Date: Tuesday, March 14th, 2023
Time: 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Location: AB114, 50 St George St – please enter via the Ursula Franklin doors

March 14 or 3/14 is Pi Day, named after the famous number approximated as 3.14. This Pi Day, learn how astronomers and space scientists use this special number to learn about the universe and travel through our solar system. This short talk will be followed by a visit to the UofT Observatory, where we will take you on a tour of our many telescopes, and, weather permitting, we will view the sun with the aid of a solar filter.

Open to U of T students, staff, and faculty with children in grade 2 and up. Accompanied with one adult only please.

Register early, spaces limited! Email family.care@utoronto.ca and include your name, U of T status and grades of your participating children.

Event collaboration by the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and the Family Care Office.

Date: Thursday, January 19, 2023
Time: 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Location: The webinar link will be shared with you via email prior to the session start time.

All parents get angry, but if you feel that anger is having a negative impact on your family, this workshop is for you. You will learn:
• How to recognize and cope with anger triggers
• Positive and negative aspects of anger
• Why you get angry
• Impact of anger on your children
• How to change the cycle of anger through the learning and development of essential parenting skills.

Facilitator: Karen Skinulis, Registered Psychotherapist specializing in parenting and family issues, co-author of three books for parents and teachers, a Certified Montessori Director, Parent Talk.

Registration required. University of Toronto students, staff, postdoctoral fellows and faculty are welcome. Partners and family members (including chosen family members) who are co-caregivers with U of T students, staff, postdoctoral fellows and faculty are also welcome to attend. If you have any access needs to ensure your full participation in this event, please contact the Family Care Office and we will try our best to work with you and make appropriate arrangements.

Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2022
Time: 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Location: Webinar instructions will be emailed to you prior to the session

Becoming a parent is one of the most monumental experiences in a person’s life. Unfortunately, children do not come with foolproof instructions!

This workshop adopts a highly practical approach to preparing Postdoctoral Fellows represented by CUPE Local 3902, Unit 5, for pregnancy and parental leaves. Topics will include:

• Forms and more forms – a guide to government pregnancy / parental benefits & U of T policies
• Resources on campus and in the community that will make your life easier
• Do we really need all that equipment? – a guide to baby paraphernalia
• Helping older children and pets to adjust
• Enjoying it all!

Facilitator: Kaye Francis, Manager, Family Care Office

Registration required. All University of Toronto Postdoctoral Fellows represented by CUPE Local 3902, Unit 5 are welcome.

If you have any access needs to ensure your full participation in this event, please contact the Family Care Office and we will try our best to work with you and make appropriate arrangements.

Date: Thursday, October 27, 2022
Time: 4:30 – 6:00 pm
Location: The webinar link will be shared with you via email prior to the session start time.

Join us for this webinar to find out how to make healthy choices that lead to a healthy lifestyle and promote wellness during pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and postpartum. The session, created by Dr. Yolanda Kirkham, will address participants’ specific concerns on a range of topics including: questions around conceiving, health concerns and risks during pregnancy, health care provider options, antenatal care and screening tests, and post-partum issues.

Facilitators: Dr. Meghan McGrattan and a resident, U of T Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Registration required. Current University of Toronto students, staff, faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and their partners are welcome. If you have any access needs to ensure your full participation in this event, please contact the Family Care Office and we will try our best to work with you and make appropriate arrangements.

Date: Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Time: 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Location: The webinar link will be shared with you via email prior to the session start time.

Join us for this discussion on parenting concerns for children with disabilities. Topics that will be covered include:

• Understanding learning disabilities, ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Management of the disability at home and at school
• Discussing with your child about their learning disability
• Advocating and finding supports for your child
• Hear from 1-2 current U of T students with a learning disability about their experience growing up with a LD
• Question and answer period

Speaker: Pearl Levey, Ph.D., Disability Advisor, U of T Accessibility Services.

Registration required. University of Toronto students, staff, faculty, and their partners are welcome. If you have any access needs to ensure your full participation in this event, please contact the Family Care Office and we will try our best to work with you and make appropriate arrangements.

Date: Thursday, October 28, 2021
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Location: The webinar link will be shared with you via email prior to the session start time.

With the recent unfortunate events in the media we understand that many BIPOC children and their parents may be feeling overwhelmed and parents may need some guidance on how to have these difficult discussions with their children.

Join us as we discuss different techniques and strategies parents can engage in to discuss current events and overall conversations about the reality of discrimination with their children.

Facilitators:

Michael White – Director, First Nations House Indigenous Student Service

Martina Douglas – Director, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Faculty of Information

Yasin Dwyer – Chaplain, University of Toronto

Registration required. Current University of Toronto students, staff, faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and their partners are welcome. If you have any access needs to ensure your full participation in this event, please contact the Family Care Office and we will try our best to work with you and make appropriate arrangements.

Date: Thursday, October 22, 2020
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Location: The webinar link will be shared with you via email prior to the session start time.

Parenting is difficult in the best of times, let alone during a pandemic. In this webinar we will discuss some of the pressures parents are experiencing as families try to work, study, live and play in close quarters and constant company. We will consider different challenges that have come up during the twists and turns of the pandemic, and reflect on strategies that have helped during this difficult time. We will validate struggles, reflect on shifting expectations during a pandemic and consider strategies for moving forward, without adding additional pressures or lists to participants.

Facilitator: Rebecca Higgins has worked in community and social services for over 17 years, specializing in mental health education since 2010. Rebecca has been facilitating workshops on behalf of CMHA Toronto since 2015, and has produced and delivered curricula and resources for the CMHA Ottawa Branch and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

Registration required. Current University of Toronto students, staff, faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and their partners are welcome. If you have any access needs to ensure your full participation in this event, please contact the Family Care Office and we will try our best to work with you and make appropriate arrangements.

Date: Tuesday, October 20th, 2020
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm (The facilitator will be available for 30 minutes after the 1 hour presentation to answer questions)
Location: The webinar link will be shared with you via email prior to the session start time.

“Having a child who is struggling doesn’t make you a bad parent, just as being a child who is struggling doesn’t make your child a bad kid.” That’s a powerful and reassuring message to hear if you happen to be the parent of a child who is struggling with anxiety, depression, ADHD, an autism spectrum disorder, or a related challenge. This webinar is based on interviews with more than 50 parents who have walked this walk and who are eager to share their best advice with other parents. Expect a workshop that is kind, encouraging, and real and that leaves you feeling anything but alone.  After the 1 hour presentation, the facilitator will be available for 30 minutes to answer questions.

Facilitator:  Ann Douglas sparks conversations that matter about parenting and mental health. She is the weekend parenting columnist for CBC Radio and a bestselling parenting book author. Ann is the creator of The Mother of All Book series and the author, most recently, of Happy Parents, Happy Kids and Parenting Through the Storm. A passionate and inspiring speaker, Ann delivers keynote addresses and leads small-group workshops at health, parenting, and education conferences across the country.

Registration required. Current University of Toronto students, staff, faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and their partners are welcome. If you have any access needs to ensure your full participation in this event, please contact the Family Care Office and we will try our best to work with you and make appropriate arrangements.

Date: Monday, February 3, 2020
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Location: Davis Building – UTM Room (formerly the Faculty Club), 3^rd floor

This practical and informative presentation helps parents develop a strong foundation of parenting that will help their children develop skills of social development and well-being. Participants will also learn effective strategies to facilitate positive behaviour, prevent misbehaviour and to deal effectively with inappropriate behaviour.

During this 1–hour wellness session participants will:

• Discuss how to develop a strong foundation of parenting
• Use this foundation as a springboard to parenting practices that help your child develop skills of social development and well-being
• Learn effective strategies to facilitate positive behaviour, prevent misbehaviour and to deal effectively with inappropriate behaviour

Facilitator: Homewood Health

U of T students, staff, faculty, and their partner/spouse are welcome to attend.

If you have any access needs to ensure your full participation in this event (examples might include sign language interpretation, mobility issues, or any other accommodations), please contact the Family Care Office and we will work with you to make appropriate arrangements.