Children are given daily opportunities to play indoors and outdoors promoting physical health. On days when outdoor play is not possible, gross motor activities are arranged by our teachers indoors for the children to partake in. Quiet time or rest time is also given daily after lunch time. The flexibility of the schedule of our program allows us to give consideration to the needs of each child in our program. We make accommodations for children based on their rest and nap time needs, whether that means providing additional support while the child falls asleep or accommodating individual sleep schedules. Also, quiet activities are provided for children who do not nap to keep them busy while others in the classroom sleep.

When it comes to programming our activities are child centered and adult supported. We aim to foster the children’s exploration, play and inquiry. A wide variety of open-ended play material and a safe and supportive environment encourage our children to use their imagination. Open-ended and loose parts are found throughout the centres in our classrooms. These loose materials can be manipulated and used in a variety of ways and develop not only the children’s imaginations but their fine motor and problem solving skills. Teachers observe and document the play of children to understand what it is that the children are interested in and what skills they are fostering. From these observations, teachers create activities and learning opportunities to help the children expand on their play. All this is documented in Learning Stories and displayed so that parents are kept up to date on their child’s learning in the centre.

In order to effectively observe and understand the play of the children it is very important that the teachers and the children have positive and responsive interactions and create a positive learning environment where children feel confident enough to explore their surrondings. Our staff ask questions and listen as children express their wants and needs. The staff understand that each child brings their own individual strengths and challenges. Our staff get to know each child, build individual relationships with them and get to know the developmental stages of the children in their classrooms. Using the understanding of each child, the staff can better meet their needs and create experiences in the classroom which take their developmental stages into consideration. Through observations, asking open-ended questions, providing a variety of both quiet and active activities we plan to meet the needs of the children and support them at their developmental levels. Knowing what the child is capable, their learning styles and methods of understanding will further create a positive environment for our children. A positive relationship with the parents is vital at every stage in this process. Parents know their child the best and are used as resources for the staff while getting to know the child. Parents are consulted and kept up to date with the goals via daily verbal communication, emails and pictures. We aim to foster ongoing communication with the parents about both the program and the children. Pick ups and drop offs are very important. It is at this time where important information is shared between the teachers and parents about the child to ensure that transitions between home and childcare is smooth and consistent. We also encourage the parents to come into our classrooms to observe their child at play and read our learning stories. Periodically, Little Champs will host family nights for parents where they can learn about what is happening at the centre, whats new in childcare and also provide a platform for parents to contribute their ideas on how to make our centre even better.

Our teachers use positive reinforcement to encourage our children to be more independent, learn to self regulate and reach developmental milestones. Relationships that our teachers form with the children allow them to understand when to provide direct, verbal or visual support to a child in different situations. Through this approach children learn different self regulating techniques.

Little Champs Centre is committed to involving local community partners and engaging those partners in supporting our children, families and staff. Inclusion Support Services are important to us in accomplishing this. Support workers from CMHA, WeeTalk and Kids Ability will often be in the centre and provide valuable assistance to our children and families. Together we work as a unit to provide the most enriching experience we can for the children. Volunteers from the community will also be seen at the centre. The volunteers come from many different walks of life, whether it be students from the local high school or college or older individuals willing to donate some of their time to the children in the centre. This benefits our children as they learn about different people and also gain a valuable connectiveness of community. Walks and trips arround our community help to foster this sense of community as well.