When people walk into Connections ELCC, they often notice the beautiful classrooms, the natural materials, the artwork on the walls, and the thoughtfully designed spaces. But what many people don’t see is the story behind why this centre exists in the first place.

Connections was never just about opening a daycare.

It was about creating the kind of place I wished existed.

My name is Suman Takhar, and before entering the world of early childhood education, I worked in Social Work. I spent years supporting children with complex needs, youth facing significant challenges, and individuals with dual diagnoses living in group homes.

I entered that field because I wanted to make a difference.

I wanted to help people.

I wanted to be a safe person in someone’s life.

But over time, I found myself emotionally drained. The systems were overwhelmed, resources were stretched thin, and often it felt like we were trying to repair damage that had already been done. There were so many people involved in caring for vulnerable children and adults that sometimes it felt impossible to create the kind of lasting impact I had hoped for.

I remember asking myself a simple question:

“What if we could help children before they reached a crisis?”

That question changed my life.

In 2015, I returned to school to study Early Childhood Education. I became fascinated with child development and the incredible growth that occurs during the first five years of life.

The brain between birth and age five is extraordinary. Children are learning how to trust, how to communicate, how to regulate emotions, how to solve problems, how to build relationships, and how to see themselves in the world.

Those early years lay the foundation for everything that comes after.

For me, working with young children reignited something inside of me.

It gave me hope.

It reminded me that making a difference doesn’t always happen through big interventions. Sometimes it happens through a hug. Through a conversation. Through helping a child learn to believe in themselves.

I realized that if we could fill children’s hearts with confidence, kindness, resilience, and love during those early years, we could help shape not only their future, but the future of our communities as well.

When I moved from Ontario to Calgary in 2020, I quickly noticed a gap in childcare.

There were certainly wonderful educators doing incredible work, but I felt that the profession itself wasn’t always respected or valued the way it should be. Early childhood educators are helping raise the next generation, yet too often the field is viewed as babysitting rather than the highly skilled profession that it truly is.

I knew Calgary deserved more.

Children deserved more.

Educators deserved more.

Families deserved more.

That became the vision behind Connections ELCC.

I wanted to create a place where children felt deeply loved and genuinely seen.

A place where educators were valued and supported.

A place where families felt they had a village behind them.

Because the truth is, today’s parents are carrying an incredible amount of responsibility.

Many parents spend eight or more hours each day at work. Not because they want to be away from their children, but because they have to provide for their families. I know how difficult it can be to leave your child in someone else’s care.

My belief has always been this:

If parents are entrusting us with their children for a significant part of their day, then we have a responsibility to do more than supervise them.

We should be helping them grow.

We should be helping them build confidence.

We should be teaching empathy, kindness, emotional regulation, problem-solving, resilience, and self-love.

We should be helping them discover who they are.

At Connections, we focus on the whole child.

Yes, we teach letters and numbers.

Yes, we prepare children for school.

But more importantly, we help children learn how to be good humans.

We teach them how to use their voice.

How to stand up for themselves.

How to care for others.

How to work through challenges.

How to recover when things don’t go as planned.

How to build meaningful relationships.

Our core values—Resilience, Self-Love & Confidence, Mindfulness, Kindness & Humility, Respect for Mother Nature, and Connection—are not marketing words. They are the foundation of every decision we make.

When families ask me what makes Connections different, my answer is always the same.

It’s not the furniture.

It’s not the toys.

It’s not the curriculum.

Those things matter, but they aren’t what children remember.

What children remember is how they felt.

They remember the educator who comforted them when they were scared.

They remember the hugs.

The encouragement.

The laughter.

The sense of belonging.

The feeling that someone truly cared.

That is what we strive to provide every single day.

My dream is bigger than one childcare centre.

I want to help elevate the standard of childcare in Alberta. I want early childhood education to be respected for the incredible profession that it is. I want children to have access to environments where they feel safe, capable, and deeply loved.

Because I truly believe that when we invest in children during their earliest years, we have the power to change lives.

And that is why Connections ELCC exists.

Not simply to care for children.

But to help them thrive.