The HUB Child and Family Centre

The HUB Child & Family Centre (The HUB) has served the children and families of Prince Edward County since 1989. Prince Edward County is located in southern Ontario, on a large, irregular headland, technically an island, at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, surrounded on the north and east by the Bay of Quinte.

Being a service provider on an island means that the HUB, formerly known as Prince Edward Child Care Services, is an important and vital part of the local community. Its mission is to provide a variety of quality services and support to enhance the physical and emotional well-being, development, and education of all children in partnership with caregivers, parents, and the community.

The HUB was established as a not-for-profit organization in 1989. It provides Prince Edward County families with quality early learning and child care services through the provision of various programs and services focusing on infants through to children 12 years of age and their families.

The HUB Child & Family Centre has a compassionate and caring staff who operate with professionalism and integrity to provide safe and engaging learning environments. They support community members in learning through play and exploration, and with accessible, affordable programs, healthy nutrition, and healthy lifestyles. The HUB believes in supporting children and families through quality child care experiences. Caregivers and educators share their experiences through their observation, documentation, and reflections with families and welcome their participation in their child’s daily playing environments. Caregivers and educators communicate daily with families to ensure they have the information they need to know about their child’s development and activity throughout their time with the HUB.

The HUB provides licensed child care programs at several schools and 2 centres throughout the island, as well as scheduled home child care for all aged children, and they offer summer camps, March break camps and PA Day camps. It also has a large EarlyON space, which offers free, play-based drop-in programs for families and their children from birth to 6 years old.

The HUB Child & Family Centre is small but mighty – they were the recipients of the Prince Edward County Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 Community Impact Excellence Award.

At its EarlyON programs, parents can learn and play with their child, meet people, and get advice from early childhood professionals. They host many play groups. The HUB’s EarlyON staff, led by EarlyON Manager Sabrina Emlaw, serve all of Prince Edward County, with their regular programming and do their best to hold special POP-UP programming throughout the year in all the little rural communities in between.

The HUB’s EarlyON POP-UPs run in partnership with local businesses, and include things like visiting Alpaca Farm, Lavender Farm, Apple Orchard, Sugar Shack/Farm, Flower Farm, a Provincial Park, Fire Hall, Hagerman’s Vegetable Farm, and Sensory Garden Base 31.

The HUB also holds large events such as ‘Touch a Truck’ and a Community Partnership Fair that draws giant crowds. All these programs and events serve to make them a one-stop shop for information and community within the county and help its local families to grow.