Middle Childhood Matters Coalition Toronto (MCMCT) partnered with the Parent Involvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) of the TDSB and mutually convened PIAC’s 11th Annual Conference on Saturday, November 25, 2017 at Earl Haig Secondary School.

The conference was very well attended where 600 parents and more than 250 children were registered for the conference.

Lee Soda, Executive Director of Agincourt Community Services, spoke on behalf of MCMCT about the importance of middle childhood as a unique developmental stage in child’s life.

Lee thanked Ontario Trillium Foundation for funding “Parents Matter” project for three years and mentioned that the project provides opportunities to increase the knowledge and skills of parents with children 6 to 12 years old to better support their children’s social and emotional wellbeing.

Parents enjoyed listening to the keynote Dr. Stuart Shanker who highlighted the importance of children’s self-regulation for better achievements. Dr. Shanker discussed with parents strategies of teaching children how to self-control and regulate their emotions. He spoke about how to foster the ability to stay calmly focused and alert yet learning in children.

The conference offered a wide variety of 29 workshops tackling subjects that are of interest to parents. MCMCT members delivered 14 sessions on subjects as mental health, sleep and routines, healthy eating for children 6 to 12 years old, advocating for children’s needs at school, navigating the school system and how to choose an appropriate after school program for your child.

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