Nurturing that lasts a lifetime

Our Approach

Our Philosophy

"We believe that relationships matter the most in a child's development."

 
Research has shown that children need strong attachments to the adults in their lives for healthy brain development to occur. It is crucial that children, especially those in their preschool years, are surrounded by caregivers that understand their developmental needs. If children have established healthy relationships with their caregivers, their sense of curiosity will emerge, they will push their own boundaries and they will feel free to express their most authentic selves. Therefore, our approach to child care is one that places the importance on first cultivating meaningful relationships with children.
 
As early childhood educators, we have the responsibility of nurturing children through the most influential and developmentally significant time of their lives, so our model of child care is inspired by Dr. Gordon Neufeld’s attachment-based developmental approach. This approach teaches that the quality of children's attachments to caregivers and the conditions in which they are raised are the key influences in their development. The goal is to help attachment figures understand the inner workings of the children in their care so they can help these children become the best versions of themselves. Through the guidance of strong attachment figures operating in a comfortable environment that fosters emergent play, we believe that children will develop into happy and resilient individuals, ultimately preparing them for school and the real world. 
 
What do our preschoolers need from us? They need to be connected to their caregivers, they need the freedom to truly play, and they need us to be patient as they reach maturity.

Our Program

"To develop into their true potential, a child's right to play needs to be preserved"

 
We are a 30 month -5 year old group childcare program with a mission to help each child in our care develop into the best version of themselves. 
 
It is through emergent play that children are free to push their creative boundaries, develop a sense of responsibility and practice life free of consequence.  Emergent play, which is play that is free from expectations and outcome, is the growing edge for children and this is why our program is influenced by the philosophy of emergent curriculum.
 
With an emergent curriculum, the teachers are attentive to the interests of the children, they engage in open-ended opportunities for discovery, and use observation and reflection practices to monitor the children's interest on the topics being explored.  In this setting, the teachers are co-learners that guide the children towards new experiences that spark a natural sense of curiosity.  The sparks are what trigger a child and educator to want to know more and investigate further.
 
As the children discover the things that interest them, their conversations are documented and the teachers discuss how different experiences that can build on these interests can be provided.  One of the ways that meaningful experiences are provoked is through negotiating and participating in the real world.  For this reason, much of our time is spent exploring the outdoors, specifically around the community that surrounds us.

School Readiness

"The teachability of any child is dependent on their natural curiousity, an ability to benefit from correction and a relationship with the teacher."

 
When a child develops a genuine sense of curiosity, they will become self-directed in their decision making as they value the differences in their personal experiences.  They will rarely get bored, will be eager to try new things and will take into consideration the consequences of their actions.  These traits will likely develop naturally, but only if we provide the space for them without interfering with our own agenda.   Our expectations for children to achieve too early in life can backfire on their ability to develop into a curious and integrative individual.  If we provide the conditions for our children to mature, these traits will develop - largely in part to the relationships that have been built with the adults that care for them.
 
A child that is curious and ready to learn - from a teacher that has their best interests in mind - is a child who ready for success in the school setting.