It’s a smile that says it all.
Dignitaries, board members, employees, volunteers, residents and veterans gathered at Perley Health to celebrate the grand opening of the Andrew Fleck Children’s Services Intergenerational Early Learning Centre. But it was a much smaller moment that seemed to capture the spirit of the occasion: a tiny toddler handed an elderly woman in the front row a sunflower, and her face lit up like a ray of sunshine. Her infectious smile said everything about the promise of bringing generations together.
The opening follows the groundbreaking in September 2025 for the purpose-built, affordable early learning centre, where babies, toddlers, preschoolers, veterans and seniors can connect as part of everyday community life. The project was made possible in part through donor support for the Perley Health Foundation’s $2-million Bridging Generations campaign, which helped fund welcoming and accessible intergenerational program rooms, activity areas and outdoor spaces.
The early learning centre is housed at Perley Health, an Ottawa institution dedicated to empowering seniors and veterans to live their lives to the fullest. The campus is home to more than 600 residents and tenants. The childcare centre opened in July 2026, and in her remarks, Kim Hiscock, CEO of Andrew Fleck Children’s Services, noted that there are already “examples of success.”
A courtyard separates the childcare centre from the residence, and Hiscock pointed to one simple but telling sign of the connection already taking place.
“The residents themselves are opening their windows so they can hear the children that are playing outside,” she said.
In her remarks, Laura St-Cyr, Past Chair of Andrew Fleck Children’s Services, noted that Perley Health has been developing intergenerational programming for years through weekly playgroups, music programs, school partnerships, youth volunteering and student placements. The new centre, she said, creates more opportunities for those relationships to become a consistent part of daily life.
“It’ll happen in the programming rooms. It’ll happen at 5:00. It’ll happen over lunch at a table. Some of this will be organized and much of it organic and spontaneous.”
Dr. Annie Robitaille, Assistant Professor in the Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa and Commissionaires Ottawa Research Chair in Frailty-Informed Care at the Centre of Excellence in Frailty-Informed Care at Perley Health, spoke about the growing disconnect between children and older adults in today’s culture. While the two generations increasingly live separate lives, she said, there are significant benefits when they come together.
“When generations do come together well, the effects can be remarkable, and research shows it can improve memory. It can have a positive impact on social connections, physical and mental health.”
But to reap the benefits of intergenerational relationships, Robitaille stressed that certain criteria need to be met.“Contact that is regular, that is meaningful, and person-centred,” she said, while emphasizing the importance of relationships being reciprocal, “where each generation brings something to the other.”
Those words played out in real life shortly afterward during the centre’s “ribbon-joining” ceremony.
Joined by staff, the children enrolled in the program made their way to the stage to the tune of “You Are My Sunshine.” The toddlers handed sunflowers to Perley residents before taking part in the ribbon-joining ceremony. One little girl, dressed in a sweet little dress, and a resident worked together to join the ribbon, much to the delight of everyone watching.
The ribbon itself—a handmade paper chain, childlike and charming—added another warm, personal touch to the moment.
It was a small moment, but it illustrated exactly what the centre hopes to achieve: not simply bringing children and older adults into the same space, but creating opportunities for genuine, reciprocal relationships to develop naturally.
Moving forward, the Intergenerational Early Learning Centre will be assessed and studied by the Perley Health Centre of Excellence in Frailty-Informed Care™ team. The goal is to create opportunities to learn from the program and develop practical insights that can inform intergenerational programming in other long-term care communities.
The Andrew Fleck Children’s Services Intergenerational Early Learning Centre builds on Perley Health’s broader vision of creating a community where connections across generations are not limited to special occasions, but become part of the rhythm of everyday life.
And judging by one little sunflower, that connection is already beginning to bloom.
