Umbrella Full Day Child Care Centres Open at Viola Desmond and Bellmoore

On January 3rd, Umbrella Family and Child Centres of Hamilton welcomed two new full day child care centres to the family. Umbrella Bellmoore and Umbrella Viola Desmond formerly offered Before and After School programs and are thrilled to now offer Infant, Toddler, and Preschool programs in their brand new facilities within HWDSB elementary schools. The staff at each location overcame struggles brought on by COVID-19 and put in a lot of admirable work while building and organizing the equipment in each child care room. Let’s find out more about the opening process from Supervisors Ashlie Boich (Umbrella Bellmoore) and Shari Bell (Umbrella Viola Desmond).

Reflecting on the opening process at your location, how was it?

Ashlie — Opening a new centre in a pandemic was not the easiest feat, to say the least, but having the support and inspiration from Umbrella centres before us was extremely helpful. As well, our partnership with the school board, to ensure we were receiving shipments and such, was essential to our process. Bellmoore Elementary is the hub of the Binbrook community, which fuelled the staff’s motivation to build a successful childcare centre.

Shari Bell: Supervisor, Umbrella Viola Desmond / Ashlie Boich: Supervisor, Umbrella Bellmoore

Shari — This is the first time I have opened a program and it was a great learning experience. I worked with contractors, project managers, the Ministry of Education, fire and health inspectors, and it really opened my eyes to how much work goes into opening a program, so many moving parts that all come together at the end.

Did you face any challenges? How did you overcome them?

Ashlie — During the process, we had a few delays with inventory, staffing, and COVID-19. During this time, I continued to build relationships with the families who had enrolled and supported them in finding alternative care until Umbrella Bellmoore could open.

Shari — The biggest challenge was the two delays that were beyond our control. It was so hard to tell the families and staff the opening was delayed as they were all looking forward to an August opening.

What are you most thrilled about at this new location?

Ashlie — Bellmoore Elementary and Umbrella is all about community. The children who attend this centre will go from infant to toddler to preschool, and finally into our school age program. We have the pleasure of watching them grow through crucial stages of development and guide them through that process.

Shari — All of it, from the beautiful facilities to the new materials and equipment to the new staff and families I will get to work with.

What was a memorable moment from your opening day?

Ashlie — Bobby, our first infant, arrived at 7am and started exploring. Fifteen minutes later, Hayden, another infant, arrived. They began circling each other playfully and instantly had an organic connection. Since both babies were born during the COVID-19 pandemic, they never had other children to interact with. It illustrated the importance of human connection and friendship from birth. At Umbrella Bellmoore, they’ll continue to grow up together.

Shari — It was a very anxious time leading up to the opening, wanting to make sure everything went smoothly. Although there were a few tears from children and parents, the opening day went well thanks to all the hard work the staff put in prior to opening day. Everything was in place and the team worked well together to provide a quality program. There were lots of smiles at pick-up time.

How are you feeling now that your location is up and running?

Ashlie — The staff and I have waited for this day to finally open, having all the classrooms set up and now having all the children in the space exploring their environments and engaging in learning truly made all the struggles for our opening process worthwhile. It has been gratifying to see our Storypark profile come to life. With it, we keep our Umbrella Bellmoore community in the loop, sharing posts about the children’s experiences throughout each day. It adds a key element of connection in these distanced times.

Shari — Relieved! We are in our second week, and it feels as if we have been here longer. The children are settling in and engaged in the program. It is so nice to hear the liveliness in the building.

We are grateful to the dedicated staff at Viola Desmond and Bellmoore for creating welcoming and safe environments for children and their families. Thank you for providing professional care and education that will guide the children as they grow into vibrant individuals. We look forward to more stories out of these new programs in the coming days and months. Congratulations on a successful opening!

Photos by Tiana Dueck