About Our Organization

History

1985 Cook's School Day Care Inc. established on Danforth Road, Cobourg as a not-for-profit child care centre; the first rural early learning and child care centre in the Cobourg area.

1987 Cook's Home Child Care Agency founded to meet the needs of families with infants and families whose hours of school or work could not be accommodated within our centre-based Program; before an individual may be accepted by our Agency as a home child care provider, the candidate must:

• Successfully fulfill all requirements, as outlined by the local Fire and Health Departments.
• Consent to having and successfully pass criminal background checks conducted by the Police Department and Children's Aid Society.
  
• Agree to adhere to the Policies and Procedures of Cook's School Day Care Inc. and the Day Nurseries Act.

1989 Victoria College Square Day Care, a second centre-based Program created in historical Victoria College, in Cobourg, to meet the ever increasing need for regulated early learning and child care in the Cobourg area.

1993 Cook's School Day Care Inc. becomes a registered charity; the Organization is able to issue income tax receipts to the many Individuals and Businesses of this community who generously assist this Organization through donations of money, goods, and services.

1995 Closure of Victoria College and purchase of the Knights of Columbus building on Queen Street in Cobourg; Victoria Park Child Care Centre is established to continue to provide early learning and child care services to those families within the Cobourg area. Cook's Home Child Care Agency is housed within Victoria Park Child Care Centre.

2005 After almost 20 years at the Danforth Road location, our Cook's Centre is relocated to 700 D'Arcy Street in Cobourg. Although the name for this division of our Organization has changed from Cook's School Day Care to Cook's Child Care Program, we have maintained and added many great staff and have been able to increase our early learning and child care spaces.

Organization

An Executive Director, Registered Early Childhood Educators, and Assistants operate each Program named under the incorporation. A voluntary Board of Directors, consisting of interested parents and community members, administers the Organization, as a whole.

All Early Childhood Educators are registered with Ontario's College of Early Childhood Educators. Many individual staff persons are active members of the:

• Association of Early Childhood Educators, Ontario.
  
• Canadian Child Care Federation.
  
• Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care.
  
• Canadian Advocacy Association.

All staff persons are encouraged to participate in the continuous program of in-service training, as well as any training offered through outside sources. Professional advancement on an ongoing basis assists the staff with remaining alert to the ever-changing needs of today's families.

The Centre-based Programs are designed to serve the needs of children 12 months to 12 years, while the Home Child Care Agency provides service for those children who are 3 weeks to 12 years. In order to accommodate the varied schedules of the families we serve, we offer flexible hours and days of care.

We welcome ALL children who may benefit from our Programs. Children are encouraged to be themselves and have respect for others. We expect the parents and/or guardians to read the operating policies in the Parent Handbook and any supplemental notes and newsletters made available. We urge all parents to offer suggestions, comments, constructive feedback, and moral support. Through open and effective communication with the children and families of Northumberland County, we are able to provide the high level of quality and variety of service they expect.

All parents are encouraged to consider becoming a part of the Cook's School Day Care Inc. Board of Directors, which oversees the operation of the Organization.

Our Programs are licensed by the Ministry of Education and comply with the regulations of the Day Nurseries Act.

Cook's School Day Care Inc. has a purchase of service agreement with the County of Northumberland that allows eligible families who are enrolled in our Programs to receive financial assistance from the County to help pay child care fees.

Our Fabulous Snacks and Lunches

Cook's provides nutritious daily lunches and snacks prepared on-site at our centres and home child care settings. Food preparation staff persons working in our centre-based programs hold valid Food Handlers Certificates. The menus follow the Canada Food Guide standards and are reviewed and approved regularly by the local Health Unit's Dietician and during the Ministry's annual licensing inspection.

Children's food allergies, food limitations, and special diets are given consideration on an individual basis. If a child is unable to eat any of the menu items being prepared for the day, the family is responsible for providing a replacement. For consistency, we ask that the family provide an alternate menu item that is similar to the meal item being substituted (Example: if a child is vegetarian and cannot eat the beef barley soup, it is expected that the family will provide vegetable soup for the child).

Our centre-based programs' menus rotate on a 5-week basis. Our summer menu runs from June to October and the winter menu runs from October to June.

Each menu offers some favourites plus some interesting textures and tastes.

Click the links below to see our Summer (June to October) and Winter (October to June) menues in Adobe© PDF format..

Summer Menu
Winter Menu

We are always open to suggestions for menu ideas!

Each home child care provider plans and posts his/her own weekly menu in the home.

Hours:
Monday to Friday, 6:30am-6:00 pm
Closed all Statutory and Municipal Holidays