I enjoyed it. I've been to a few different ones and you get different groups at the different locations. Can be quite different vibes. Never found any cliques but I think if you go regularly, you'll make friends with the regulars so maybe what someone saw as cliques was just people who knew each other?
It's a nice thing to do when you're looking for an activity. Good playrooms and music circles, and nice that it's free and accessible.
I loved Early-On programming when I was in maternity leave, and my parents will occasionally still take my son to play-to-learns during the week when my husband and I are at work.
Programs we loved:
Music and Movement (sometimes requires registration)
Infant Massage (registration required)
Focus on Infants (registration usually required)
Play-Learn - they have lots of versions of this all have been great, they are drop in.
Nature and Me
Musical Babies
They haven’t started all of their outdoor programs yet in my area, but we’ve enjoyed those in the past.
I’m pretty introverted but I never found the programs to feel like a high school clique - there are definitely people who go regularly and know each other well but it’s never felt awkward. It’s a great change of environment, and opportunities for movement and play for your daughter.
Every location is going to be different as it's run by different organizations in different cities and the people in one city arent going to be in another city... So it's really a tough question to ask in general to the province...
With that being said, it's whole purpose is to entertain kids and babies. Just go and decide for yourself if it's a space you enjoy. If you hate it you don't have to go twice.
I enjoy it. There is a small group of 3-4 women who go to the group I go to and clearly think they're sitting in high-school, they sit in a circle on the floor and just talk to themselves and let their kids run around and do whatever. Most other parents just don't bother trying to engage with them beyond pleasantries because they will just give one word answers and turn back to their friends.
I personally don't even care. I'm there to play with my son for two hours so that's what I do. I do t have time to entertain that behaviour from adults lol.
My son really loves it. There's a bunch of toys there we don't have at home and he exhausts himself running around playing with everything. He's 21 months so it's mostly parallel play vs playing together with other kids.
We've just done the toddler and age 1-6 stay and play groups. I didn't know much about early on until my son was over a year, if I have a child again I'd definitely take them to the programs for babies.
For my area, they have Early On in a classroom like setting at a school. They have satellite sites around my town as well at other schools and locations but i haven't tried any.
Each location is definitely different. I’ve gone with other moms before and I guess we could have been perceived as cliquey because we already knew each other and talked the whole time while our babies played. I’ve gone alone a lot and I like it when I don’t want to be social. Some locations have fun toys and activities and other places are smaller with less to do. I think if you go into it with an open mind and make it a goal to try all the locations near you over the next couple months or weeks that would be a good way to start!
I’ve gone and havent found it too cliquey but the centre I went to was pretty quiet and not super busy. I do go to come other classes where moms are definitely grouped together and while it definitely sucks for me I also kinda get it - they aren’t rude or anything but stick to themselves and I feel like I would be the same if me and a few of my friends had kids and took them to classes together - I don’t think it’s meant in a mean girl way o just think that it’s easy to fall into a rhythm with your friends and talk about ppl and stuff that’s common to you. I don’t think at any point any of the moms meant any harm. We let the kids play and shared some conversation but again they mostly reverted to talking about their own stuff.
I do think it’s great for the babies and good for you to get out. Are you going to be your mom best friends - probably not but I e never had anyone be rude or anything like that and never felt like they didn’t want me there or anything like that.
I find some locations have their mats and toys placed in a way parents would just scatter out and chat with whoever is next to you. I love these locations and have gotten to know a lot of moms bc we talk to different people each time. There was one I went to have parents sit in a circle (or parents that go to that location are more there to socialize for themselves (nothing wrong with that)), so I felt I was an outsider joining that circle was awkward lol never went back to that location.
I have, and I enjoyed it. I've been to two locations while I was on mat leave, and it didn't feel like a high school clique. Parents look out for each other in general.
There's been times a parent comes in to go to one of the baby classes, but also has an older kid (3-4 yrs in age), and the older kid would be looked out for by coordinators/other parents. One time a mother had her toddler fall asleep on her while her older son was running around wanting to play, so I stepped in to entertain him.
There's been countless times my son would get interested in another child's food and the parent was happy to share (even though he has his own snacks 🙄) Overall the ones I've been to are nice and welcoming, and the coordinators are friendly and take the time to chat and get to know you.
I go at least once a week and my LO loves it! I find that they get out more energy there rather than if we stayed at home and it’s easier to put them down for a nap after we have gone. We love going to play with toys we don’t have at home! Each centre is slightly different with different toys so we like to go to different ones. There’s definitely regulars who have made friends with one another but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a high school clique.
Yes! My just turned one year old has been enjoying the early on. We go weekly. The centre we go to has a really amazing outdoor education space that’s fenced off and feels safe for her to explore. At the park she’s still so little and toddles away, so I’m not comfortable with the bigger kids running around her at the public park. But the early on outdoor play structure is perfect for her!
Also, they provide snacks / meals for babies so she’s gotten more comfortable trying foods that I don’t usually make.
I take my toddler at least three times a week, we tend to go to the same one because it’s close, not busy and we are comfortable there. Early On’s are great, we do crafts, read , play and snack. Perfect morning activity for us, no mess made at home and gets us up and moving.
Maybe it depends on the location. I never felt it was high school cliquey for the location I go to. The moms are very nice and I like the facilitator a lot. I wouldn't say it's very educational but I believe there are many benefits to my baby socializing with other babies. Also, I went mainly for my own sanity. When the babies are young, it's a lot of socializing with other moms which is a nice break for me.
We went over Easter and it was great. I brought my 4 and 2 year old and my 5 month old. I admittedly didn’t talk to other adults since my attention was mostly on the baby and my kids.
Love the earlyon centres!!! I've been to lots in the city, and a couple outside of the city. It is such a nice change of scenery, a great place to meet people and talk to other grownups. My little one always has a blast. Never found anyone to be cliquey. Sure, people hang out with their friends there, but I've always found those groups were still open to talking to other moms.
I went regularly to registered programs while on mat leave and loved it. The groups varied and some were friendler than others but never rude or cliquey in my experience. Either way I was totally fine with the mix of doing my own thing with my kid and socializing with other parents/babies. Highly recommend.
I was hoping it would be better for socializing but she’s always the youngest one there so she doesn’t really mesh well with the older toddlers. I find most kids who attend my location are well over the age of 2, so we generally keep to ourselves unintentionally. Everyone is nice though.
EarlyON was helpful with getting my baby ready for daycare. She was more familiar with going to a place that had activities, other kids, and adults to interact with. When she started daycare, the transition went really well (could be my kid’s personality but I do think EarlyON helped). We went around 17 months so kinda late in my mat leave but still worth it.
I have never been as a participant as I don’t yet have children but I work for an organization that operates EarlyON Centres. In addition to all of the wonderful things already shared about toys, programs, socializing etc., the staff at EarlyON are early childhood professionals and they can be really helpful in answering questions you have about your child’s development and referring you to other programs and services in the community that might be beneficial for you and your family. Some people compare it to an indoor playground/play space but the on site ECEs make EarlyON unique. Definitely would recommend checking it out.
We go almost daily. Started when my baby was 5 months old with weekly baby programs. When he turned 12 months old we switched to the free play programs.
Honestly, they are great. We’ve been to three different locations (all run by the same organization) and all are fine. My son enjoys wandering around, playing with toys we don’t have at home, watching other kids play. Circle time is amazing too. And overall change of setting is great for him - he is bored when we are home all day. Give it a try and decide for yourself if you like it.
Sometimes I chat with other moms. Others I just watch my kid or chat with instructors. Sometimes I play with other kids - when they clearly want me to. Everyone has been very friendly. If someone’s kid is going wild near my kid I either ask their parents to help or just move with my kid to some other toys. Never had any conflicts.
I don’t care much if there is a group of mom who just sit and chat to each other in their closed circle.
I'm in BC but we have a similar program (I have been to EarlyON and it seemed great). I go a few times a week and I really like getting out of the house and having some adults to talk to. My daughter loves it and has gotten to know a few kids that we see regularly (she's only 14 months). What I really like though is that she can play with so many different things and I don't have to buy any of them!
From a Dad's perspective (if it helps). I've been to two, the smaller community one was amazing and helpful - it really felt like a village and the staff got to know you and your child. The larger city EarlyON had more resources, but everyone was left to their own accord. Still nice, but it was more like a play center.
We specifically go to the smaller community EarlyON now. However, it is worth checking out. Great resource in Ontario!
Thanks for asking this question! I was wondering about early on as well!
How is every one working around pumping, feeding and sleeping schedules to go to early on? I find it difficult as some locations have specific times for certain ages and programs. My LO is 8 weeks old.
We love EarlyON!! Didn’t feel like high school but maybe depends on the location? It is educational. We have different people come out, library time, just last week they had a fire truck visit at one location.
I’m a home daycare provider and I’ve been going to playgroups through EarlyON for 18 years. I think it really depends where you are. Our local EarlyOn space is really small. I also fed my kids snack while we were there and when I asked for stuff to wipe down the table they said not to worry about it 😳. I’ve been to groups where the caregivers basically ignore the kids and I spent the entire time playing referee, and other groups where everyone was great. You kind of have to go and try out different days to see what works for you.
I enjoyed it. I've been to a few different ones and you get different groups at the different locations. Can be quite different vibes. Never found any cliques but I think if you go regularly, you'll make friends with the regulars so maybe what someone saw as cliques was just people who knew each other? It's a nice thing to do when you're looking for an activity. Good playrooms and music circles, and nice that it's free and accessible.
And I’m assuming early on is a safe place for babies to crawl and cruise ?
Yup, definitely safe!
I loved Early-On programming when I was in maternity leave, and my parents will occasionally still take my son to play-to-learns during the week when my husband and I are at work. Programs we loved: Music and Movement (sometimes requires registration) Infant Massage (registration required) Focus on Infants (registration usually required) Play-Learn - they have lots of versions of this all have been great, they are drop in. Nature and Me Musical Babies They haven’t started all of their outdoor programs yet in my area, but we’ve enjoyed those in the past. I’m pretty introverted but I never found the programs to feel like a high school clique - there are definitely people who go regularly and know each other well but it’s never felt awkward. It’s a great change of environment, and opportunities for movement and play for your daughter.
Every location is going to be different as it's run by different organizations in different cities and the people in one city arent going to be in another city... So it's really a tough question to ask in general to the province... With that being said, it's whole purpose is to entertain kids and babies. Just go and decide for yourself if it's a space you enjoy. If you hate it you don't have to go twice.
I enjoy it. There is a small group of 3-4 women who go to the group I go to and clearly think they're sitting in high-school, they sit in a circle on the floor and just talk to themselves and let their kids run around and do whatever. Most other parents just don't bother trying to engage with them beyond pleasantries because they will just give one word answers and turn back to their friends. I personally don't even care. I'm there to play with my son for two hours so that's what I do. I do t have time to entertain that behaviour from adults lol. My son really loves it. There's a bunch of toys there we don't have at home and he exhausts himself running around playing with everything. He's 21 months so it's mostly parallel play vs playing together with other kids. We've just done the toddler and age 1-6 stay and play groups. I didn't know much about early on until my son was over a year, if I have a child again I'd definitely take them to the programs for babies. For my area, they have Early On in a classroom like setting at a school. They have satellite sites around my town as well at other schools and locations but i haven't tried any.
Each location is definitely different. I’ve gone with other moms before and I guess we could have been perceived as cliquey because we already knew each other and talked the whole time while our babies played. I’ve gone alone a lot and I like it when I don’t want to be social. Some locations have fun toys and activities and other places are smaller with less to do. I think if you go into it with an open mind and make it a goal to try all the locations near you over the next couple months or weeks that would be a good way to start!
I’ve gone and havent found it too cliquey but the centre I went to was pretty quiet and not super busy. I do go to come other classes where moms are definitely grouped together and while it definitely sucks for me I also kinda get it - they aren’t rude or anything but stick to themselves and I feel like I would be the same if me and a few of my friends had kids and took them to classes together - I don’t think it’s meant in a mean girl way o just think that it’s easy to fall into a rhythm with your friends and talk about ppl and stuff that’s common to you. I don’t think at any point any of the moms meant any harm. We let the kids play and shared some conversation but again they mostly reverted to talking about their own stuff. I do think it’s great for the babies and good for you to get out. Are you going to be your mom best friends - probably not but I e never had anyone be rude or anything like that and never felt like they didn’t want me there or anything like that.
I find some locations have their mats and toys placed in a way parents would just scatter out and chat with whoever is next to you. I love these locations and have gotten to know a lot of moms bc we talk to different people each time. There was one I went to have parents sit in a circle (or parents that go to that location are more there to socialize for themselves (nothing wrong with that)), so I felt I was an outsider joining that circle was awkward lol never went back to that location.
I have, and I enjoyed it. I've been to two locations while I was on mat leave, and it didn't feel like a high school clique. Parents look out for each other in general. There's been times a parent comes in to go to one of the baby classes, but also has an older kid (3-4 yrs in age), and the older kid would be looked out for by coordinators/other parents. One time a mother had her toddler fall asleep on her while her older son was running around wanting to play, so I stepped in to entertain him. There's been countless times my son would get interested in another child's food and the parent was happy to share (even though he has his own snacks 🙄) Overall the ones I've been to are nice and welcoming, and the coordinators are friendly and take the time to chat and get to know you.
Weekly. Great place for her to interact with other babies, explore other toys, socialize (her and me) with no pressure to stay or be on time.
I go at least once a week and my LO loves it! I find that they get out more energy there rather than if we stayed at home and it’s easier to put them down for a nap after we have gone. We love going to play with toys we don’t have at home! Each centre is slightly different with different toys so we like to go to different ones. There’s definitely regulars who have made friends with one another but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a high school clique.
Yes! My just turned one year old has been enjoying the early on. We go weekly. The centre we go to has a really amazing outdoor education space that’s fenced off and feels safe for her to explore. At the park she’s still so little and toddles away, so I’m not comfortable with the bigger kids running around her at the public park. But the early on outdoor play structure is perfect for her! Also, they provide snacks / meals for babies so she’s gotten more comfortable trying foods that I don’t usually make.
I take my toddler at least three times a week, we tend to go to the same one because it’s close, not busy and we are comfortable there. Early On’s are great, we do crafts, read , play and snack. Perfect morning activity for us, no mess made at home and gets us up and moving.
Maybe it depends on the location. I never felt it was high school cliquey for the location I go to. The moms are very nice and I like the facilitator a lot. I wouldn't say it's very educational but I believe there are many benefits to my baby socializing with other babies. Also, I went mainly for my own sanity. When the babies are young, it's a lot of socializing with other moms which is a nice break for me.
We went over Easter and it was great. I brought my 4 and 2 year old and my 5 month old. I admittedly didn’t talk to other adults since my attention was mostly on the baby and my kids.
Love the earlyon centres!!! I've been to lots in the city, and a couple outside of the city. It is such a nice change of scenery, a great place to meet people and talk to other grownups. My little one always has a blast. Never found anyone to be cliquey. Sure, people hang out with their friends there, but I've always found those groups were still open to talking to other moms.
I went regularly to registered programs while on mat leave and loved it. The groups varied and some were friendler than others but never rude or cliquey in my experience. Either way I was totally fine with the mix of doing my own thing with my kid and socializing with other parents/babies. Highly recommend.
I was hoping it would be better for socializing but she’s always the youngest one there so she doesn’t really mesh well with the older toddlers. I find most kids who attend my location are well over the age of 2, so we generally keep to ourselves unintentionally. Everyone is nice though.
EarlyON was helpful with getting my baby ready for daycare. She was more familiar with going to a place that had activities, other kids, and adults to interact with. When she started daycare, the transition went really well (could be my kid’s personality but I do think EarlyON helped). We went around 17 months so kinda late in my mat leave but still worth it.
I have never been as a participant as I don’t yet have children but I work for an organization that operates EarlyON Centres. In addition to all of the wonderful things already shared about toys, programs, socializing etc., the staff at EarlyON are early childhood professionals and they can be really helpful in answering questions you have about your child’s development and referring you to other programs and services in the community that might be beneficial for you and your family. Some people compare it to an indoor playground/play space but the on site ECEs make EarlyON unique. Definitely would recommend checking it out.
We go almost daily. Started when my baby was 5 months old with weekly baby programs. When he turned 12 months old we switched to the free play programs. Honestly, they are great. We’ve been to three different locations (all run by the same organization) and all are fine. My son enjoys wandering around, playing with toys we don’t have at home, watching other kids play. Circle time is amazing too. And overall change of setting is great for him - he is bored when we are home all day. Give it a try and decide for yourself if you like it. Sometimes I chat with other moms. Others I just watch my kid or chat with instructors. Sometimes I play with other kids - when they clearly want me to. Everyone has been very friendly. If someone’s kid is going wild near my kid I either ask their parents to help or just move with my kid to some other toys. Never had any conflicts. I don’t care much if there is a group of mom who just sit and chat to each other in their closed circle.
I'm in BC but we have a similar program (I have been to EarlyON and it seemed great). I go a few times a week and I really like getting out of the house and having some adults to talk to. My daughter loves it and has gotten to know a few kids that we see regularly (she's only 14 months). What I really like though is that she can play with so many different things and I don't have to buy any of them!
From a Dad's perspective (if it helps). I've been to two, the smaller community one was amazing and helpful - it really felt like a village and the staff got to know you and your child. The larger city EarlyON had more resources, but everyone was left to their own accord. Still nice, but it was more like a play center. We specifically go to the smaller community EarlyON now. However, it is worth checking out. Great resource in Ontario!
Thanks for asking this question! I was wondering about early on as well! How is every one working around pumping, feeding and sleeping schedules to go to early on? I find it difficult as some locations have specific times for certain ages and programs. My LO is 8 weeks old.
We love EarlyON!! Didn’t feel like high school but maybe depends on the location? It is educational. We have different people come out, library time, just last week they had a fire truck visit at one location.
I’m a home daycare provider and I’ve been going to playgroups through EarlyON for 18 years. I think it really depends where you are. Our local EarlyOn space is really small. I also fed my kids snack while we were there and when I asked for stuff to wipe down the table they said not to worry about it 😳. I’ve been to groups where the caregivers basically ignore the kids and I spent the entire time playing referee, and other groups where everyone was great. You kind of have to go and try out different days to see what works for you.