Guelph home to Ontario's first licensed outdoor preschool
At Guelph Outdoor Preschool a group of 3- to 6-year-olds gathers to listen to a story told under an apple tree. They've been outside for most of the afternoon and as a light breeze rustles the leaves above you can tell that most of them are tiring out — something that delights the parents who soon arrive to pick them up.
At Guelph Outdoor Preschool a group of 3- to 6-year-olds gathers to listen to a story told under an apple tree.
They've been outside for most of the afternoon and as a light breeze rustles the leaves above you can tell that most of them are tiring out — something that delights the parents who soon arrive to pick them up.
This daycare, based at Guelph's sprawling and green Ignatius Centre, is the first licensed outdoors-based program in Ontario. It took founder Masha Kazakevich two years to get all the necessary approvals from the provincial government. Today, as she watches her son and the small group of kids play, it's all worth it.
John started with CBC News in 2008 as a Peter Gzowski intern in Newfoundland, and holds a master of journalism degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. As a reporter, John has covered everything from the Blue Jays to Toronto city hall. He now leads a CBC Toronto digital team that has won multiple Radio Television Digital News Association awards for overall excellence in online reporting. You can reach him at john.rieti@cbc.ca.
