Meeting
Children’s Needs
We strive to meet children’s developmental needs in a variety of ways:
Physical Needs
- Providing regular opportunity for physical activity, both indoors and outdoors
- Providing daily opportunities to spend time in the fresh air (weather permitting)
- Ensuring that children are well fed and hydrated, by establishing consistent lunch and snack routines and providing nutritious snacks
- Allowing children to nap or rest as needed, and providing a safe, quiet and comfortable napping environment
- Ensuring that children are appropriately dressed at all times, for indoor and outdoor play
- Helping children develop gross motor skills via activities such as dance, music, gym, yoga, martial arts, and outdoor play
- Helping children develop fine motor skills through writing activities, arts and crafts, games, sensory play, and Montessori activity centres focused on practical life skills and sensorial development
Social Needs
- Allowing children to form close friendships within their peer group, and interact with children of other ages during mixed age activities
- Allowing children experience “safe” conflicts, so that they can learn empathy, self control and problem solving skills
- Supporting children in learning to take turns, share, cooperate, and compromise in social interactions with peers
- Modeling kindness, politeness and respect
- Noticing, encouraging and reinforcing positive social behavior in children
- Helping children develop an appreciation for cultural diversity through holiday celebrations and cultural activities
Intellectual Needs
- Providing a variety of age appropriate and stimulating toys, games, puzzles, books and activities
- Helping children develop literacy and numeracy skills through evidence-based academic programs and Montessori activity centres focused on math and language skills acquisition
- Exposing children to science, music, chess, the arts, and a foreign language
- Providing opportunities for self-directed work and play, taking into account the unique abilities and interests of the child
- Providing opportunities for children to develop a strong command of the English language via story telling, poetry recitation, circle time activities, clear instruction and developmentally appropriate conversations
Creative Needs
- Allowing children to express themselves through dance, art, music, drama, imaginative play, and sensory play
- Fostering creative analytical thinking and creative problem solving through Bright Minds mathematics and the Alterman Chess curriculum
- Providing opportunities to explore art making through a variety of media, such as paints, crayons, construction paper, pipe cleaners, clay, play dough, sand, molds, string, wooden sticks, etc.
- Providing opportunities to engage in imaginative play though props, costumes, and dramatic play centres
- Helping children develop a sense of pride in their work by displaying their creations in the Centre
- Offering and respecting children’s choices, so that they can express their individual preferences
Emotional Needs
- Providing a secure, safe and consistent environment
- Fostering warm, positive and supportive relationships between staff and children
- Being emotionally and physically available to assist children throughout the day
- Being attentive to children’s unique needs, temperaments, abilities and interests
- Responding promptly and effectively to children’s communication attempts
- Helping children identify and express their feelings in healthy ways
- Setting and maintaining a positive tone throughout the day
- Responding to children’s distress, emotional outbursts, and misbehaviour in a manner that is comforting, respectful and encourages the development of self-regulation
- Noticing, encouraging and praising the unique strengths, interests and progress of each child, to foster a positive self-image and appreciation for diversity