Program Statement

Our Mission: To nurture, to educate, to assist in discovery, but most important, to run with, to play with, to learn with and to care for our children in our home away from home.

At Community of Maple Child Care Services, we are inspired by the philosophy of the "Reggio Emilia" approach to Early Learning building on How Does Learning Happen? Ontario's Pedagogy for Early Years. We believe that children are capable, competent, curious and rich in potential. We are committed to collaborating with children, their families and with each other as educators to create high quality, early learning and care environments that take a strength-based approach to learning and development in which children, parents and educators are co-learners.

Using the common framework articulated in How Does Learning Happen?, our programs strive to support the children to achieve the following goals and will meet the expectations for programs, building on the following four foundations for healthy growth and development:
• Belonging
• Well-being
• Engagement
• Expression

Our environment is structured to provide each child with an understanding on their individual background and society. The dedication and work of our staff is a very important factor in the success of our Corporation. Staff members are highly trained in the field of Early Childhood Education with a strong understanding of early learning, personal qualities of warmth, empathy and the ability to relate positively to children and parents. We support our families and we understand the importance of building strong relationships and engaging our families within our programs.

Mutual bonds of affection and respect between adults and children help to develop a home away from home atmosphere for THE CHILDREN OF OUR FUTURE.

1. Key Strategies

   
   

   Our programs have worked to incorporate and embed the Early Learning for Every Child Today (ELECT) principles. Our 11 key strategies include:

2. 1. Promote the health, safety and well-being of young children, families and educators
3. 2. Support positive and responsive interactions between educators, children and families
4. 3. Encourage and enable children to interact and communicate in numerous ways with each other, with educators and with their communities
5. 4. Foster exploration and inquiry that is play based. Evidence from diverse fields of study tells us that when children are playing, they are learning
6. 5. Provide both child initiated and adult supported experiences to foster development
7. 6. Provide many opportunities for a range of experiences that support each child's learning and development
8. 7. Incorporate a range of various experiences, considering the individual need of the children, including indoor and outdoor play, active play, quiet play, rest and quiet time
9. 8. Foster engagement and ongoing communication with parents about the program and their children
10. 9. Actively engage with community partners and provide opportunities for the children and families to develop close connections with a range of community supports
11. 10. Strengthen the capacity of educators to collaborate effectively with children, families and their colleagues through the provision of ongoing opportunities for continuous professional learning
12. 11. Use many languages to document and review the experiences of the children and the educators