At an event held at Market Hall on Monday, April 27th, 2015, Kawartha Child Care Services (KCCS) announced the launch of their new brand and name – Compass Early Learning and Care.

The night began with the organization’s Annual General Meeting and a keynote presentation by Assistant Deputy Minister of Education, Early Learning Division, Jim Grieve. Mr. Grieve gave an update on the future of child care in the province with an emphasis on the importance of play and inquiry-based learning. The Assistant Deputy Minister, who is responsible for the implementation of full-day kindergarten in schools throughout the province, gave credit to the staff at KCCS/Compass for being leaders in the field of early learning in Ontario.

Following the keynote address, the team from local marketing and communications firm, We Design, took the stage. Matt Stimpson, David Jonkers and Kate Young presented the process, research and methodology behind the new brand. Some of the elements included:

Mosaic Represents the italian roots of the pedagogy and teaching principles. It is also a colourful representation of the many facets of Compass.

Tree Represents the positive growth that each child, family and staff member will experience while engaged with Compass. Also a symbol of the connection to the natural environment.

Colours An earthy palette of colours that are found in nature, representing the environment.

Typography The sans serif font is contemporary and suggests modern forward thinking. The house font – Sassoon Primary – was developed specifically for children, used by Montessori and reflects purity of learning.

Photography A selection of crisp, clear images that show staff, children and families with a sense of pride and accomplishment, intrigue and wonder.

Over the course of the evening, the organization celebrated the successes of KCCS in 2014, and over the 34 years that it held the name Kawartha Child Care Services. The need for a new name and brand was decided upon once it became clear that the name no longer represented the geographical market of the organization, nor the scope or quality of care that is now available.