Our program at First Steps Childcare Centre is a reflection of our philosophy; which is to provide a safe nurturing environment that will allow each child to express their individuality and creativity indoors and out. It is important that all areas of development will be included by providing the best possible environment so that the children are actively involved while they are meeting their social, physical, emotional and intellectual needs. By providing them with the proper tools for each of these areas of development we will allow the children to develop to their full potential in their own way.
We offer a secure environment with controlled access where only parents/guardians have access to their children unless otherwise specified. All the staff are First Aid/CPR trained with a Criminal Reference Check on site. First Steps Childcare Centre is a NUT free facility that offers a 4 week menu from the CFG and special food requests are welcome.
We have created positive and responsive interactions by using respect among the children, parents, childcare providers and staff. Respect creates a chain of positive reactions in communication and relationships. The staff begin the chain of respect by creating a positive relations amongst themselves, listening to each other, supporting each other and setting an example for the children. Then the staff and parent/guardian interactions will support respect when the staff provide them with direct contact and attention upon drop off and pick up as needed. Parents are then made aware of their child’s daily interests and activities through communication, as well as photo boards and social media. This represents a respectful enviroment that is promoted among the staff throughout daily interactions and encouraged among the children. Every child is a capable communicator who expresses himself or herself in many ways. The children are by being spoken to with respect and will honor and support his or her competencies by example. Those treated with respect will be most likely to respect others and communicate in a positive way. With that being said children having a difficulty respecting others or just needing some time to self-regulate will be encouraged to use the quiet areas designated in each classroom.
Each classroom has been designed to foster the children’s Early Childhood Education through exploration , play and inquiry while developing independence, curiosity, creativity, responsibility, self-regulation and most importantly a sense of self-worth and a sense of belong. As co-learners, together we have provided the children with a variety of tools to support the children’s initiated play through daily learning since every child is developing a sense of self, health and well-being. By expanding on what happens in a classroom including open ended self-directed activities and providing opportunities for the children to grow cohesively.
The classrooms will be monitored and areas will be flexible and identified for change, if the room need to be enhanced or tools added. As well, assessment tools for the children are available through Talk to Me and Children’s First upon a referral.
Meaningful opportunities are used to create emergent learning where the focus can be used in all areas of the classroom. The learning opportunity is incorporated into the day and achieved through indoor and outdoor play, as well as active play and rest and quiet time. Respect and consideration of the children’s needs are taken into consideration in each and every opportunity. An outline of learning opportunities will be listed on a “reflection template” posted on the information board in each classroom. This classroom information area will help foster the engagement of ongoing communication with parents about the program including photos of activities and newsletters with current information about the program.
The staff in each room are available throughout the day and pictures will be available through Bright Wheel to share the children’s daily experiences with parents/guardians.
Field trips, special visitors, and involvement with community helpers creates awareness for the children and their families of our local community partners and allows those partners to support the children, their families and staff.
As a foundation to our high quality programs we are dedicated to upholding the College of Early Childhood Educator’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. As professionals we are dedicated to life-long learning and experiences that expand our growth and knowledge on child development and care. It is important that we have a continuous understanding of the best up to date advances made in the related fields of the study. As part of our commitment to quality, our staff are encouraged and supported in ongoing professional growth and development.
Our Infant, Toddler, Preschool, and School Age programs are based on this strong foundation to provide a safe nurturing learning environment that respects each child’s unique stage of development while providing every child with a sense of belonging among and between children, adults and the world around them.
Our guiding documents ~ We use the document titled “How Does Learning Happen? Ontarios Pedogy for the Early Years (2014), “Childcare and Early Years Act”, 2014. These documents are reviewed on a continual basis with staff.