An employee handbook, also known as a Personnel Handbook (or Manual), is one of the most common methods employers use to communicate their personnel policies and benefits programs to employees. Thorough familiarity with this information by every employee of the Centre is requisite to the achievement of the ultimate objectives of maintaining or improving excellence in the programs offered!
To review the Personnel Handbook that PCPC has compiled for your use, please visit the website, www.pcpcontario.org , Member’s Only Section, and enter the Governance Series, where you will find the link to the newly revised Personnel Handbook available near the bottom of the page!
PCPC has been working hard to create new, informative tipsheets for our members!
Please visit the website, www.pcpcontario.org , Member’s Only Section, and enter the Governance Series, where you will find the following, new tipsheets available for FREE downloading (these tipsheets can be found in the tipsheet section):
This is the time of year that this important task needs to be worked on… do you need help?
Good management practices require that formal, written contracts with employees be signed at the beginning of the work period, or at the beginning of a new contract period. Contracts specify the nature and the scope of the work, the conditions under which it is performed and the compensations to be received by the employee.
A model contract usually includes the following:
Whether you are a Board winding down the present year and looking at upcoming elections, or a new Board just starting out, the following article is worth a read.
As a Board leaving the Centre, perhaps a few of the ideas could be incorporated as suggestions to the new Board; and as a new Board about to work together at the Centre, you may wish to institute some of the ideas for the upcoming year.
Whatever position the Centre is in this spring, utilize the recent evaluations, and listen to the membership!
Address big problems when they are small! Sweeping conflicts under the rug may appear to work in the short term, but the problem only festers and resentments builds. When the conflict re-emerges, it is usually more explosive than before.
Resolving conflict is based on a key tenet: People need to be heard and respected!
There is a lot that can be done to resolve disagreements before they become destructive. Much depends on how the Board typically interacts with the members, not only when special issues surface.
As a Board, first commit to meeting the needs of the entire membership. Board members should be concerned with the overall health of the Centre – not only personal interests or the membership sub-group that they are involved with. Individual Board members and the Board as a whole must take care to serve more than just narrow interests. Having made this commitment, a Board is better positioned to promote effective conflict resolution throughout the Centre.
As a Board, you represent the Centre as a whole. Keeping up with what the membership cares about, engaging then in dialogue, and involving them in the life of the Centre will help prevent many disagreements from becoming destructive conflicts, which is difficult to do after a conflict has escalated. The following recommendations won’t prevent all conflicts, but they will increase the opportunity for gaining mutual understanding and helping decrease the likelihood of long-term destructive consequences.
Remember that disagreement and conflict are part of a democracy!
(A report by Roger Sauve, People Patterns Consulting for The Vanier Institute of the Family)
Families are changing and so are the organizations for which they work. Families need and want the work that employers provide, and employers need the workers to produce the goods and services that keep their organization in operation – it is a two-way street! The following statistics from this report highlights the dynamic relationship between these two entities and examines whether or not Canadians are achieving an acceptable balance between family life and work life – the result seems to be an uneasy balance!
While many families are satisfied with their family life and work life arrangements, a growing number are clearly not; this dissatisfaction often negatively impacts families and their employers – a looming labour shortage will likely worsen the situation
Persons who live in family households comprise 84% of the total supply of the Canadian labour; the last decade has seen rising labour participation by all family members, with the largest increase among female lone-parent families and wives with young children
Family members are spending more time on work and work-related activities; commuting times are increasing and modern technology has blurred the lines between work and family
It is undeniable, more work time clearly means less family time – the average time spent with family on a typical work day has shrunk by about ¾ of an hour, from 250 minutes per day in 1986 to 206 minutes in 2005 – a drop of 18%!
Women still do most of the juggling in bringing about a balance between family time and work time; women are much more likely to work part-time, simply drop out of the paid workforce, or work two part-time jobs to accommodate family needs
The job market is slowly shifting towards more temporary employment and increasing overtime, both with or without pay; organizations are continually re-engineering, rotating workers, integrating functional groups, downsizing and re-organizing the workplace
The ongoing stress and change is leading to more dissatisfaction, more time off for illness and family reasons, more workers who are thinking of leaving their current employers, and lower ratings for their employers
There is more that can be done to improve the uneasy balance!
Families and employers are encouraged to continue working together to strengthen their partnerships with a view of building and/or maintaining healthy work life and family life relationships. Governments at all levels are similarly encouraged to take a leadership role in establishing the context and opportunities for continuing dialogue, discussion and policy development in this critically important area.
A poison is any substance which may cause harm to the body if it is swallowed, inhaled, or splashed onto the skin or in the eyes. Some substances are also poisonous if they are injected.
A substance may be harmful or poisonous if they are taken the wrong way, by the wrong person, or in the wrong amount. Poisons can cause a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from a mild reaction to a serious illness or even death.
If you believe that a poisoning may have occurred, even if they aren’t any symptoms, contact the
Ontario Poison Centre (800.268.9017) immediately. The Poison Specialist will tell you what to do and what symptoms to watch for.
Some of the Common Types of Poison Found In and Around the Home…
Many calls received by the Ontario Poison Centre are about children who have swallowed, touched or inhaled a poisonous product, but adults may be at risk for poisoning too!
Most poisonings occur in young children less than six (6) years of age – Childhood poisonings are preventable!
There is no such thing as a child-proof container. Child-resistant containers are made to slow a child from getting a bottle or container open. Many children can easily open them.
Strong smells or bad tastes will not stop children from swallowing harmful substances.
Childhood poisonings commonly occur when household routines are disrupted, or during times of stress, such as when there is an illness or death in the family.
Never leave a child alone with a product or medication for even ‘a second’ – poisoning can happen quickly.
The Ontario Poison Centre in Toronto has been serving the general public and healthcare professionals throughout Ontario since 1979. The primary role of the Poison Centre is to provide telephone information and advice about potential or real exposures to poisonous substances. In addition to is primary role, the Poison Centre also collects information on poisoning cases, generates and distributes poison prevention material, and participates in medical toxicology research.
Specialized nurses and pharmacists receive phone consultations in both official languages 24 hours a day, 365 days per year from across the province and offer advice and information to families, caregivers, teachers, lawn enforcement personnel, and health care providers at all levels.
Ontario Poison Centre
Address: 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8
(located in The Hospital for Sick Children)
Office Telephone: 416.813.6437
TDD Telephone: 877.750.2233/ 416.597.0215
Toll Free Telephone: 800.268.9017
Crisis Telephone: 416.813.5900/ 800.268.9017
Fax: 416.813.7489
Email: poison.information@sickkids.ca
Website: www.sickkids.ca/poisoninformationcentre
–Remember that all of these fundraising ideas, and many more can be found in the Governance Series Workshops (Member’s Only Section) of the PCPC website www.pcpcontario.org
Box Lunches: This is a unique fundraiser – try approaching a large office building in your area to ask permission to supply box lunches prepared by your Centre for a certain period of time. You could also sell these to parents as they leave after the morning.Pick a certain day, or even an entire week, and have box lunches prepared by volunteers. These lunches could include sandwiches attractively prepared, cheese, fruit and perhaps cake or pudding and a drink of some sort. Be sure to include any necessary eating utensils as well as napkins.
Charge a reasonable price for the lunches and make it a habit people can count on!
Jackman Foundation
Address: P.O. Box 166, TD Bank Tower, 66 Wellington Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5K 1H6
Contact: Laura W. Mayne, Secretary-Treasurer
Telephone: (416) 366-8567
Funding Interest: Early Childhood Education and Development
Granting Region: Canada-wide
Grant Information: Application should include project outline, amount requested, total project cost, financial statements, charitable registration number
Laidlaw Foundation
Address: 365 Bloor Street East, Suite 2000, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4
Contact: Nathan H. Gilbert, Executive Director
Telephone/Fax: (416) 964-3614 (telephone); (416) 975-1428 (fax)
Email/Website: mail@laidlawfdn.org and http://www.laidlawfdn.org
Funding Interest: Child Development
Granting Region: Canada-wide
Grant Information: Application procedures available online
Longo’s Family Charitable Foundation
Address: 3767 Nashua Drive, Mississauga, Ontario, L4V 1R3
Contact: Rosanne Maiurro, Chair/Trustee
Email/Website: familyfoundation@longos.com and http://www.longos.com
Funding Interest: Children
Granting Region: Toronto Area
Grant Information: Application is available online
For the first time in history, the number of people on the planet aged 60 and older will soon surpass those under 5!
Check out what playgroups, co-operatives and non-profits are doing around the world…
In most homes, heating water is second only to space conditioning in energy use. Low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators can help lower your household water consumption and water-heating demand. So can using only cold water for clothes washing and laundering only full loads. If you have a private water system, conserving water will also reduce your pumping energy requirements and the load on your septic system.
PCPC: Parent Co-operative Preschool Corporation
1571
Sandhurst Circle, PO Box 63512, Toronto, ON • MIV 1V0
Tel 416-410-2667 (Toronto)
E-mail info@pcpcontario.org
Website www.pcpcontario.org or
www.pcpctoronto.org
Terms and conditions
PCPC is a registered charity. You can make a donation
by credit card via PayPal here.
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Going Green 22 · December 17
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Going Green 19: A Brief Overview of “Green IT for Dummies” · October 27
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