Family Literacy Week begins January 23! In recognition of this, the Greater Victoria Public Library has some special programs planned for children and parents. Check them out below!

Guy's Night Out Baby Time
Calling all babies and the men who love them! Join us for fingerplays, puppets, stories and songs during this special Baby Time for dads, stepdads, granddads, uncles, fosterdads and male caregivers with babies newborn to 18 months. Call 250-477-9030 to register.
Greater Victoria Public Library: Saanich Centennial Branch. Tuesday, Jan. 27, 6:30-7:00 pm

Child Care Licensing Regulation Changes: On December 1, 2011 changes were made to the certification and renewal requirements stated in the Child Care Licensing Regulation.  As a result of these changes application forms will not be available on the Early Childhood Educator Registry website.  New application forms, that include the new certification requirements, will be available in late December 2011 or early January 2012.

The folks at Wired Magazine's "Geek Dad" blog have reviewed many cool gadgets and toys that children (and parents for that matter!) covet. However, as times are difficult for many (especially during the holiday season), they have come up with a surprisingly simple list of The 5 Best Toys of All Time.

They are:

Please note:

Our office will be closed from Noon on December 23, 2011 and will re-open to the public on January 3, 2012.

It had the air of a quilting bee; women sitting around tables, pinning, cutting, and perfecting their craft. Some were animated, sharing a laugh with an old friend or a newly minted one; and some were quietly attentive to their project, pausing to smile when they overheard something amusing.

However, no matter their style, all of these women had two things in common: they were all care providers participating in our National Child Day celebration, “M is for Maple!”