Stony Mountain Child Care Centre Co-op Inc.  

Stony Mountain Child Care Center Curriculum Statement.

 

We believe that children are unique individuals, who learn best through a play-based environment.  Children at our centre are provided opportunities to learn, and explore which in turn helps them develop individually and form relationships with others.

 

To promote play, staff will sit at children’s level.  They will ask open-ended questions and encourage others to join to promote friendships. This also allows children the opportunity to talk about what they are doing and what they understand.  Staff will encourage children’s participation, by leading and being involved in play. 

 

Staff write daily posters for parents to help parents be informed with the activities throughout the day.  Photos are used to capture learning moments and promote communication between, staff, children and their parents. Daily activities are chartered which lists experiences in specific curriculum areas and are posted on the parent bulletin.

 Staff greet all families during arrivals and departures and make an effort to positively communicate their child’s day.  We welcome families to join us for fieldtrips, special activities or to share experiences with the children at our centre. We want families to feel that they are part of our centre.

 

The environment at Stony Mountain Child Care Center allows for children’s individual exploration.  Staff change equipment and add materials based on children’s needs, interests and abilities.  The room is arranged to allow for small groups.  A quiet area is set up for children relax and read.  Small groups are encouraged to limit wait times and encourage individual exploration.  Staff split group times up according to age in different areas of the room, to allow for age appropriate experiences. 

 

Our daily schedule provides flexible blocks of time for free play, both inside the centre and outdoors.  Through observing staff will recognize when its time to transition to the next activity.  Children will be given a five-minute transition warning to allow them to prepare for a change in the activity. 

 

During the day, staff uses their daily interactions with children to observe and then plan experiences that reflect the children interests. Staff are allotted time to plan activities and get materials ready for the children.  Both planned and spontaneous activities are provided for the children at our centre.  Children are encouraged to actively be a part getting organized for an activity.  Staff are purposeful and intentional had have specific goals in mind for the children participating

 

By offering a variety of planned and spontaneous play experiences throughout the day, children are given time to investigate their environment which they live and recognize similarities and differences amongst each other.  Living in a community with quarries provides children opportunities to explore their surroundings, learn about the past though fossils hunts, and discover different wildlife.  Staff utilize our outdoor space as much as possible though out the day as it is a huge part of our program regardless of weather which makes our program unique.  Staff incorporates the weather into our program and make the best of most situations, which in turn encourages children to enjoy their surroundings.  Throughout the year we ask families to bring in photos, or materials for their children to share with their friends.  This provides them with an opportunity to talk about things that are important to them and share new experiences with their friends. Staff then incorporates ideas that the children share into the daily experiences. 

 

Through the experiences we provide, we promote friendships, which helps children develop their social skills and communication skills.   Our play-based environment encourages exploration, and investigating.  Children can use the opportunities given them to enhance their creativity, and develop their sensory skills as well as their problem solving skills.  Play promotes children’s learning development and it is our role as early childhood educators to provide all children with opportunities to learn while having fun and to grow.