School Age Program
School Age Pedagogy Statement
Prairie Meadows’ School Age programs offer high-quality childcare and focus on meeting the individual needs of all the children in our care. We value the importance of secure relationships and encourage children to go out and explore the world around them. We have two School Age programs; both programs are located on the second floor of the TC Energy Centre.
Connections
Prairie Meadows practices Circle of Security®, which is a relationship-based model. We help develop and support the children's skills and abilities for self-regulation and social-emotional development. A relationship-based approach requires educators to assist the children in expressing themselves by providing opportunities to explore emotions in a calm and supportive environment. Emotional development is fostered when we label the child's feelings and the feelings of others to encourage empathy.
At Prairie Meadows, we believe behaviour is a way for children to communicate how they are feeling. As educators, we must be with the child in moments of unsettled emotions and focus on meeting children's needs to develop secure relationships.
Curriculum & Development
Prairie Meadows’ School Age Programs implement an emergent curriculum that is play based. There are two components to our curriculum, the first is the planned experiences, and the second is spontaneous experiences.
The curriculum has specific goals for each child that support all developmental domains. We create planned experiences to meet the children's needs in our program. Our role as educators is to watch, listen and be near the children while they explore. Through observations, we can then create intentional experiences that meet the needs of the children in our program. Once the children's interests are identified, the educators collaborate and arrange intentional play spaces, planned experiences, and materials for the children to explore and discover. These quality play experiences help develop physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and language skills. The curriculum includes both educator-directed and child-inspired planned experiences.
The second part of the curriculum is spontaneous experiences. Spontaneous experiences are unexpected events that capture children's interests. Educators can then take these opportunities and explore the teachable moment to scaffold the children's learning and development. The School Age program's daily schedule provides long uninterrupted blocks of time for exploration and play. We value the importance of play and understand that the quality of a child's environment and trusting relationships are vital for a child's developing brain.
Educators implement a language-rich curriculum; this is done by explaining, describing, and labelling the actions of what is about to occur. Predicting what is coming next helps children understand each transition that occurs throughout the day; this helps children feel safe. Children begin to learn about the world around them in a language-rich environment.
Environment
The environment sets our foundation for learning and strongly influences the types of learning and engagement in our classrooms. Children deserve an environment that is developmentally appropriate and provides an opportunity for growth and discovery.
At Prairie Meadows, we use the environment as a third teacher; our environments mirror the ideas, values, and interests of the program's children, families, and educators. The shelves, tables, and chairs are child-sized, allowing the children to explore independently and take the lead in their own learning. Open-ended materials like loose parts are provided in the play space to encourage children's cognitive development, creativity, and motor skills. We provide items throughout the School Age programs to show diversity, such as multicultural dolls, puppets, books, diverse musical instruments, and posters. These activities and materials are provided so children feel they belong and are exposed to differences.
Our programs have several learning centres that enhance children's learning and development. Children practice sharing, cooperation, and learning about shape and size in the block centre. Children practice playing real-life roles, expressing feelings, and negotiating in the dramatic play area. Children practice self-expression and creativity in the creative art centre while developing fine motor skills and coordination.
The environment provides several opportunities for interacting and connecting with other children and educators. Through these interactions' children develop social and emotional skills like communication, compassion, and self-expression; they also practice empathy and learn about their feelings and the feelings of others.
Children thrive in both indoor and outdoor environments. Our goal is to create outdoor spaces that invite them to investigate, wonder, create, problem-solve, discover, and explore. Nature play aids in all areas of child development and contributes to children's mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Opportunities to explore nature enhance children's sense of wonder and joy in the world around them. At Prairie Meadows, we explore nature during all seasons.
Communication
At the beginning of each day, educators confidently welcome each child and their family, creating a sense of belonging and connection for each child. At pick-up, the educator is available to answer any questions or share stories about the child's day. We focus on working with the families to create a smooth transition for the child at drop-off and pick-up.
Prairie Meadows uses an online communication tool called Fastoche. A personalized journal is sent to the families via email/text message during school breaks. The journal summarizes the child's day, play experiences, photos and reminders of upcoming events. Fastoche allows families to feel included in their child's daily happenings and is a great communication tool for educators and families. Families can also view learning stories posted on our documentation boards in the classroom.
Our School Age programs have committed educators that are genuine and passionate about providing quality care and a nurturing environment the children can trust. A curriculum focused on connections, play, and meeting children's needs is a priority at Prairie Meadows.