We are a Mixed age group Setting
Our facility has 8 preschoolers and 4 toddler spaces. Both programs are ran in one room, which also
contains a kitchen area, bathrooms, and an infant change area.
Currently our centre has 4 full time staff including director, an ECEIII, an ECE II, and 2 Child care
assistants currently working in our program.
Our toddlers and preschoolers both have flexible schedules, based on the children’s needs. The
toddlers nap in the afternoon which keeps within the general schedule of the preschool children.
The preschoolers and toddlers are seperated at 10:00am to do art, circle and have outside or gym time and come together at 11:45am for lunch. We feel that this is important during these activities to ensure that each age group is doing developmentally appropriate and stimulating projects for their developmenal needs. While the toddlers and younger preschool children are napping behind the curtain, the non napping children will rest for a period of time, and then engage in a science, literature or other events that are age approprate.
Our room set up allows for all the children to eat in the same area, but split into 2 groups at different size tables and also booster seats/high chairs for the younger children.
The room is set up with toys and activities for ages 1 year to 5 years, and the staff will help the
children use the toys and do the activities suitable to their developmental level. We believe that it’s important for children of all ages to spend time with children both older and younger than them. It teaches the older children many skills such as patience, self-help and empathy, and the younger children learn social skills, ways to play and it enhances their language. Our set up offers all the children greater social interaction.
contains a kitchen area, bathrooms, and an infant change area.
Currently our centre has 4 full time staff including director, an ECEIII, an ECE II, and 2 Child care
assistants currently working in our program.
Our toddlers and preschoolers both have flexible schedules, based on the children’s needs. The
toddlers nap in the afternoon which keeps within the general schedule of the preschool children.
The preschoolers and toddlers are seperated at 10:00am to do art, circle and have outside or gym time and come together at 11:45am for lunch. We feel that this is important during these activities to ensure that each age group is doing developmentally appropriate and stimulating projects for their developmenal needs. While the toddlers and younger preschool children are napping behind the curtain, the non napping children will rest for a period of time, and then engage in a science, literature or other events that are age approprate.
Our room set up allows for all the children to eat in the same area, but split into 2 groups at different size tables and also booster seats/high chairs for the younger children.
The room is set up with toys and activities for ages 1 year to 5 years, and the staff will help the
children use the toys and do the activities suitable to their developmental level. We believe that it’s important for children of all ages to spend time with children both older and younger than them. It teaches the older children many skills such as patience, self-help and empathy, and the younger children learn social skills, ways to play and it enhances their language. Our set up offers all the children greater social interaction.
"Play nourishes every aspect of children’s development. It forms the foundation of intellectual, social, physical and emotional skills necessary for success in school and in life." Hewes, 2006
Our Curriculum Statmentment
This statement explains how we support children’s learning and development in our play-based curriculum.
Staff organizes interactions and build relationships to promote learning by getting down to the children’s level while interacting with them. We ask open ended questions, use positive phrases, play with them and extend on their play by giving the children ideas &
suggestions.
We encourage children to build relationships with other children by role modeling, helping them to join in play with other children by guiding them what to say and do, we provide the resources for the
children such as group activities, and we assess the environment for play by watching what is going on and making the necessary changes.
Staff builds relationships with families by daily interactions. We have a small centre in a small community and this makes it easier to build the relationships. The parents are welcomed in and encouraged to stay and hang out, they join their children for lunch, we write daily reports for the infants, we have holiday parties which all the parents and grandparents are invited too, we do monthly newsletters and email with everyday communication.
We relay information to the parents about the children’s learning and development through verbal communication and emails, positive information about children’s skills and happy grams.
We assess the environment and play to make sure there is an appropriate amount of toys, materials and stimulation for the children. We put out materials that the children are interested in. We listen to the children and observe their actions and conversations to determine what their interests are. When the children’s play is not constructive we change the space and materials to make it more interesting. We also base it on the staff’s feelings.
At KFELC we follow a daily consistent schedule but the times are flexible. Everything gets done in a day but we follow the children’s needs and they let us know when they are ready for change. We have minimal transitions during the day to ensure the day flows as smoothly as possible.
We plan the children’s experiences based on the seasons and what is available in our community & school as far as events and activities. We follow the children’s interests by listening for cues
and watching their play to determine what experiences and activities are going to interest them the most.
We provide art experiences to children to help them practice fine motor skills, to give them the opportunity to express themselves and have sensory experiences (glue is sticky, paint is wet, etc).
We read stories to children so they can learn concepts and for a different way of learning (through pictures, listening, observing, etc). We provide lots of play experiences because it is the most natural way for children to learn in a fun environment, and it is proven to be the most beneficial way of
learning for children of this age.
Diversity in our centre is well established. We expose children to similarities and differences through the materials in our environment, such as dolls, books and play food. Some of our furniture shows people of different races, gender and abilities. We serve different types of foods and learn words from different languages such as German & Ukrainian because families in our centre speak
those languages at home.
Staff organizes interactions and build relationships to promote learning by getting down to the children’s level while interacting with them. We ask open ended questions, use positive phrases, play with them and extend on their play by giving the children ideas &
suggestions.
We encourage children to build relationships with other children by role modeling, helping them to join in play with other children by guiding them what to say and do, we provide the resources for the
children such as group activities, and we assess the environment for play by watching what is going on and making the necessary changes.
Staff builds relationships with families by daily interactions. We have a small centre in a small community and this makes it easier to build the relationships. The parents are welcomed in and encouraged to stay and hang out, they join their children for lunch, we write daily reports for the infants, we have holiday parties which all the parents and grandparents are invited too, we do monthly newsletters and email with everyday communication.
We relay information to the parents about the children’s learning and development through verbal communication and emails, positive information about children’s skills and happy grams.
We assess the environment and play to make sure there is an appropriate amount of toys, materials and stimulation for the children. We put out materials that the children are interested in. We listen to the children and observe their actions and conversations to determine what their interests are. When the children’s play is not constructive we change the space and materials to make it more interesting. We also base it on the staff’s feelings.
At KFELC we follow a daily consistent schedule but the times are flexible. Everything gets done in a day but we follow the children’s needs and they let us know when they are ready for change. We have minimal transitions during the day to ensure the day flows as smoothly as possible.
We plan the children’s experiences based on the seasons and what is available in our community & school as far as events and activities. We follow the children’s interests by listening for cues
and watching their play to determine what experiences and activities are going to interest them the most.
We provide art experiences to children to help them practice fine motor skills, to give them the opportunity to express themselves and have sensory experiences (glue is sticky, paint is wet, etc).
We read stories to children so they can learn concepts and for a different way of learning (through pictures, listening, observing, etc). We provide lots of play experiences because it is the most natural way for children to learn in a fun environment, and it is proven to be the most beneficial way of
learning for children of this age.
Diversity in our centre is well established. We expose children to similarities and differences through the materials in our environment, such as dolls, books and play food. Some of our furniture shows people of different races, gender and abilities. We serve different types of foods and learn words from different languages such as German & Ukrainian because families in our centre speak
those languages at home.
Infant Curriculum Statement
We at the Kids First Early Learning Center take every opportunity to interact with infants as well as their parents at drop off and pick up times with warm conversations. We discuss how the infants night and morning was with the parent, as well as any other concerns or issues the infant is having. This will ensure that we adjust their day accordingly.
We keep the same staff with the infants. This allows for the infant to bond with staff and feel secure while at daycare. Infants thrive on consistency and because of that our center follows a daily routine so that infants know what will happen next, with very few transitions. The transitions that we do have are done in a calm manner and in the same order everyday so it’s consistent and based on their moods. We are fortunate at our small center that we have the ability to be flexible with times of the routine in order to meet the needs of each and every infant in our program. For example if children are tired we let them sleep. If they are hungry we feed them.
If it is a beautiful day outside and all children are involved in play we may spend more time outside rather than what our schedule dictates.
There are many times during the daily routine that we have a chance to spend one on one quality time with each infant. During diapering times we take the opportunity for a relaxed one on one conversation, we will label our actions during the diaper change, providing language and building trust to what is happening as they become part of the
diapering procedure. The diapering environment is organized to support a sooth caregiving routine by having the
supplies close by, one on one attention to the infant being changed and is located in a private space of our centre. At nap time we get the opportunity to have nurturing cuddle time with the infants. This may include rocking, singing
lullabies or just simply sitting beside them and rubbing their backs.
Allowing the infants to learn through play is very important at our center in order to encourage problem solving,
socialization, and independence. At our center we have a mixed age group which allows the infants to interact with older and younger children. Mixed age group fosters peer learning such as modeling, empathy and increased language skills. The children at the center are split into two groups so the infants are engaged in age appropriate play, circle and art. Gentle play is strongly encouraged, using their words instead of their hands when frustrated.
The center has a variety of age appropriate cultural diverse toys and books for example in the dramatic play area we have multicultural dolls, clothing, and foods. Our books reflect children from around the world, so that the children gain an understanding of similarities and differences in people.
We have an open play space where children are allowed to choose the toys they play with and choose how they play with the toys. Our art shelf is always available for the infants to explore materials and create. Self-discovery is very important at our center that is why we organize toys into small baskets that are easily accessible to all the infants. This
allows the infants to take them off the shelf and use any or all of the toys inside the basket. Staff ensures that only infant “safe” toys are out at all times. Any toys that are not safe or that have small pieces are only taken out at nap time and the staff ensures that all the unsafe objects are put back before nap time is over. Toys are rotated based on the children’s interest and popularity of a toy. For the infants we use themed based curriculum that reflects the current seasons, community events and other topics that are part of the infants environment (animals, food, ect). The themes are posted on a calendar on the parent board and staffs have boxes they keep their planning in.
The Staff are involved in play by asking questions, labeling and describing feelings and using words to describe what is
going on in the environment around them. Example: while the infants are observing birds at our bird feeder the staff will explain that the birds are eating food and the seeds in the feeder are food for the birds like fruit is food for the infants. We talk about our feelings and peers feelings to teach how children may be feeling as a result of the infant’s actions. Example when an infant shares her doll with a friend the staff will say “you made sally happy by sharing the doll.”
Staff shares information with the parents via newsletters, email, phone calls, and written notes, in person as well as on our blog. This allows parents to see what their children are doing every day and communication with parents is very important. At our center we treat every infant as an individual and knows that every infants schedule is different
therefore flexibility in our daily schedules is very important to accommodate differences in infant’s schedules. This is especially important when a child first starts in our program.
The center is very small so it makes it very easy to take the time to bond with each and every infant, as well it allows
for us to build strong trusting relationships with the parents. For example we often see the children outside center hours at events in the community. The children, families and staff are reflected in our program as pictures on our
“Family Tree” mural. The community of Inglis and surrounding area is reflected in our walks through town, being part of the school and being invited to watch their plays, concert and take part in their spirit day events.
We keep the same staff with the infants. This allows for the infant to bond with staff and feel secure while at daycare. Infants thrive on consistency and because of that our center follows a daily routine so that infants know what will happen next, with very few transitions. The transitions that we do have are done in a calm manner and in the same order everyday so it’s consistent and based on their moods. We are fortunate at our small center that we have the ability to be flexible with times of the routine in order to meet the needs of each and every infant in our program. For example if children are tired we let them sleep. If they are hungry we feed them.
If it is a beautiful day outside and all children are involved in play we may spend more time outside rather than what our schedule dictates.
There are many times during the daily routine that we have a chance to spend one on one quality time with each infant. During diapering times we take the opportunity for a relaxed one on one conversation, we will label our actions during the diaper change, providing language and building trust to what is happening as they become part of the
diapering procedure. The diapering environment is organized to support a sooth caregiving routine by having the
supplies close by, one on one attention to the infant being changed and is located in a private space of our centre. At nap time we get the opportunity to have nurturing cuddle time with the infants. This may include rocking, singing
lullabies or just simply sitting beside them and rubbing their backs.
Allowing the infants to learn through play is very important at our center in order to encourage problem solving,
socialization, and independence. At our center we have a mixed age group which allows the infants to interact with older and younger children. Mixed age group fosters peer learning such as modeling, empathy and increased language skills. The children at the center are split into two groups so the infants are engaged in age appropriate play, circle and art. Gentle play is strongly encouraged, using their words instead of their hands when frustrated.
The center has a variety of age appropriate cultural diverse toys and books for example in the dramatic play area we have multicultural dolls, clothing, and foods. Our books reflect children from around the world, so that the children gain an understanding of similarities and differences in people.
We have an open play space where children are allowed to choose the toys they play with and choose how they play with the toys. Our art shelf is always available for the infants to explore materials and create. Self-discovery is very important at our center that is why we organize toys into small baskets that are easily accessible to all the infants. This
allows the infants to take them off the shelf and use any or all of the toys inside the basket. Staff ensures that only infant “safe” toys are out at all times. Any toys that are not safe or that have small pieces are only taken out at nap time and the staff ensures that all the unsafe objects are put back before nap time is over. Toys are rotated based on the children’s interest and popularity of a toy. For the infants we use themed based curriculum that reflects the current seasons, community events and other topics that are part of the infants environment (animals, food, ect). The themes are posted on a calendar on the parent board and staffs have boxes they keep their planning in.
The Staff are involved in play by asking questions, labeling and describing feelings and using words to describe what is
going on in the environment around them. Example: while the infants are observing birds at our bird feeder the staff will explain that the birds are eating food and the seeds in the feeder are food for the birds like fruit is food for the infants. We talk about our feelings and peers feelings to teach how children may be feeling as a result of the infant’s actions. Example when an infant shares her doll with a friend the staff will say “you made sally happy by sharing the doll.”
Staff shares information with the parents via newsletters, email, phone calls, and written notes, in person as well as on our blog. This allows parents to see what their children are doing every day and communication with parents is very important. At our center we treat every infant as an individual and knows that every infants schedule is different
therefore flexibility in our daily schedules is very important to accommodate differences in infant’s schedules. This is especially important when a child first starts in our program.
The center is very small so it makes it very easy to take the time to bond with each and every infant, as well it allows
for us to build strong trusting relationships with the parents. For example we often see the children outside center hours at events in the community. The children, families and staff are reflected in our program as pictures on our
“Family Tree” mural. The community of Inglis and surrounding area is reflected in our walks through town, being part of the school and being invited to watch their plays, concert and take part in their spirit day events.