Puzzles and Bikes Inspire B.A.S.E. Daycare Staff at Annual Conference

MONTREAL – With challenges from building puzzles to building bikes for a great cause, who knew the EMSB’s B.A.S.E. Daycare Program’s annual daycare conference could be so much fun!

Held on Thursday, August 29, 2019 at the Plaza Universel reception hall, 200-plus B.A.S.E. Daycare staff gathered for their annual conference on the theme of “Team Building You Can Feel Great About!”

Marc Merulla from Team Building Montreal, Ottawa & Quebec (TBMOQ) was invited to run the half-day workshop that included two interactive challenges, one of which benefited Leucan, an organization that supports families with children who have cancer.

After a short welcome from Daycare Manager Teresa Federico, Merulla began the puzzle challenge by mixing up daycare staff into smaller teams. Each team or committee was given a set of puzzles pieces that didn’t necessarily all go together! Teams would send a member to the “warehouse” to exchange pieces for their puzzle. Each committee was part of a “company.” In the end, all the puzzles from one company came together in a larger puzzle with an inspiring message.

The focus and engagement of the daycare educators and technicians was impressive! Not all the larger puzzles were completed, but new friendships were made as staff from different daycares worked together towards a common goal.

The second challenge was to build bikes for the families of Leucan. Similar to the first activity, not all the parts provided went with that particular bike. It was a mad dash to exchange pieces with other teams, but in the end, more than 40 bikes were made. One family with their two sons came to accept their bikes. The joy on the children's faces and those of their parents was worth the effort.

Director of School Organization Sandra Léveillé closed the conference with a few words on teamwork and an inspiring video from the movie Here Comes the Boom on how cells can influence and energize each other and work together to restore the entire system. It was a wonderful way to start the new school year!