Preschool Curriculum Statement
Day Nursery Centre operates on a philosophy of providing quality care and developmentally appropriate experiences so that every child may grow to his/her fullest potential as an individual. Learning opportunities are planned in a way that encourages children to express their ideas and feelings, to develop problem-solving skills, reasoning skills, and to enhance self-confidence. We provide self-expressive and open-ended materials (without fixed limits or restrictions) that encourage hands-on use to enhance the use of imagination and build upon all areas of development: social, emotional, physical, and cognitive. There are opportunities for exploration and learning about different aspects of the living world around us. Our educators are dedicated to providing opportunities for children to connect to nature. We encourage all children to be respectful of themselves, others and their environment.
We use an Emergent Curriculum approach for planning, observing and assisting us on what directions to take learning opportunities for children. This approach is based on the children’s interests and passions as well as the adults’ learning and experiences. Planning for an Emergent Curriculum requires observation, documentation, creative brainstorming, research, flexibility and patience. Staff record the Children’s play and conversations/ideas on a curriculum web, in notebooks and by taking photos or video. Our environment, interactions and experiences are planned by staff who observe, listen to and ask open-ended questions of children and realize the importance of a child-centred approach to learning. A child-centred approach promotes the rights of the child to choose, make connections and communicate. It allows freedom for children to think, experience, explore, question and search for answers.
Play is the building block of a child’s intellectual, social, emotional, physical and language skills and through play children develops social skills, problem-solving skills and interpersonal skills. A large portion of a child’s day at Day Nursery Centre is spent in free play. This is a time when the children are choosing which activity or project they would like to pursue; staff may be engaged in play with children, or may be documenting the children’s play in order to learn more about the children’s interests and needs. Staff may also be seen talking to the children about their play, adding materials to areas or encouraging conversations among peers.
Staff meets regularly to discuss the environment, interactions and experiences or activities as well as the interests and needs of each individual child and group. When planning these three components of the curriculum, we take into consideration all aspects of a child’s development, children’s various cultures and diversity and incorporate it into their daily times of free play as well as regular transitions and routines of the day.
A child’s day at Day Nursery Centre includes both flexibility and structure. Through the relationships we form, we strive to foster meaningful interactions, a desire for lifelong learning, and a sense of fulfilment and independence.