Pat Schulz Child Care Centre
Our Program Statement
Pat Schulz Child Care Centre - Program Statement
Pat Schulz Child Care Centre is an inclusive child care centre with Infant, Toddler and Preschool Programs. We strive to provide high-quality play based education and care for young children. We believe that children are capable, competent and curious. We support children’s growth and development by reflecting How Does Learning Happen and Best Practice in our programs. The following Program Statement outlines our philosophy and the strategies used to reflect How Does Learning Happen throughout Pat Schulz Child Care.
Pat Schulz Child Care Centre provides a healthy and safe environment which supports well-being and nutrition for all children. We believe that a safe and secure environment, which supports the well-being of every child, provides the foundation upon which children are able to freely explore, express and develop. Educators are responsible for ensuring a safe and planned environment that supports inclusion and free exploration, through open-ended materials and program set-up. Educators will provide children the opportunity for independence and support their developing self-help skills through routines like diapering and hand washing. Meal time will be used as an opportunity for modelling and communicating healthy eating habits. PSCCC educators follow Public Health policy in all health and safety procedures and are up to date with First Aid and CPR training.
Pat Schulz Child Care Centre creates, and builds upon, positive relationships and interactions between children, families/caregivers and educators. We believe that communication and positive interactions between the child, families/caregivers and educators create an environment where we are able to best support the child’s development. Valuing families/caregivers as the expert on their child, we build relationships to support ongoing communication. The educators and families/caregivers engage in both written and verbal communication daily. Educators and families/caregivers work together to create an individual plan to support the child’s transition into the Centre. Educators collaborate with families/caregivers and each other to support positive transitions between programs. Monthly program meetings provide educators the opportunity to reflect on the needs of the individual children and families in the program. Through both verbal and written communication, educators will ensure they act collectively to family/caregiver requests and inquiries. PSCCC will support educators in meeting with families/caregivers out of the program time. PSCCC educators are provided with the opportunity to meet and collaborate outside of the program on a monthly basis. Through the meetings, staff are able to engage in open verbal communication to problem solve, discuss creative ideas and strategies and come to a shared understanding. Educators engage in team-building activities throughout the year, creating and maintaining a positive communication climate. PSCCC educators understand that teamwork and open communication promotes high-quality care in our programs.
Pat Schulz Child Care Centre provides opportunity for positive communication and interactions with peers, materials and the environment, while supporting self-regulation. We believe self-regulation is the foundation for children’s exploration, engagement and communication. The term “self-regulation” is used to refer to a range of characteristics and abilities. A child with self -regulatory skills is able to focus his or her attention, control his or her emotions and manage his or her thinking, behavior and feelings. Adults are very good at multitasking, but children are not. We value children’s expression and believe they are competent of engaging in meaningful interactions and communication with peers. Educators model positive interactions and communication throughout the day by participating in active listening and recognizing and encouraging children’s efforts. By reading and responding to the child’s cues, they support an ongoing practice of communication skills. Exploring the concepts of perspective taking and empathy, the educators support the children in interacting positively with each other. Through programmed and spontaneous experiences, we explore identifying emotions and support developing self-regulation; providing language, strategies, and positive redirection to overcome stressors.
Pat Schulz Child Care Centre educators follow the child’s lead and provide planned and spontaneous opportunity for exploration, play and inquiry. We understand that children construct knowledge and learn through play. As co-learners, the educators at PSCCC identify, support and provide opportunities for children to engage in meaningful play. PSCCC educators are active partners in play, observing and documenting the children’s interests, developmental level and inquiries. In collaboration with each other, educators plan meaningful and fulfilling experiences to enrich children’s play. Educators use a variety of strategies to support children’s exploration; asking open-ended questions, broadcasting children’s actions and participating in exploring the materials.
Pat Schulz Child Care Centre educators provide both child initiated and adult supported experiences that best reflect the needs and interests of the children. We believe that a holistic program must provide both child initiated and adult supported experiences to foster emerging skills. Children are curious, competent and capable of independent exploration and constructing their own knowledge. The educator engages as co-learner to enrich children’s investigations, questions and observations. PSCCC educators reflect on the environment, recognizing its role in children’s play and adapting it to support their inquiry and exploration. Providing accessible materials through each curriculum area supports child initiated play and independent skill development. Educators recognize the interests and questions of the children, and use that knowledge to enrich experiences. Through weekly emergent curriculum, the educators plan, implement and support skill development.
Pat Schulz Child Care Centre provides a positive environment where each child is able to learn and develop. We believe the environment is the third teacher and through a planned environment we create a sense of belonging and provide the opportunity for each child to learn. PSCCC educators reflect and collaborate on the physical environment, adapting it to support the needs of all children, providing space for children to engage with different levels of activity. This supports their learning as a planned environment decreases stressors and potential conflicts. Educators reflect on the environment to ensure it supports individual needs and development and adapts it to remove potential barriers to inclusion.
Pat Schulz Child Care Centre provides active and quiet programming, in indoor and outdoor environments, that balance individual and group needs. We believe that children benefit from learning in a variety of environments; both indoor and outdoor, quiet and active, and therefore incorporate these elements into our program daily. The practice of broadcasting and visual transitional schedules support individual children throughout transitions. PSCCC has flexible room schedules, to ensure each program has access to outdoor time. In accordance with the Child Care Early Years Act, we provide a minimum two hours outdoor time. In the case of inclement weather, active play will be provided indoors. To support individual needs, educators collaborate with families to document and integrate individual needs into the program. Each program offers a rest period, based on the developmental needs of the child. The Infant program provides rest periods determined by the child’s individual schedule. The Toddler and Preschool programs provide a rest period no more than two hours.
Pat Schulz Child Care Centre educators continue to engage in ongoing communication with families/caregiver. We believe that through open communication and collaboration between families/caregivers collaboration with families, we reflect their diversity in meaningful ways within our programs; adding photos, language and celebrations. Our programs offer an open-door policy, inviting families to come and engage in our program.
Pat Schulz Child Care Centre engages and explores our community, enriching our program and supporting our families. We believe children are competent and capable to be active participants in their community and this creates meaningful experiences. Educator’s research and plan safe and enriching community activities, such as visiting local parks and shops. This provides opportunity for the children to engage with community members, e.g., crosswalk monitor, policeman/fireman and shop owners. As well, we invite local community guests into the centre, using these resources in the community to enrich our program based on the children’s interests. We collaborate with community agencies and resource teachers, on an ongoing basis, to support children and families/caregivers with additional resources.
Pat Schulz Child Care Centre supports and encourages educators to engage in continuous professional learning and act as a leader in the community, supporting the professional learning of students and volunteers. We believe that as reflective practitioners, we have a responsibility to pursue professional development opportunities and to support students to develop their skills as educators. PSCCC educators engage in reflective practice in monthly program meetings; where reflective questions from How Does Learning Happen will be discussed as a team. We inform each other’s practice as we continue to update our understanding of research, theory and best practice. PSCCC provides educators the opportunity to engage in professional learning in the community; taking seminars, conducting site visits and participating in workshops. PSCCC and its educators are leaders in the community, continually advocating for children and families. We support students from community ECE programs in developing skills and increasing their knowledge in a field placement setting.
Pat Schulz Child Care Centre educators will review and reflect on our ability to provide quality care and education by reviewing the Program Statement annually. We believe self-reflection is critical in providing quality care and education and ensuring our programs are successful in supporting children and families. During annual educator’s evaluations, educators will review and reflect on the Program Statement. They will present areas of strengths and areas for improvement and create goals with the support of the Supervisor. PSCCC will provide families/caregivers with an annual survey, to reflect on our ability to implement the Program Statement in our programs. This feedback will be reviewed and understood by the educators. The educators will collaborate on strategies to reflect family feedback and apply it to the Program Statement and their practice.