Infant Program: 12 weeks-2 years 

At La Salle Kidz Inc., we provide care for our infants in collaboration with parents to ensure that the transition from home to daycare is as smooth as possible. We strive to satisfy each infant’s need for a close physical and emotional attachment.  We do this by holding, cuddling, interacting with them and being close to them at all times. We hope to build a positive relationship with our families and work cooperatively to support both families and children. We do this by greeting parents/guardians each day and exchanging information about the children. We also collaborate with parents/guardians on how to best meet each child’s individual needs. A daily record chart is used to further expand and strengthen communication between families and all caregivers in the Infant Room.

We offer a child-centered, family oriented infant program that is designed to promote a developmentally appropriate approach to foster each child’s social, emotional, physical and cognitive growth.  The environment is designed to be warm, safe, inviting and challenging for the different stages of infants. We observe closely and work as a team to modify and improve the space as each infant grows. For example, a basket ball hoop and a basket of balls are set up for our current infants who love to throw balls.

We follow an Emergent Curriculum approach to capture the children’s true interests and provide engaging and developmentally appropriate play experiences.  We believe that infants develop best when they are assured of having a trusted caregiver who can read their cues and respond to their needs.   A primary caregiver is established when an infant starts the program and the primary caregiver is responsible to fill out daily charts and document the children’s learning during the day through play in his/her group.

Our caregivers are educated and knowledgeable about child development and are able to read and respond to the infant’s needs and behaviors. The Infant Room has a scheduled routine to help children learn to understand the day and what comes next; however, this schedule is flexible and is adapted to meet the individual needs of each child. For example, if an infant requires two naps, our staff would work around our schedule for outdoor play time to make it possible for the infant to take the extra nap in the morning.

Caregivers optimize learning opportunities in planned play experiences as well as spontaneous play. For example, when participating in bubble play, a child practices fine motor skills by holding the bubble wand; develops gross motor skills by reaching out to the bubbles or crawling to where the bubbles are; develops hand-eye or foot-eye coordination when popping the bubbles with whole hand/foot, or fingers/toes, and develops social and communication skills by asking for more bubbles and popping together.

At La Salle Kidz Inc., we use caregiving routines such as diapering, dressing, handwashing, and meal times to promote learning. For example, when helping children dress for outdoor play, we help them develop language skills by talking to them about the items we are helping them to put on, the steps we take, and scaffolding the skills needed to dress themselves to foster independence.

At meal times we create a relaxing and enjoyable environment and stay close to the infants to provide supervision and interaction. We foster positive relationships between the children and optimize teachable moments.  We allow infants to explore their food, feed themselves and respond to their cues of feeling hungry or full.

We believe that language development is particularly crucial during the infant period and provide many opportunities for infants to engage in meaningful dialogue.  We acknowledge and encourage the infants’ forms of communication.  We use and teach sign language at times which gives infants who have not yet developed verbal language, the ability to communicate. This helps to reduce frustration while they are learning their verbal skills.

We encourage all children to learn about their environment through exploration, at their own pace by touching, tasting, vocalizing and through play.  We provide different play experiences that are both planned and spontaneous to encourage learning. We help encourage children develop social skills by helping them take turns, engage in role play, and encourage conversations with each other about what is happening.

The caregivers in our Infant Room meet regularly to talk about the environment, interactions, and each child’s needs and interests to enhance programming. Both our indoor and outdoor environment are set up with adequate space and play materials to allow our children to explore and participate in hands on play experiences. We have low shelves with open bins so the children can easily access the play materials. We consider all aspects of the children’s development and diversity in the program when implementing curriculum planning. We provide play materials and books that reflect diversity such as dolls and play foods from different culture.  Other ways include displaying posters, photos, and music. We also provide foods that are reflective of all different cultures and uniqueness of our children and their families, as well as our caregivers. The learning environment includes sensory, literacy, curiosity, movement, music, and outdoor experiences.  Our community is an extension of our program and we often journey out of the centre to play at local parks to explore and to learn more about the world around us.

The caregivers in our Infant Room work closely with our preschool caregivers to prepare our children to transition to preschool and ensure they are ready to embrace the next stage at our centre.

Preschool Program: 2 years-5 years

At La Salle Kidz Inc., each child is celebrated as a unique individual who deserves a wide variety of opportunities to grow and develop to his/her full potential. We believe that children learn best through play, and we place great emphasis on a child centered and play based curriculum.

At La Salle Kidz Inc., we believe that our role is to enhance the play environment by providing play materials and experiences that foster learning and growth. We follow an emergent curriculum, and our curriculum is based on fostering children’s physical, cognitive, social and emotional development while understanding each child’s individual needs, abilities, and interests. Our caregivers do this by interacting and building positive relationships with the children and providing developmentally appropriate and engaging play experiences, both planned and spontaneous.

Direct interactions that are both positive and respectful allow for genuine relationships to develop between the children and their educators, and families and educators.  Staff interacts with the children by getting down to their level, talking with them during transitions, routines and free play.  They encourage interactions between children by setting up space for two or more children to play together, suggesting activities that require children to participate together, and having smaller groups throughout the day.

We greet all families at the beginning of the day and share relevant information about the children at the end of the day to get to know our families.  This helps create an environment in which children feel accepted for their individuality and build positive relationship with families. We represent our children and families by posting photographs of children’s play, and providing foods that are reflective of all different cultures and uniqueness of our children and their families, as well as our caregivers.

We closely observe the children during play which allow us to understand their abilities, skills, and true interests. We take close notice to what the children are doing, what the children are saying, what they are learning, and what they are curious about. We use this information to plan for our interactions, arrange play space, and provide play materials and play experiences. We ask open-ended questions that build vocabulary, extend knowledge, and encourage creative thinking. Questions like, “What do you think?” or, “What will happen next,” encourage children to practice decision making and problem solving.  It is then important for us to consider what the children need, what can be provided, and how to best provide it.  We share these observations with our team, parents/guardians, and the children through verbal communication, and visible documentation such as bulletin boards, photo display, happy grams, etc. As the curriculum develops, we also share children’s learning and development through these postings and conversations with our families.

At La Salle Kidz Inc. we believe that the environment plays a very important role in children’s learning. Our environment, both indoor and outdoor provide adequate space and play materials to foster children’s development. We carefully consider room arrangement by creating specific learning areas, such as an art area, quiet area, science area, and dramatic play area. We also ensure that toys and other play materials are accessible and developmentally appropriate. Play areas and materials are arranged and changed monthly or as needed when different interests emerge. A carefully prepared environment enables children to make decisions, experiment, communicate, classify, order, practice fine motor movements, learn to get along with others, be creative, and more.

After close observations and environmental assessments, we develop and implement planned experiences that fosters children’s learning.  We invite children to the play experience provided and collect more information to determine what sparks their interests and stimulate learning.  We then provide play experiences that foster learning in all development areas. Music, science, math, literacy, art, and dramatic play experiences can all influence and enhance children’s learning.  For example, a painting activity can foster fine motor skills, cognitive knowledge, and social skills. The children practice using their fingers or paint brushes to paint, mixing colours into different colours, and share paint with each other. Another example of an activity that provides opportunity for learning is building with blocks. Children learn math skills by counting the blocks, balancing their structure, and exploring with height. Negotiating, teamwork, and problem solving can take place when a group of children build together. It is important for educators to actively participate in the experiences being provided by asking specific questions about what the children see, hear, feel, think, or would like to do next.  As children’s interests change, so does the curriculum.

We welcome all families and our community to participate in our curriculum. We include postings and play materials that reflect diversity – various cultures, race, abilities and gender. For example, we have dolls of various ethnicities, posters representing a variety of cultures and abilities and dress up clothes, food and dishes representing other countries. We welcome any ideas, information, or feedback that will enhance our programming.  We are committed to providing quality early learning and care for all children and families at our centre by offering a child-centered curriculum that suits each child’s needs. For example, we have a child who requires longer sleep time, our staff arranges the environment to allow this child to sleep longer, and at the same time still engages the other children in the group.

Throughout the day we provide a minimum of 45 minute blocks of free play time to allow children to make the most of learning opportunities. Our schedule is predictable but flexible and has few transitions.  For example, when children are engaged in an outdoor play, we may lengthen our outdoor time to ensure the play is not interrupted to maximize learning and development.

Kindergarten Program: 4-6 years

Our Kindergarten Program is offered to Kindergarten children attending school within the Seine River School Division.  Our program runs from 9:00am-3:30 Monday-Friday during the regular school year.  We do not provide care before & after school, on inservice days, school holidays/breaks, and on school closure days.

Our Kindergarten Program was put in place by La Salle Kidz Inc. when the division-run Kids at Play Program (KAP) was discontinued in June of 2024, and runs out of a classroom within La Salle School.

OUTDOOR PLAY

At La Salle Kidz Inc., we are committed to meeting the individual needs of all of the children that attend our programs.  Our curriculum is child-inspired and inquiry-driven, allowing children to have the opportunity to explore the world around them in a way that best suits them.  Nature has a beautiful way of meeting the children where they are at, and nature-based learning is a big part of what we do here at La Salle Kidz Inc.

In 2023, we provided programming for our children entirely outside for two full weeks (Two Weeks Outdoors Challenge).  This was tough at the beginning, but our staff and children found a way to make it an unforgettable experience, and chose to continue to incorporate outdoor play into every aspect of their programming for the remainder of the summer/fall, and even throughout the winter.

In 2024, the staff at both the Beaudry Site and the PR247 site participated in a 1000 Hours Outdoors Challenge!

This challenge began Monday, May 6, 2024.  Each site is spent as much time as they could outside in all weather conditions in order to log 1000 hours outdoors by December 24, 2024. 

Why do we spend so much time outdoors?

We view each child as curious, capable, inquisitive, and uniquely creative.  A child’s inherent curiosity is a natural motivator to continuously learn, grow, and understand the world they live in.  We want to lean into their curiosity and follow their lead when it comes to their interests, exploration, and learning.

Our staff have been taking a deeper dive into learning about nature-based education and the theories and practice surrounding land-based learning.  We have taken some time to learn about the benefits of outdoor play, and discuss some principles that will guide our work with the children.

We plan to follow the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada’s pillars of Forest and Nature School:

Trust- Trust is essential in outdoor education.  We need to trust one another, trust ourselves, trust our educators, and trust in the land.

Relationships- Reciprocal relationships with one another and the land is one of the most important pieces of nature education.  We plan to give back to the land as often as possible, only taking away memories and holding gratitude for the beautiful spaces and opportunities we have in this community.

Freedom– Children will have the freedom to explore the natural world in any way they see fit, and the educators will be able to teach authentically while watching the children learn at their own pace.  Freedom will exist in terms of the space we use, meaning that our boundaries will be flexible and customizable, based on the children’s age, size, abilities, and of course, the conditions of the land/weather.

Sounds like we are just letting the kids run wild, right?

Not quite..  There is intention behind everything we do.  The staff have carefully mapped out safe areas for play within our community and will be conducting site risk assessments to ensure risks of playing in community spaces, like the Mulch Area or Kingscrest Park for example, have been identified and mitigated as best as possible.

The staff also continuously conduct experience risk-benefit assessments on the riskier types of play, like tree climbing or playing with long sticks, for example.  They have learned how to properly do these risk assessments at staff meetings and workshops.  The staff always conduct risk-benefit assessments to determine if the benefit of the experience/activity outweighs the potential risk.

It is important for the staff, children, and families to fully understand the benefits of risky play, and why we allow children to engage is such play.  Navigating risk is an essential part of growth and development, and it’s our job to support children as they learn to engage in appropriate risky play opportunities that have been assessed by the educators.  Any sort of risky play experience is closely supervised by the staff, often at an enhanced ratio.  Educators encourage the children to determine whether or not something feels safe for them, rather than waiting for the adult to tell them what is safe for their bodies.  For example, instead of saying the blanket statement of, “be careful,” as an educator observes a child balancing on a long, wobbly log, they will stand next to the child and ask, “what’s your plan?”  This allows the child the opportunity to pause and think about what they want to accomplish, how they want to do it, and what would help them accomplish the task safely.  The educator could take a moment to brainstorm with the child and list ways to get across the log safely, or listen to the child’s ideas and make meaningful suggestions.  If the risk of them falling and injuring themselves is quite low, the educator will allow the child to try their idea first, and be there to support them along the way.

It is also crucial to understand the difference between a hazard (sources of harm/danger) and a risk (exposure to something that has potential to be dangerous).  We have worked to identify hazards that exist within our community, like the river and the railway tracks for example, and have found ways to ensure we do not engage in hazardous play at any time.

We will not:

-Play with matches, fire, lighters, etc.  We may build pretend camp fires during play, but we will NOT be starting fires anywhere at any time.

-Use sharp-edged tools, like hatchets and knives during play (staff may use pocket knives to assist them in things like building forts, carving /whittling sticks, etc. but the children will not be permitted to use such tools)

-Play near the river banks

-Play close to the man-made ponds

-Play near the train tracks

-Cross the train tracks where there are no sidewalks

-Walk along HWY 330 or PR247 where there are no sidewalks.  We WILL navigate side streets where there are no sidewalks (when necessary).

-Play on private property

-Put a child in a risky situation without them getting there themselves.  For example, we will never put a child up in a tree because they couldn’t climb to that height on their own.  If they couldn’t get there safely, it means they won’t be able to get down safely either.  If they want to climb the tree, the educator will then work with them on how to do it successfully on their own.

What about the weather?

We use the local weather forecast to create a loose plan for the week.  We plan to go outside in all weather at any time of the day, except during heat warnings, thunderstorm warnings, or blizzard-like conditions.  We use our best discretion to determine where the safest areas for play would be.  For example, if the day is very windy, we would not play in an area where there are old trees with dead branches that could possibly fall on us.  If the day is supposed to be wet and rainy, we will stay closer to the centres, in case we need to warm up, change out our gear, or dry off.  If the day is beautiful and we want to eat our lunch and snacks away from the centre, we will do just that!

Things to know:

There is value in regular and repeated access to the same natural space.  This allows for children to create connections with the land, make place-based memories with their peers, and observe changes in the space over time (especially when seasons change).  Allowing the children and staff to connect with natural spaces through regular and repeated visits also encourages the children to take care of the spaces they love.  We have some favourite spots to visit within the community, and they have been lovingly named as follows:

·       The Mulch: the area with mulch, boulders, and trees on the north side of PR247 across from the PR247 site

·       The Fields: the back fields of the community centre space

·       Kingscrest Park: the area in the centre of the loop of Kingscrest Drive

·       La Salle Forks: the greenspace between First and Second Avenue

·       Robin Alley: the greenspace between Robin Drive and De Vos Drive

·       The Ponds: the green, hilly space, adjacent to the man-made ponds just beyond the “Blue Green Park” on Country Vista Drive

·       Prairie View Park: green space across from the “Blue Green Park” between Country Vista Drive and Fourth Ave

·       The Swamp: just north of the curve on Schaubroeck Road, down the pathway that parallels the road there is a small area for closely supervised play that is tucked away from the road

Each site has a map posted on the wall in the hallway with google photos of the space, as well as actual photos of the area, so that you know exactly where we are with the children.

We bring wagons along with us, fully stocked with everything listed in our wagon inventory checklist (vital information, first aid supplies, equipment for the day, resource books, extra water, hand washing station, portable potty and privacy shelter, etc.)

We always do our best to have the children go to the bathroom before we venture out for the day, but it is inevitable that someone will have to go while we are out.  We have bathroom shelters that can be set up (collapsible tent) and a portable potty for the children to use.  We always bring warm, soapy water for a handwash stations, as well as baby wipes if needed.  All of these practices have been approved by our Child Care Coordinator at ELCC, as well as our Public Health Inspector.

Most preschool groups venture out around 9am and returning around 3pm.  Timing will depend on your child’s group (Bunnies, Bears, and our new Bears-in-Training group, the Cubs), the weather, the energy of the group, and staffing for the day.

We value the process of the adventure as much as getting to the destination.  It may take us a long time to get to where we are going, but we stop and take time to explore along the way.  We encourage the children to use their nature senses to see, hear, smell, and feel everything around them.  We may notice worms on the pathway and spend time watching them wiggle.  We may spot some robins building their nest in a small tree.  We may notice a rock snake hanging out along the pathway and decide to collect rocks to add to it.  We may even notice some litter in some of our favourite places and stop to clean it up along the way.

We want to ground our work in raising engaged, healthy, and vibrant children who take care of their community and all living things.  We are so fortunate to have a large group of educators who represent all of these things, and consistently do their best to ensure they instill a sense of environmental stewardship in the children we work with.

*We will continue to follow all licensing regulations, and established policies, and procedures while out on adventures away from the centre

*We will have enhanced ratios while we are out and about in the community.

Here’s what we need from PARENTS/GUARDIANS (starting May 1 of each year):

-Please have your preschool child at the centre each day NO LATER than 9:00am.  If you plan to drop off later than 9am, please be prepared to drop your child off with their group if they are out and about.  They will post on the doors of their classroom indicating where they are for the morning/day.

-If you drop off close to 9am, please have your child sunscreened and ready to go (in appropriate outdoor gear for the weather)

-If you pick up before 3:00pm, our Bears and Cubs may not be back from our adventures just yet.  Feel free to give us a call and let us know about your plan for an early pick up and we can tell you where your child’s group is.

-Please send a PICNIC lunch for your preschooler from May 1-early October (no matter which group they are in).  Picnic lunches do not need to be warmed in a microwave.  Please also send cutlery if your child will need.  Please still send all snacks.  Remember- the children will be using LOTS of energy on their adventures, so they may need a little bit more food in their bags to sustain them throughout the day.

-Each child will get their own small bag to bring along with us on adventures (see attached pic).  They will be expected to carry their lunch/snacks, a water bottle, and an extra set of clothes.  Please do not send extra things like toys, stuffies, etc.  Glass containers can get heavy as well, so keep that in mind when packing lunch/snacks.

-Closed-toe shoes are best for big adventures.  Sandals, crocs, and flip flops tend to create big blisters and make things very uncomfortable for your little adventurer.

-A sunhat (and sunglasses if your child prefers) are mandatory for outdoor play, especially in the hot summer months.

-A bathing suit and a towel that can stay at the centre and can be taken home on Fridays.  Having a bathing suit and a towel at the centre make impromptu water play days and splash pad visits much easier on everyone!

-Please send your child with the outdoor gear that they will need for the forecasted weather.  If you are unsure of how to dress your child for the day or what to send along, please don’t hesitate to ask your child’s educator.

-PLEASE LABEL ALL OF YOUR CHILD’S BELONGINGS

-Sometimes the staff may decide to do morning drop off outside in the centre’s play space.  If they make this decision, they will let parents know in your child’s journal or by a broadcast message through Fastoche the day before.

-BEAUDRY SITE ONLY: We will be sure to make it back to the school by the time Nursery School starts at 12:30.  We will drop off our friends to their classroom, then continue on our adventures.  We will be back at the centre by the time they are done their Nursery School class in the afternoon.

-The staff post about all of their adventures on Instagram, including how far they’ve adventured, how many hours they have spent outside each week, and what the children are learning about.

If you have any questions, thoughts, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact Sheena.

“While society is busy wondering and theorizing about what children need most, Mother Nature simply holds a space for the child to discover that themselves.”

Nicolette Sowder

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