Program components

A variety of activities are incorporated, and the themes are drawn from the children’s interests.  Some of these activities may include:  sensory, gross motor, crafts, music, dramatic play, puzzles, games, fine motor, cooking, science, explorative play, circle time, story time, creative movement, cooking/food, resource people and field trips. Staff planning is also based on the developmental needs of the children.  

To facilitate this, a developmental checklist is utilized.  The checklist includes the following areas: 

Social / Emotional / Intellectual / Cognitive / Gross motor / Fine motor / Receptive language / Expressive language / Self-help skills 

​Documentation in a variety of forms are used.  These may include:  displays of photos and written descriptions of children’s learning experiences, picture collages and “white board” messages.

 A minimum of ½ hour of unstructured “in motion” play is provided every morning and afternoon. Weather permitting, there is at least ½ hour of outdoor play each day.  We provide an assortment of age-appropriate recreational activities such as climbing, biking, skipping, hockey, soccer, etc.  Please make sure that your child(ren) has appropriate clothing for the weather conditions.

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Outdoor play is an integral part of our Child Care Program.  It is our policy and belief that play time outside each day, even on winter days, is important in keeping children relaxed and healthy.  On cold days, the children will not leave the adjacent yard in order that they can return inside immediately if they are cold.  We feel outdoor play is safe year-round with proper outdoor clothing and alert staff, who ensure that the children are not over-exposed to the elements.

 The children are taken on various field trips throughout the year. Notices of field trips are posted at least two days in advance of the outing. 

 We try to teach responsibility by encouraging the children to bring special toys and treasures from home for Toy Day. Please check with your child’s room staff as to their rules and guidelines for children bringing toys from home. 

Throughout the month, staff may invite various resource people into the centre. This may include firefighters, police officers, etc. 

Parents are welcome to involve themselves in various aspects of programming, such as storytelling, music, fingerplays, cooking, sharing a cultural experience, etc. The Centre plans various special days and may request parent assistance with supervision on these occasions. Suggestions for field trips or resource people to visit the Centre are also welcome.

During free play time, the children are provided with a variety of age-appropriate activities for both quiet and active play (i.e. books to read and look at, singing, dancing, table toys and games, water and sand play, role playing, art activities, construction toys, board games, drawing).  

  In accordance with our philosophy, we attempt to have the child adequately rested so that the whole family can enjoy the valuable evening time they spend together. After rest time, provisions are made for children who are awake to participate in free play activities outside or in the hallway.

• 18 months to 3 year olds rest for up to 2.75 hours

• 4 & 5 year olds rest/engage in quiet activities for up to ½ hour

• School-age children rest/engage in quiet activities on non-school days for up to ½ hour

 From June through August, programming in the Centre takes on a more informal and relaxed nature. Less time is spent indoors with planned activities making more time to visit places of interest within the community. Many snacks are taken out to the parks or playgrounds and picnic lunches are arranged.