Introduction
The age group for this room is 2.5 years to 3.8 years of age depending on enrolment. There is a 1 teacher to 8 children ratio in this room. The room limit for enrolment is 24 children with 3 teachers. Each day the children will engage in many of hands - on activities. They explore, inquire and discover solutions by themselves. These fun, learning activities are all age appropriate. They help build confidence, instill self-esteem, encourage self-expression, and develop social skills. There are five important areas that prepare children for early stages for elementary school.
1. | Social and emotional development; |
2. | Approach to learning; |
3. | Language development; |
4. | Physical well being and motor development, and |
5. | General knowledge |
In addition, the Junior room will provide a monthly calendar that will be e-mailed out to parents describing all special events, birthdays and activities. Programs are prepared weekly which outlines what the children will be doing on a daily basis. Programs and calendars are also posted on the board by the door. A cubby is provided with a name tag for your child's coat, bag, rest blanket and spare clothing. Please be aware your child may share cubbies with another child due to part time children that attend the daycare.
Program
The program begins at 8:50 a.m.. Morning circle is held every day to discuss calendar, weather, songs, story, Mini-phonics, special event 'theme"Days, birthdays, and group discussions. Our goal is to teach the basic concepts (ie. Letters, numbers, colours, shapes, sizes etc). and prepare each child for a smooth transition into our senior room and into kindergarten. Part of the junior room is to learn about sharing and getting along with others. This is a time when they begin participating in activities for longer periods - listening to stories, singing songs, playing games, and doing art projects. Through stories, children learn to appreciate language, gain new vocabulary, learn to use new words and concepts. Simple participatory songs and games are important introductions to speech patterns, sensory motor skill development and movement skills.
Furthermore, the Junior room focuses on a Mini-Phonics program. The mini-phonics program will allow your child/ren to learn how to recognize and write the capital and lowercase letters of the alphabet. Masteringany kind of learning takes practice. We provide practice with worksheets/workbooks on a daily basis. Inaddition, we are always working with the children on writing names. The teachers follow age appropriate activities and guidelines for both development and curriculum. This makes the transition from the Junior room program into the Senior room smooth, natural and fun.
Routine:
Our program provides routines to assist the children by enhancing independence skills and to provide a calm and comfortable environment.
The routines include:
Washroom routine
- toileting routine is supervised but independence is encouraged
- an opportunity for independence ie. Toileting, hand-washing
- an opportunity to practice hygiene
Breakfast Snack, Afternoon Snack and Lunch Routine
- breakfast snack is provided in the morning in the junior room
- lunch is provided by a catering company - snack is provided in the afternoon, prepared by staff
- a healthy menu is posted for every season (see kitchen board)
- we are a Nut free environment
- children are encouraged to taste the different foods
- an opportunity to Increase language skills (learn types of foods)
- an opportunity for table manners
- an opportunity to enhance independence skills (washing hands and mouth after meals,scraping our lunch plates)
Rest time:
- we provide a comfortable environment for children to rest their bodies (soft music is played)
- personal blankets and soft toy are allowed from home to provide relaxation
- ministry guidelines states 2hour rest time is required
Outdoor play:
- play time outdoors is 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the afternoon (weather permitting)
- outdoor attire (shoes, coat etc.) is needed
- an opportunity to enhance independence,attach velcro straps on shoes, zip zippers, snap snaps etc