Little Saplings Childcare Centre

NESS for all children, families, and educators
COLLABORATION with children, families and community partners
POSITIVITY in language and actions in all daily learning experiences
RESPECT for our world and all cultures and diverse backgrounds
JOY through endless learning possibilities while making lasting friendships
HEALTH achievement in both physical and mental wellbeing
CREATIVITY that fosters inquiry and life-long learning

Little Saplings Childcare Centre Program Statement

Little Saplings Childcare Centre is pleased to become the newest licensed facility with the Ministry of Education under the Childcare and Early Years act in Timmins, Ontario in the new year. Located minutes from town, on almost 50 beautifully treed acres, little saplings surrounds children in a unique natural learning environment. Children will be engaged in stimulating and inclusive learning experiences, sensitive to cultural diversity. We are committed to provide daily hands on quality learning opportunities as we embrace daily outdoor learning experiences. At Little Saplings, we believe in maximizing the learning opportunities that each season brings. Little Saplings believes in providing all children with the opportunity to learn outdoors. Research indicates that high quality outdoor learning experiences are proven to:
• Develop reflective and inquisitive thinking skills such as problem solving
• Encourage holistic development skills, understanding linkages between people, plants, animals and the environment
• Develop the foundation for a life-long love of the outdoors as they develop an appreciation and respect for nature
• Develop self-awareness, confidence, self-esteem, problems solving skills, increased attention span and health brain development
• Develop communication and collaboration skills
• Support health benefits including physical and mental
• Assist gross and fine motor development
• Increase ability to focus and enhances cognitive abilities
• Nurtures creativity, imagination and resourcefulness
• Decreases stress and anxiety, alleviates negative behaviour
• Motivates teamwork and cooperation which improves social skills and conflict management

Little Saplings teaches children how to care for their earth, and the benefits of being environmentally friendly. We are committed to creating a healthy and safe environment for the children, their families and our staff. Following Canada’s Food Guide, we take pride in providing freshly prepared nutritious meals and snacks daily. Nature provides the optimum learning environment, exploring our natural northern habitat. Children will have continuous access to our nature classroom, providing them with a range of experiential, inquiry and play based learning opportunities. Children will master skills that will allow them to develop a deep connection with nature and develop thoughtful stewardship of our earth. Little Saplings incorporates an emergent curriculum philosophy. Guided by the Ministry of Education’s How Does Learning Happen, Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years, our educators plan a play-based curriculum based on the Four Foundations of How Does Learning Happen including belonging, well-being engagement and expression. The Four Foundations of How Does Learning Happen? How Does Learning Happen? is organized around four foundational conditions that are important for children to grow and flourish: Belonging, Well-Being, Engagement, and Expression. These foundations, or ways of being, are a vision for all children’s future potential and a view of what they should experience each and every day. These four foundations apply regardless of age, ability, culture, language, geography, or setting. They are aligned with the Kindergarten program. They are conditions that children naturally seek for themselves.

• Belonging refers to a sense of connectedness to others, an individual’s experiences of being valued, of forming relationships with others and making contributions as part of a group, a community, the natural world.

• Well-being addresses the importance of physical and mental health and wellness. It incorporates capacities such as self-care, sense of self, and self-regulation skills.

• Engagement suggests a state of being involved and focused. When children are able to explore the world around them with their natural curiosity and exuberance, they are fully engaged. Through this type of play and inquiry, they develop skills such as problem solving, creative thinking, and innovating, which are essential for learning and success in
school and beyond.

• Expression or communication (to be heard, as well as to listen) may take many different forms. Through their bodies, words, and use of materials, children develop capacities for increasingly complex communication. Opportunities to explore materials support creativity, problem solving, and mathematical behaviours. Language-rich environments support growing communication skills, which are foundational for literacy. A focus on these foundations throughout all aspects of early years programs ensures optimal learning and healthy development. (The Ministry of Education, 2014, How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years, p.7)

We take pride in our registered Early Childhood Educators to plan and implement a play-based curriculum, based on the children’s current skills, ability and interests. The educators utilize observation and documentation to design, implement and evaluate play-based learning, facilitating optimal growth and development. Based on the Ontario Early Learning Framework (ELECT) principles, our developmentally appropriate learning environment provides children with the opportunity to develop skills across all developmental domains including the social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and communication. Educators use the six principles from the ELECT document to guide practice in early years and utilize the information from the continuum of development to plan a meaningful curriculum that fosters inclusion, diversity, and success. At Little Saplings our educators model positive behavior, while providing a safe and nurturing learning environment. They encourage children to interact and communicate positively and support self-regulation development. They are competent, capable and resourceful professionals that nurture children’s learning and development, by creating engaging environments and experiences. We recognize that families are experts of their children, and encourage family involvement, and open communication to collaboratively plan personalized learning goals based on your child’s unique needs. Our goal is to build a positive and responsive relationship with families where we are able to make meaningful connections, so together we can provide support and encouragement to facilitate your child’s success. We recognize each family’s diverse background and strive to create a sense of belonging within our Little Saplings Community. Little Saplings views our community as a valuable learning resource for children and plans exciting learning opportunities to gain relevant and new knowledge. We believe each child has great potential, and capable of complex thinking. They are competent individuals and curious about their environment, as they actively engage to learn more about the world around them. At Little Saplings, we value the critical importance of your child’s early years, and our goal is to successfully nurture a foundation for their future success. Reference

The Ministry of Education. Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years. Retrieved from: www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/howlearninghappens.pdf