to help imple- ment programs supporting children and families. Schneider Hans hosts Backyard Tourists events . T,tiltt,t'S,t'tit2',t gram mums to Joseph 1 gram siturns to Ioéeph Schneider Haus with a new season of adult activities. Once a month through October, Joseph Schneider Haus Museum and Gallery, in partnership with local business and community organizations, offers events and activities for active adults under the banner of Backyard Tourists. This eclectic Program highlights the attractions and resources of Waterloo region's proverbial "back- yard" through bus tours, lectures, walks, workshops, andmore. Home Depot reprises its popular building workshop for grandparents and grand- children on Thursday, Iuly 26 from 10 sun moon This year's projects are butterfly houses out! bug homes. Friends ofloseph Schneider Hans. with the assistance of local broadcaster Ken Silvester. are preparing for twobus tours.Ttails&Ttains to the Past is a day-long excursion through the hills and back country roads of the Niagara Escarpment and the Caledon hills on Monday, Aug. 13. The Bala Cranberry Festival tour is a two-day excursion into the heart of Muskoka during peak fall colours, Oct. 12-13. For something a little closer to home, consider an anecdotal perambulation through Victoria Park with local historian and broad- caster Rych Mills on Thursday, Sept. 27 begin- ning at 1:30 pm. Pre-registration is re- quired for each of these activities and spaces are limited. Program fees vary. Call loseph Schneider Haus Museum at 742-7752 for hm ther information. Joseph Schneider Haus is located at 466 Queen St. S. in Kitchener.