Programs
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Infant CurriculumWe play A LOT! We spend our day playing and experiencing various daily caregiving routines like changing diapers, washing hands and eating. By having these experiences, the children are learning various cognitive, physical, social, emotional and creative skills. All by playing!
Here is how I organize my day and materials to provide meaningful play and caregiving experiences for the children to learn these important skills: I build a relationship with the children and their families by always greeting them when they arrive at or leave the centre. I also help them greet their peers to help them build relationships with each other. I ask their parents how their night was or if there is anything I should know for the day. I sit on the floor where the children are playing to help facilitate their play and learning. The non-mobile infants are always “where the action is” to watch, hear and touch what’s going on. When new children are starting the program I encourage them to come in for visits to meet me and discuss their routines and answer any questions they might have. It’s a good way for us to get to know each other before they start. To let parents know about their child’s day, I fill out daily information sheets that show what their child ate, when they slept and had their diaper changed and whether or not I need any supplies topped up. I also have a poster on the window where parents can see what play experiences their child participated in that day and what skills they were learning by doing it. I try to take pictures of our day and post them for everyone to see. I organize the play space to help the infants feel independent and give them a sense of “I can do it”. I have low shelves where they can reach for and choose their own toys to play with. I provide a variety of interesting toys and objects for the children to explore safely on their own. I also have a low table and chairs for meal times that they can get in and out of on their own. They love trying to do up their own seatbelts which helps develop their eye-hand coordination! At my diaper changing area, I have all they supplies I may need so I can be totally attentive to the child I am helping, talking to them about what I have and what I am doing. Even these everyday tasks that we perform many times a day can provide the children with learning experiences. When children start our program I try to be accommodating to their schedule at home to provide consistency. If one of them still naps twice, then I can provide that and be flexible with my schedule. If a child does nap in the morning and happens to miss an activity that I know they enjoy, I can still provide the activity at another time during the day to accommodate their individual needs. I organize time and transitions to support learning and development by always telling the infants what is happening and what will happen next. I want them to know that they are a part of what’s happening. When I offer a play or exploration experience, I want to make sure I give them enough time to enjoy it and practice the skills they are learning. During play I talk to the children about what they are doing. By building with blocks we talk about sizes, colours, shapes, etc. I will also mark it on the board for their parents to see that their child was learning about concepts while playing with blocks. That is how I make the connection between their play experiences and what skills they are learning. I talk to them during caregiving routines so they know what to expect. For example, I will tell them after lunch that we will go wash their hands and face before actually doing it. This way they know what to expect. Babies love to look at pictures of other babies and themselves. To represent the infants in my care I post pictures of them in the room and slip photos in albums that I have in the book area. (I even have a few pictures of some of their siblings!) We look at the pictures and we can compare differences and similarities, for example, “X has brown hair and you have blonde hair” or “You are a girl and X is a boy”. I also have posters of babies brushing their teeth from the Dentist office. We sometimes go for walks around town to see different people in the community that we might know, like grandmas or grandpas. I ask parents to bring in familiar items like blankets or stuffed animals to make the infants feel more at home in our program. Some of them send a favourite lunch, cup or soother. When the others notice the different items, it’s a great learning opportunity to talk about how we are all different. Play is a fun way, and the best way, for infants to learn about the world around them and develop their skills. |
Preschool CurriculumThere are masterpieces on the walls, but no 2 pieces look alike, excited screeches from children as they explore a woven basket of “loose parts” brought out by an ECE, children in the library discussing the colourful pictures in a book, children “creating” at the art table….the children are playing. This play is guided by ECE’s who ask open-ended questions and use teachable moments like bringing out the life cycle puzzles when children see butterflies and caterpillars in the playground to expand their imaginations. The ECE’s also provide support by being close to the children when they play and by using active listening.
Play is an important part of a child’s day because they learn from play. We encourage play based learning at our centres for all age groups by providing space and time for the children to explore the various materials we provide. By observing the children, recording these observations and talking to parents, the ECE’s get to know what they are interested in and supply them with the time and the materials they need to make their play meaningful and positive making the most of learning opportunities. Through play and discovery, along with guidance from the ECEs, they will learn many things: how to interact with their peers and other adults, how to make sense of the world around them, and about the virtues of helpfulness, kindness and respect. By observing and listening to the children we get to know some of the things they like. Another way we get to know the children in our groups is by talking with them throughout the day during all our routines and play experiences. We greet them every morning when they arrive and build friendly and trusting relationships with them during the time they spend at our centres. We also encourage them to build these same types of relationships with their peers. We have small group sizes at our centres and have many different play areas in the rooms to encourage small group play. We provide support and encouragement to all the children by helping them enter and exit play situations when they need it. Through this they will learn kindness, respect and how to build meaningful relationships. Talking to parents is an important part of getting to know the families at our centres. We encourage parents to talk to us any time about situations or activities going on. We have a monthly newsletter that goes home with each family and also a whiteboard at the front door where we communicate important dates and information. When we greet the children every morning we also greet their parents. Talking to parents can happen in the mornings or at pick up at the end of the day. Information about the child’s day, including your child’s learning and development, is shared; along with maybe a funny story about some artwork or a kind deed their child did for a friend. This can be done verbally or in the form of a happy gram taped to their locker. If a child is hurt, we fill out an incident report about what happened and it is also attached to their locker. Another reason for getting to know the families at our centres is to learn about their cultures and traditions. If we know more about the children’s culture’s in our care, we can help the children learn respect for each other, too. We have pictures of people and children of varying races and abilities on the walls or in pictures in books. We also take many trips to the local library (which is right next door!) to learn more about our world or to get information about something a child had an interest in. Some of our toys are in colourful woven baskets and we provide dress up clothes for both genders of different cultures or abilities. Our dolls are of different races and our food is from various cultures. We are located centrally in town so we have the library, fire hall and gas stations all in view from our playground. It’s always exciting to see and hear the fire trucks go out and talk about where they may be going! This is a great opportunity to take out the fire station box and be heroes! Our rooms provide children with space and material for all kinds of play and learning. We have areas for loud, busy play and areas for quiet, relaxation. Our toys and materials are changed or left out according to the children’s interests and how long they are interested in them, usually weekly. Our daily schedule is predictable, as far as the snack, lunch and outdoor times, but also have the flexibility to change depending on how the day is going. Activities may be planned based on something seasonal or something the children have talked about, but spontaneous trips to the local bakery or a spur of the moment science experiment are always enjoyed, too! As long as the activities are something the children are excited about, play and learning will happen. We feel that every moment is a time for learning. An argument on the playground can be a time to learn empathy and problem solving, cleaning up toys will teach sorting and helpfulness, creating something at the art table may teach them creativity and having a conversation at the snack table may teach them social development and respect for others. |
School Age CurriculumChildren will have access to games, toys, and books that pique his interest. The Educators love to hear the kids talk about a particular science experiment and are eager to provide the materials. Educators understand the importance of child-directed learning, and foster the process for exploration, error, and recovery.
After a day at school, we understand that each young person will have a particular way they might like to unwind. The Educators are available to listen, guide, and offer quiet- as your child indicates what she might need at that moment. During the school breaks and summer months, the KOC programs change to include time at the local swimming pool and splash pad, as well as local field trips and day outings. |