Programming

The curriculum we follow is called Flight; Alberta’s Early Learning and Care Framework. This curriculum is different than a traditional curriculum, we use the goals in the framework to describe and interoperate children’s everyday experiences. Our early childhood curriculum is focused on broad holistic goals instead of specific outcomes for each subject area. We embrace children’s differences and encourage them to be mighty learners and citizens!

Our curriculum offers lots of open ended activities, so that the children can learn through play and to have opportunities to think for themselves. We allow the children to explore through messy play because this gives them the chance to playfully explore and investigate properties of objects and experiment with action an d reaction! This helps to build confidence and independence.

Here at our centre, we love to get our parents and families involved as often as we can, whether it is to join us for story time, bring in family photos and aspects of their home, participate in our field trips, or  bring in their new little ones, etc…

This is such a great way for our children to connect with one another and our staff to feel a sense of home, safeness, confidence and community while they are here in our care.

We love to include these aspects in our teachings, it allows us to form better relationships with the children as well as the children being able to better connect with each other which is also why we love to include family photos in each of our classrooms. This also helps the children when they are feeling shy, scared or miss their families as they can look at the photos whenever they feel.

Having parent and family participation also allows us to ensure that all their child/children’s needs are met. When parents and caregivers are partners in their day-to-day activities; children thrive. Childcare staff works in collaboration with parents to offer each other support and insight into the lives of the children they care for and about. Because a child’s identity is rooted in his/her family, there is a level of security that comes with knowing parents trust teachers and a mutual respect exists.  If they see that their parents are comfortable, safe and enjoying themselves the children are also more likely to feel this way as well.

Here at our centre we strongly believe our role as an Early Learning and Child Care Educator is to be a “co-learner”, “co-imaginer” and “co-researcher”. What do those terms mean? Well, as a co-learner we play, seek, participate, persists and care alongside children during their experiences and their families which allows for opportunities of extending their play or allowing the children to learn how to think for themselves, be independent and to feel confident in their skills.

As a co-researcher it is our job to have questions, investigate, reflect, interpret and share with the children our ideas and thoughts to allow for curiosity and exploring.

 As a co-imaginer it is our jobs to imagine all the possibilities, wonders, creates, invent and take risks in the spirit of learning to allow the children to have a sense of self and feel creative and motivated.

Outdoor play is very important to our program. Playing outside gives your child the chance to explore the natural environment and have adventures. Your child can play games, test their physical limits, express themselves and build their self-confidence. Outdoor play can also mean more mess – and more mess often means more fun! Our educators take the children outside in all weather, as long as it is safe to do so. 

We let kids be kids. Play is at the core of how we approach our programming and activities for children and build on that to facilitate learning. Each of our educators helps to facilitate child-initiated and child-directed play by providing stimulating and challenging materials, equipment and experiences for children.

Messy play is always encouraged. 
 

At the Provost Daycare, something we have strived very hard to achieve is a warm, welcoming, and responsive environment. The Curriculum Framework strongly encourages the use of natural materials, neutral colors, and access to real life materials. In our spaces you’ll find aspects that remind the children of being at home, such as cozy corners, family photos, plants, live animals, real furniture, etc. The neutral colors in our space help to provide a calming environment, and the real life materials provide the children opportunities to learn how to use them in their lives. Some real life materials you may notice in our center are tools, cooking utensils, maps, cookbooks, real glass dishes, mirrors, and glass containers for materials.