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27 | Friday, March 18, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Redefining childcare in Oakville By Vanessa Lupton Glen Abbey Childcare and Montessori is under new management with the goal of redefining the standards of quality childcare. This undertaking includes meeting the needs of the children, strengthening the motivation of childcare workers to carry out their work effectively and reinforcing their professional values, such as respect, care and concern for the children and families with whom they work. New owner and operator, Deki Shukla understands the significance of being reflective and intentional about building and achieving effective and transparent parentprovider relationships through good communication and integrity. She understands that healthy development cannot happen without good relationships between children and the important people in their lives, both within the family and outside of it. Children learn best in an environment that focuses on relationships, and if kids are strongly connected to their teachers they will learn more and have less challenging behaviours. When child care professionals become true collaborators in children's care and learning, the children benefit exponentially. Recognizing the connection between emotional well-being, as well as social and cognitive development, Glen Abbey Child Care is implementing changes to focus on these areas holistically through positive, responsive relationships with children and their families. "There is so much more to child care than just opening the doors and taking children in," said Shukla, who indicated that the first change she made was to start with the educators. In order to create the changes needed, Shukla needed to ensure that each staff member is suited for the position in both their personality and in their education. By hiring early childhood educators who are also Ontario certified teachers, she is able to offer the children in the before- and after-school program assistance with homework, as well as guidance and relationship building. In addition to academic help, Shukla feels strongly about the need to give children enriching activities at no extra cost to the parents. In order to facilitate this, she reached out to a local Tae-Kwon Do studio to have a Sensei work with the children to teach the basics of Tae-Kwon Do, and a hip-hop dance teacher also works with the students to teach them the basics of dance. In running these programs, she realized that offering a more diverse selection would greatly benefit the kids. "There are a lot of children who have a hard time adjusting to a structured environment, so I really felt the need to bring in the concepts of teaching meditation and yoga," said Shukla. "I am constantly trying to do what is best for the children. In our space we try to partner with parents to provide the best care for their children." Glen Abbey currently provides Toddler Care, CASA Montessori, preschool classroom, before and after school age care and camps, Glen Abbey Child Care accommodates children ranging from 18 months to 12 years of age. As a comprehensive, all encompassing childcare centre, the variety of programs, and the skill sets of the staff and educators, gives parents peace of mind that their children will be well cared for. "Often we think of childcare as a place where children play, but it's so much more than that," said Shukla. " This is a place where kids are received in an environment of love and affection, genuine care and concern for the well being of the children, where they receive nutrient rich food, hand selected by the owner and teachers, which helps children develop physically, emotionally and mentally. This is also a place where adults and children come together and form a bonding relationship which results in better cognitive and social developmental skills." Photos by Graham Paine Metroland Media Group Visit your local dealership and drive away in style By Katelyn Dingman Oakville Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram employees are dedicated to providing both new and premium pre-owned vehicles to local customers. Owned and operated by the Nimeck Brothers and a proud member of the Raceway Automotive Group -- the top performer among Chrysler dealerships in Canada -- the company is the number one volume Chrysler Dodge Jeep and Ram dealership in Oakville. The staff, described by general manager and partner Camillo Comparone as young and energetic, work closely with their customers to provide the inventory they want and need. "We're always trying to keep up-to-date with what people want in regards to inventory," Comparone said. "We're the number one Challenger store in Ontario for retail sales." In addition to selling a variety of new and pre-owned vehicles made by the classic American muscle car brand, Oakville Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram is well known for their Wrangler and Ram inventory. In fact, customers travel from as far as Sudbury for their vehicle needs. Comparone noted that since moving from the Speers Road and Fourth Line location to the heart of Oakville in 2008, the company is consistently delivering over 100 cars a month to customers. He added, "We've grown over 300 per cent in sales and service since moving to the new location." Their state-of-the art showroom has a variety of 2016 Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat and Viper vehicles. Photos by Justin Greaves, Metroland Media Group The one-stop-shop also provides financing, leasing, trade-in appraisals, parts and scheduled service appointments to ensure your vehicle remains in tip-top shape. Aside from providing exceptional customer service to locals, the dealership has also inserted themselves in the community by supporting local charities. Oakville Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram sponsors the Oakville Ranger hockey team in addition to donating funds to the Canadian Breast Cancer Association annually. For more information on Oakville Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram visit the award winning dealer rated website at oakvillechryslerdodgejeepram.ca or call the sales team at 877-244-3680. General manager and dealership partner, Camillo Comparone