Programs

Your values matter to us!  This is why our programs are focused in living those values as we formally introduce your child to different fields such as arts, mathematics and sciences.  We also give emphasis in cultivating social skills for the children at the center.

These are the programs currently available at Early Years Preschool and Childcare:

• Infant
• Toddlers
• Preschool
• JK/SK Program
• School Age Programs
  • Before and After care
  • Winter Break
  • March Break
  • PA Days
  • Summer Camp

To learn more about what we offer for the various age groups we support, please take some time to learn more about each program.

Infant Care (3-18 months)

Infants at Early Years Day Care may be very young but it does not mean there is not learning to be done. The educators at Early Years work with you and your child to ensure they are meeting and surpassing all of the milestones relating to their age.

At our center, we create a curriculum specific to your child’s needs and abilities.  Continuous communication with parents is of utmost importance. The Early Years has recently partnered with HiMama to bridge the gap of communication between educators and families. Parents will receive daily reports, pictures/videos and updates in real time.

Infant Care Program Features

• Feeding, with support. Depending on age, encouraging self-feeding with finger food and beginning stages of using utensils
• Age appropriate interactions to support the child socially, emotionally, in communicating (both verbally and non-verbally)
• Age appropriate toys and materials to help develop their physical development; to achieve and surpass milestones.
• Mirrored routine, for Infants (14 months and under) a seamless transition from weekends to weekdays. Whatever their routine at home, we will ensure the flow of the day is similar to what they do, when they are with you
• Establishing healthy attachments with caregivers and creating positive social interactions with peers
• Policies in place strictly for infants such as a sleep policy, and enhanced cleaning  to ensure the health and safety of all children
• Activities created to enhance sensory exploration (auditory, tactile, visual, taste and olfactory)
• Creating opportunities for motor development. Fine motor focus on grasping and motor control, and Gross motor to develop whole body movements (i.e. Walking and climbing)
• Educators will create opportunities for infants to meet and surpass milestones based on guidelines set out for each area of development in the E.L.E.C.T document

Toddler Play Group (18-30 months)

Welcome to Toddlerhood!

Toddlerhood is such an exciting time. This is the time when children are no longer just observers and they are into a new mindset of discovery. There are so many changes that Toddlers go through, new skills that emerge and even their personalities make a drastic change.

Educators look at each Toddler, and set out opportunities for their sponge like minds to take in all this important information. This age is where the beginning stages of social play occur too! Solitary play is where children engage in play to satisfy their own curiosity and goals. As they grow this becomes parallel play. This is when children play alongside others (but there may not be any social interactions aside from just sharing materials). As Toddlers get older educators will facilitate positive interactions (i.e. Turn taking, appropriate social interactions and participation in groups and one-on-one). In a child led, educator supported classroom the children will explore the world around them. Educators will support the children in achieving skills under the following skill domains: Social, Emotional, Communication, Language, and Literacy, Cognition, Physical by providing opportunities such as:

• Modelling appropriate language and sentence structure in spoken word
• Enticing circle times with lots of varying activities to enhance language and introduce new words
• Creating safe environments where children can express their feelings, learning empathy and self-regulation
• Receptive (listening skills) and Expressive (Speaking) language, done by talking, listening to stories, responding to instructions and asking questions
• Problem solving (with support when appropriate), cause and effect exploration. Sorting, seriating (putting things in order i.e. smallest to biggest) and matching…just to name a few
• Gross motor play; with toys and activities that strengthen their big body movements
• Fine motor such as picking things up, using utensils with increased dexterity and purpose
• Sensory exploration; using the senses to explore functions and properties of objects, discrimination; using senses to differentiate the properties of materials and objects (i.e. rough and smooth) and motor integration; exploring objects and materials using hand eye coordination to do things like dump and fill, or lacing beads on a string

These skills can be enhanced through the following activities

• Creative art projects with various mediums (markers, paint, clay etc.)
• Circle Time with finger plays, songs, math games and reading
• Dramatic Play with various clothing and furniture
• Age appropriate mathematic exercises and experiences
• Age appropriate sport activities
• Music and movement opportunities with instruments and music
• Science experiments and activities
• Baking and Cooking Class
• Literacy Activities (letters recognition, phonetics and increasing vocabulary)
• Mathematic activities (counting, number recognition, positioning, grouping etc.)

Preschool (30+ months) 

After setting the foundation in our Toddler Program, children can graduate to the Preschool Class. We can help further develop your child’s academic competencies and prepare them to be successful in Kindergarten.

We have introduced the basic foundation for learning in our Toddler Program, and we can now progress them into more complex educational levels with these activities:

• Language and literacy enhancement (verbal and non-verbal communication), vocabulary, phonological awareness, using descriptive language, story-telling and simply enjoying literacy)
• Increasing mathematic concepts (Counting games, collecting and analyzing data, numerical representations, measuring: length, time, temperature, money and capacity, patterning and one to one correspondence)
• Writing exercises (holding writing utensils, increasing motor control, following a dotted line, eventually being able to write their name)
• Art creations (using different mediums to create pictures, sculptures, collages and paintings)
• Problem solving (logical reasoning, making connections between actions and consequences, reflecting and reaching conclusions; both self and as a group)
• Music class and exploring rhythm, sound, patterning and repetition)
• Beginning stages of reading (sight words)
• Self-identity and cultural exploration
• Social interactions (Peer entry skills, cooperation, conflict resolution)
• Emotional Skills Development (Autonomy, self-esteem, expressing and recognizing emotions, regulating behaviour and attention)

Junior/ Senior Kindergarten
(44+ months)

Our JK/SK program is designed to help prepare the child for the daily and annual routine of grade one. It is a full program that helps mould the child to know what to expect on their first year of school.

Each child will have their own personal work booklets, cubbies and personal pencil case. This will help teach them responsibility and organization of their own personal work space. They become aware of how to tidy up after themselves and receive homework once a week. At the end of the year each child will receive a report card from their teachers

Filled with education learning that surpasses the Board of Education guidelines

Covers all academic subjects of learning offered in school such as:

•     Mathematics
•     Language & Literacy
•     Science
•     Social Studies & Technology

BEFORE/AFTER (Schoolage)

Do you want your child to be productive even after school hours are over? You, like a lot of other parents, do.  This is why Early Years Day Care and Learning Centre has developed a program that is strategically arranged for before and after school hours.

The enrichment activities during this program provides for a strong sealing of what the child has learned for the day.  Their discoveries and experiences during school hours are solidified.

This program also allows for children to have social interaction, thus developing essential social skills that will ultimately lead them to healthy lifestyles and good choices for their future.

The Early Years Day Care Centre is pleased to offer high quality child care to school age children from 5 years -12 years of age. If your child is under the age of 5 and not currently enrolled in kindergarten operated by one of the school boards, please feel free to contact us for more programs appropriate for your child.

The primary goals of this program are to provide a comfortable, safe and stimulating environment to effectively meet the needs of school-aged children. The teaching staffs strive to build a respectful classroom community while meeting individual needs through various activities which are experimental, self-discovering and challenging. The children are encouraged to complete their homework during this time and together the children learn to work with one another in a social setting and in group activities.