Early
Childhood Development Program
Educare has a small
staff/child ratio. We offer language
enrichment for every child, encouraging emergent
literacy
through themed based stories, dramatic play, songs,
and finger plays. Children also learn how to
relate with others through
social skills intervention and confidence enhancing
programming.
We have themes that
change monthly, and are never repeated in two years
(for returning children). We offer our
children a
variety of different daily activities at our Art
Centre, Dramatic Area, Science Centre, and Writing
Centre.
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Speech-Language Program
A child's facility with
language is one of the most significant predictors
of school success. The children at Educare
receive speech-language services from a qualified
Speech-Language Pathologist. This involves
assessment and identification of children who have
mild/moderate or severe language delays.
Parents are provided training and tools to assist
their child at home through workshops and parent
sessions. They have access to the contracted
Speech-Language Pathologist as a resource.
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Family Literacy
Program
The E.L.F.F. (Educare
Literacy for Families) program was established in
2003, and is funded through the Suncor Energy
Foundation.
Our E.L.F.F. program
provides literacy programming for children and
families, and various parenting workshops, with the
assistance of a trainer facilitator. The
program assists children in developing emergent
literacy skills through stories, songs, and
awareness of alphabet letters and sounds.
Parents develop literacy skills as they learn to
read to and interact with their child at the
preschool and in their homes. This program is
open to community members, runs several times
throughout the school year, and is facilitated by
one of the staff of Educare's Early
Intervention Program.
There are other parenting topics also
incorporated briefly into the program each week,
such as:
Why is Family Literacy Important?
If children have a
good knowledge base of literacy and words, it is
one less challenge they will have to face
heading into their school years. A child's
language is one of the most important predictors
of success later in life.
"We learn more in the first five years than any
other point in life. It is important for
parents to get involved with their
children and ensure they are gaining the most
they can during this developmental stage."
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Program Enhancement
The program enhancement
component of Educare's Early Intervention Program
provides additional opportunities for learning:
Social Skills Program-Four
different topics of Social Skills are covered
throughout the year. Our Program Enhancement
Facilitator, along with videos and books, teaches
the children about:
- Say Please (Use
your manners)
- Use Your Words
- Everybody is
Different
- My Body Belongs
to Me
Reading Center-Stories
are read to children on a daily basis through
different means:
Writing Center-Children
work on their fine motor and preprinting skills to
help then prepare for Kindergarten. We
encorporate the "Writing Without Tears" method in
the classroom.
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Family Resource
Program
Parents are a child's
first teacher. When parents have the skills
and resources to effectively support their child,
excellent outcomes are realized. The Family
Resource Coordinator provides home visits and
consultation to families in an effort to answer
questions and provide referrals to community
agencies or to provide support for parenting issues.
All children have contact with Educare's Family
Resource Coordinator.
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Sensory Integration Program
We provide
specialized Sensory Integration Therapy to children
in our program who have been recognized as having
Sensory Integration Disorder (DSI). Our
children (and parents) also receive one on one time
with a
physiotherapist who helps them understand and
implement effective solutions at home.
We are proud to have
the most well equipped Sensory room in the
Municipality, with thanks to the Wild Rose
Foundation.
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Rock-A-Tots Music Program
Our staff knew that
children would benefit with more exposure to music
and instruments, and so we developed and
incorporated a
“Rock-a-Tot’s” program into our weekly routine.
Our program helps children with sequential learning,
which is an essential component
to reading comprehension. It also helps
develop rhythm and coordination. Research has
shown that participation in a music program
actually helps "organize" the brain in such a way
that children are better able to learn in other
areas, including language, math, and spatial skills.
Our music program
coordinator, introduces different musical hand
instruments to the children. They learn the
name of the instrument along with the different
sounds each one makes. Our program also
teaches them about rhyming & poetry, and the
concepts of fast & slow, high & low (sound), and
hard & soft (sound). The children love it, and
are intrigued by Rocky and the stories he shares
about his time spent while he is “at home”.
They are always eager to comply with his request to
sing a song for him
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Seeds of Empathy
We are proud to be the
pioneers of the Seeds of Empathy program in our
Municipality!
We provide ten
structured themes to the children, including baby
and me, crying, feeling loved, friends, who am I,
and more.
The SOE program provides the children with
interactive, hands on learning. Children are
provided opportunities to learn
about the feelings of others, and themselves.
Our SOE program also
helps prevent bullying in the future, by teaching
the children about compaction, emotion, and
understanding.
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