Our Programs

This program is offered in partnership with The Birchwood Circle of Care.

The most significant predictor of school success is a child’s language development upon entering Kindergarten.  Language development plays a fundamental role in early childhood education as it lays the foundation for communicating and learning for the rest of a child’s life.  Children need to develop their speech and language before they can read, demonstrate understanding, and form meaningful connections with the world around them. At Educare, children receive speech and language services from our certified Speech Language Pathologist. This involves screening, assessment, and identification of children who have mild/moderate or severe speech delays. It also involves supporting children throughout the year in targeting developmental goals, or in building upon existing skills.  Parents are correspondingly offered activities to assist in their child’s speech and language development at home.

This program is offered in partnership with Clearwater Physical Therapy and has been largely supported by the Fort McMurray Kinsman Club.

Gross motor development plays a crucial role in early childhood education and influences a child’s ability to complete fine motor skill movements. The physical development of a child targets their muscular strength, coordination, and body movement control.  It also lays the foundation for daily life, with research proving that a lack of motor skills can likewise cause a lack of social skills and lead to increased behaviour problems.  Children at Educare receive gross motor services from our certified Physiotherapist. This involves screening, assessment, and identification of children who have a gross motor delay.  It also involves supporting children throughout the year in targeting developmental goals, or in strengthening existing skills.  In addition to this, gross and fine motor activities are integrated into the classroom to ensure that these skills are refined daily. 

Sensory integration describes the brain’s process of taking in information through the five senses, organizing it, and responding to it appropriately. 

At Educare we provide specialized Sensory Integration Therapy to the children in our program who have been recognized as having Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD).  Through this therapy, children are supported in processing and managing their tolerance to various stimuli. This aids in the development of self-regulation strategies and allows children to better ready themselves for learning. 

We have a large, well-equipped Sensory Room that offers children a place to self-regulate when needed, and our certified Physiotherapist can provide families with resources and suggestions to integrate at home. 

Parents are a child's first teacher. When parents have the skills and resources to effectively support their child, it builds a strong home-school relationship and establishes value in personal growth.  At Educare, our Family Resource Consultant completes home visits prior to school beginning, as well as consultation to families throughout the year. She is regularly available to answer parent’s questions, to offer support on parenting issues, and to provide referrals to community agencies.  In addition to this, our Family Matters Program delivers several parent workshops/sessions which are facilitated by specialists, as well as a monthly book club, with topics that address areas of current parental concern. Our Family Resource Consultant is present at workshops to support both the facilitator, and the parents as needed.  

Exposure to, and involvement in regular music-making, can have a significant impact on child growth by boosting brain development, physical and mental health, and overall happiness. Research has shown that participation in a music program helps to "organize" the brain in such a way that children are better able to learn across intelligences, including language development and mathematics.  It also improves emotional regulation, patience, discipline, and gross and fine motor skills.  Furthermore, music education promotes sequential learning, which is an essential component to reading comprehension, and develops rhythm and coordination. At Educare, we recognize the benefits of integrating a music program in early childhood education, and we incorporate it into our daily activities. Aside from daily songs, poems, and rhymes, our children are introduced to various musical hand instruments and participate in learning their names, sounds, and how to play each one, focusing on fast and slow, hard and soft, and high and low sounds.