Employers

About Us

Connections is a charitable organization that advances the healthy development of families and their children 0 - 6 years through family centered support, early learning opportunities, early identification, and intervention services in English and French.Connections exists so that our youngest children are supported through meaningful opportunities to play, grow, and discover. In the 50 years since its creation by local volunteers, Connections has become an exceptional resource for children, families, caregivers, volunteers, and community agencies in Windsor and Essex County.Connections is located in Windsor, Ontario which is situated on the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations, which includes the Ojibwa, the Odawa, and the Potawatomie peoples. In acknowledging the Indigenous Peoples, many of whom continue to live and work here today, we are sharing our friendship, respect, and appreciation of the resources we have received from the land. Play isn’t just about fun – its about learning too. Our space is welcoming and accessible, with something for every family and their young children. When we play together, children explore their world and build critical skills that bring a lifetime of benefits. We provide engaging indoor and outdoor environments, all to enrich children with the stimulation to fire their imagination and support their learning and social skills.Grow and learn about your child’s development. Big change starts small – during the first 6 years, your child’s brain develops faster than at any other time. It is a time when the building blocks are established. Whether you have quiet questions or want to know more about how to be the best parent you can be, we offer programmes and services that address your needs and help families grow together. Discover opportunities for early learning and responsive caregiving. Nurtured children are the consequence of nurturing adults: to invest in children means also investing in the people around them – the parents, caregivers, grandparents, early years workforce, volunteers and more. Knowledge and skills are important, but so too is wellbeing. We create connections and partnerships with other community agencies to help families access services and maximize the resources available to them. We invite families of all shapes, sizes, and circumstances to access our network of support. Our ValuesAs an organization we are:Family-focused: We consider what is best for everyone in the families we support so they can grow and learn together.Inclusive: We recognize individual strengths, respect opinions, and honour and value diversity in a space that is welcoming and accessible.Responsive: We get to know the families and stay close to what the parents, children, and communities need so we can proactively design flexible and useful services. Innovative: We are brave in leading new approaches and programmes that can benefit families in our community and beyond.Advocates: We are a respected voice for the needs of children and families, and champion policies that will support them to thrive in the future.Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and InclusionConnections is for everyone. We celebrate the diversity of the world and are committed to including every race, colour, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, or ability in our activities. In our ever-changing and increasingly diverse world, Connections fosters environments and programmes that are accessible, equitable, diverse, inclusive and celebrate different ways of knowing.  We are committed to the following principles:• Accessibility: We provide an accessible, welcoming, and user-friendly space that continuously works towards meeting the needs of families, staff, volunteers, and visitors (physically, developmentally, emotionally, financially).• Equity: We strive to ensure meaningful engagement opportunities that are fair, open, and respectful while addressing any imbalances.• Diversity: We recognize that individuals uniquely represent different social and historical backgrounds; we invite families, staff, and volunteers interested to participate in and guide us in the continual development of programing offered at Connections. We are keen to continually learn, incorporate, and celebrate cultural perspectives in the programming offered.• Inclusion: We incorporate a family-centered focus that aims to reduce barriers and create a safe and welcoming environment for our families, staff, and volunteers.• Different ways of knowing: We strive to foster a sense of belonging and empowerment by listening to our families, staff, and volunteers. We proactively find ways to support and encourage people with no voice, facing incredible challenges to raising their families, and find ways to work with them to identify and recognize what support they need.