BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT—DISIPLINE
Infant
The infant staff are committed to creating a safe and nurturing environment, in which children can continue to grow, develop, play, explore and socialize.
Methods of management of an infant’s behaviour are dependent on the infants’ developmental level of understanding and communicating. The Centre’s methods are based on careful observation and respect for the individual infant’s level of growth and development. Our methods will be implemented through the use of redirection, modeling, communication, repetitions, routines, positive reinforcement and consultation with the primary caregivers (parents/guardians). When presented with situations, which threatens the safe and nurturing environment of the children, we will attempt, through understanding, to offer behavioral choices that compliment the infant and group needs at the time. If there is a specific, on-going concern, we will assess the situation and consult with the parent(s) in devising mutual, positive approaches in order to deal with the concern.
An Early Childhood Educator and or volunteer will not permit, practice or inflict any form of physical punishment, verbal or emotional abuse upon or the denial of any physical necessities to any child/infant in attendance at the Day Care Centre.
Preschool
The goal of the staff is to provide a positive and respectful atmosphere for the children at the centre. The centre aims for fair, consistent and positive interactions with the children and encourage an atmosphere of fun, equality and respect for all. The staff will aim to keep rules to a minimum but are designed to maintain a high level of safety. Although behaviour expectations and guidelines have initially been set by the staff we will involve the children in establishing guidelines for behaviour and responsibility. These rules will be reviewed occasionally by the children and staff.
We are governed by the following guidelines:
- Treat ourselves, others and the centre with respect.
- Be responsible for your actions.
- Accept others for what they have to offer.
- Demonstrate peacefulness when interacting with others.
- Practice cleanliness throughout the day.
School Age
Behaviours identified as disrespectful, unsafe or aggressive will be dealt with as follows:
- Reminder of behaviour expectations i.e. play with the toy safely, being respectful.
- Logical or natural consequences to the behaviour i.e. a child being unsafe in the gym may be asked to leave the gym, or a child throwing toys will be asked to clean up what they are throwing and move to another area.
- If the behaviour continues the child may be directed to the Cool Down Zone
- Any physically aggressive or violent behaviour will be documented and brought to the attention of the parent and site manager. If the aggressive or violent behaviour continues, the centre will call the child’s parent to come and take responsibility for the child’s safety.
- As a last resort, a respect and responsibility contract will be discussed with the parent, child, staff involved and the Director. This document will be signed by the child, parent and Director. Should the contract be broken, the centre may withdrawal care for the child.
Should a child run away from the centre, the staff will not chase the child. They will provide the best possible supervision under the circumstances and the child’s parent will be notified. Upon return to the centre, the child will be assigned a peer “buddy” to accompany for one day. The peer “buddy” will be assigned by a staff member.
If other professionals are working with the child or if the parents would like other professionals involved, the centre will obtain permission from the parent for the staff to consult with them.
Parents should not approach a child who is on their own, who is being disruptive or who may be in distress. If your child has a concern with another child in the centre, please see a staff member and discuss your concerns with them. Please do not approach the other child or their parent. The staff understands the desire for any conflict to be resolved but it is in the best interest of the child and their parent that they allow the staff to handle the situation.
In a case where continuous aggressive or violent or persistent unsafe behaviours occur, notification may be made to the parent that the child will no longer be accepted for care.
In accordance with the Licensing Standards for Daycares, the following practices are not permitted:
- Physical Abuse – spanking, hitting, pushing, shaking, etc.
- Verbal and or Emotional Abuse – belittling or degrading response by any adult in the centre that would humiliate or undermine a child’s self respect
- Denial of any physical necessities including comforts such as shelter, clothing, bedding and toilet facilities.
Daily Infant Schedule
Inclusive Statement:
Lord Selkirk Park Child Care Centre will follow the infants and toddlers individual schedules for feeding, diapering and napping. Breast feeding Mothers will be encouraged to come and feed their infants at the appropriate times. Naptime is based on the child’s individual schedule
The daily schedule is a guideline for staff and the children to help with daily routines and transitions. We are flexible in changing or adjusting the daily schedule to meet the needs of each child.
Abecedarian Approach curriculum will be a part of the child’s individual schedule each day. We will implement the four elements: Learning Games, Conversational Reading and Enriched Care giving with the focus of Language Priority. Staff will offer planned and spontaneous activities based on each child’s level of development and their interest throughout the day.
7:00-9:00 am:
Children arrive, hand washing, free play, diaper changes
9:00-10:00 am:
Clean-up, hand washing, nutritional snack and free play
10:00-11:30 am:
Child Initiated exploration and play based learning, diaper changes
Preparation for large motor/outdoor play, songs and conversational reading
11:30-12:30 pm:
Clean-up, wash hands, diaper changes and nutritional lunch
12:30-3:00 pm:
Quiet time/nap time, outdoor play(weather permitting), conversational reading, music/songs and diaper changes
Preschool/Kinder Daily Program
Abecedarian Approach curriculum will be a part of the child’s individual schedule each day
We will implement four elements: Learning Games, Enriched Caregiving and Conversational Reading with the focus on Language Priority. Staff will offer planned and spontaneous activities based on each child’s level of development and their interest throughout the day.
7:15am-9:45am:
Center opens/Free flow breakfast (breakfast available until all children have arrived)
Nursery/kinder children get ready for school/walk to school with a S/A staff.
9:45am-11:15am:
Diapering & toileting/free play/outdoor play/organized activities with small groups of children.
11:15-12:00pm:
Wash hands/lunch served/nap time
12:30pm
Nursery/Kinder children get ready for School/transition into school age room and School with school age staff (12:45pm1:00pm-2:45pm) Naptime/Diapering &Toileting/ free play/organized activities with small groups of children.
2:45-3:30pm
Wash hands/snack time
3:30pm-4:30pm
Children get dressed/outdoor play/clean and get ready for home time
Pick up times may vary according to work/school schedules. All children must be picked up no later than 5:20pm!
Inclusion Statement:
The daily schedule is a guideline for staff and children to help with the daily routines/transitions throughout the day. We are flexible in changing or adjusting the schedule to suit the needs of each child individually.
Lord Selkirk Park School Age Schedule
Morning Kinders
7-8:45am: Arrival and Breakfast
8:45-9am: Leave for School
9:00-10:00am: Small Group Activity
10:00-10:30am: Learning Activities/Science/Games
10:30-11:00 am: Arts and Crafts
11:00-11:30am: Sharing Circle and Smudging
11:30-12:00pm: Outside (Weather permitting)/Free Play
12:00pm-12:45pm: Lunch/Clean up/School
12:50-1:00pm: Depart to school
Afternoon Kinders
1:00-2:30 pm: Nap/Table Activities
2:30-2:45pm: Reading/Conversational Reading: Adult/Child Interaction
2:45-3:20pm: Learning Activities/Science/Group Games
3:30-4:00pm: Outside (Weather permitting)/Free Play/Snack
4:00-4:30pm: Arts and Crafts (Planned or Spontaneous)
4:30-5:00pm: Quiet Table Activities/Clean up
Inclusive Statement:
The daily schedule is a guideline for staff and children to help with the daily routines/transitions throughout the day. We are flexible in changing or adjusting the schedule to suit the needs of each child individually.
Abecedarian Approach Aftercare Program will be implemented daily. That will include the four elements: Learning Games, Conversational Readying and Enriched Caregiving with the focus of Language Priority.
Manidoo Gi Miini Gonaan Inc./Lord Selkirk Park Child Care Centre
Curriculum Statement
We pride ourselves on creating a welcoming and safe environment for young parents and their infants where they can grow and learn together. We recognize the importance of early experiences of infants and later development and work in partnership with parents to allow the best possible outcomes. We provide an infant centred curriculum to ensure this goal. Building relationships is a key principle that staff follows the lead of the child and interacting with them throughout the day. Staff will focus on providing literacy experiences to children either singly or in pairs, to further deepen adult and child interactions while promoting Language Priority. At Lord Selkirk Park Child Care Centre the Abecedarian Approach will be the basis of our curriculum emphasizing the four elements:
- LearningGames: The LearningGames are set of 200 individualized game-like activities that are shared between an adult and 1 or 2 children. Each LearningGame activity involves a bit of adult- mediated play. Mediated means that the adult is doing something to make the activity go well for example making the activity easier or harder so it will be just the right level of challenge for each child. (Joseph Sparling and Isabelle Lewis, 2008)
- Conversational Reading: Conversational reading goes back and forth like a conversation. It includes spontaneous talk and often does not follow the words of the book. The child has an important role in this activity through simply pointing or looking at the book. (Joseph Sparling. Ph.D. 2010)
- Language Priority: The third element of the Abecedarian Approach, Abecedarian Practioners and Parents emphasize language throughout the day. Staff will respond warmly whenever the children “talk” to them. The Abecedarian Practioner will create a longer conversation with individual children and small groups. (Joseph Sparling, Ph.D. 2010)
- Enriched Care giving: The phrase “Enriched Care giving” is intended to remind us all of the “care” an infant or young child can and should do several things at once. Care can meet the vital needs that support life and stimulate growth while also being responsive to the individual child’s own preferences, abilities and life situations. (Joseph Sparling Ph.D. 2010)
Daily schedules and transitions are planned and decided upon based on the child’s needs, interests and developmental level, this includes social, emotional, cognitive and physical developmental areas. The program day is flexible to allow for the changing needs of the infants and the group.
The relationships build with the infant are extremely important as learning can only occur in a place that is secure and safe. To build this trust, we pair each infant with a primary caregiver so that care is consistent and is Enriched. Their caregiver is responsive to the infant’s cues and needs and provides prompt, relaxed, respectful and nurturing care. We seek to promote positive interactions between the infant and others including other staff, parents, children and students.
The majority of an infant’s time is spent in caregiving routines (eating, sleeping, diapering, transitions etc). We will set up the space and materials so that these routines are calm, relaxed, effective and predictable as possible. These are optimum times for infants to learn and grow. At these times, caregivers will engage with the child by talking about their experience, singing, providing reasonable challenges and modelling appropriate behaviour. For example, snack time is a time where the children will learn a variety of things: Learning new words, interacting with others, how to feed themselves, and trying new things.
Children learn by play and exploring their environment. We will provide ample time and opportunities for the children to engage in uninterrupted play at their own pace and ability. Every day, we set up the play space so that is engaging, challenging and allows children to engage in new and unique ways. This involves rotating toys and the use of a lot of loose part materials (such as boxes, tubes, fabric etc and combinations of such materials) We bring out varied art and manipulative materials throughout the day so that the infants/toddlers can create and learn through different mediums (paint, crayons, paper, brushes etc) The room is set up to allow for different types of play (such as quiet/active/manipulative//pretend) and allows for interaction and play with other infants. Enhancing Language Priority and literacy skills is important to us. This is reflected in the all areas but especially the inviting library where we have many kinds of books and story props. The use of baby sign language at our centre also helps to promote this goal. We recognize the importance of outdoor play in a child’s day and make every effort to make this a daily part of the program. The caregivers set up the indoor/outdoor space and activities based on what the children are currently interested in and their level of development. We decide this by careful observation and documentation of the children every day.
Building a strong relationship with the parent and caregiver is very important to us. Our goal is for parent and caregiver to communicate openly about the child’s day and their accomplishments. We also communicate verbally to share to the child’s eating, nap times, diaper changes and milestones. In addition, we have bulletin board displays with the children’s photos depicting the many things that go on during the day. Photos are saved into a portfolio for each child.
Our centre is an inclusive place where diversity is celebrated. Every child and family are unique. We welcome all backgrounds and abilities and are committed to providing a home like environment where everyone is accepted. We help accomplish this by displaying family photos and different cultural items in the plays space such as play food, dress up, different kinds of music etc. We have different family and staff cultures are highlighted along with displays and ethnic foods shared at lunch time through the year.
In this atmosphere, with caring and knowledgeable caregivers and where the infant’s needs and abilities are at the centre, children will be allowed to meet their potential and a strong foundation will be build for lifelong learners.
LUNCH PROGRAM
Food/Nutrition
We offer a nutritious snack and lunch everyday using the Canada food guide. Menus are posted on the bulletin board.
Lunch is served to all children. Children are given an omega 3 supplement daily.
HOURS OF OPERATION
DL and LSP locations will be closed on statutory holidays as follows:
New Year’s Day
Christmas Day
Boxing Day
Canada Day
Good Friday
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Victoria Day
Labor Day
Remembrance Day
Louis Riel Day
LSP location:
- The centre is open from 7:00 – 5:30
- Monday to Friday
- The school age program will be open on in-service days (full and half), Christmas Break, Spring Break and Summer Break.
PARENT RESPONSIBITIES AT THE CENTRES
All Centres
- To work in partnership with families and their children attending the child care centre and accessing the resource centre
- The staff will make every effort to welcome the parent and child (ren) into the center in a warm, friendly manner. It is very important to us that the staff and parents communicate daily to ensure the children’s needs are met.
- It is recommended that parents share how their child is and what their immediate needs are when arriving. If a concern arises please speak to a staff member or the Director.
- If parents are not able to pick up their child, the staff ask that the parent phones the centre to inform staff who will be picking up their child. Please ensure the person has ID to show the staff and the person should be listed on the child information form as designated by the parent as a person to whom the child may be released
- Parents are responsible for informing staff of their child’s medical and health needs to prevent the spread of illness in the centre.
- Parents must participate in evacuation or shelter-in-place drills or procedure occurs while you are at the centre. A detailed Safety Plan is available at all centres.
- Parents, staff visitors must follow the Code of Conduct – see
Appendix - All children, parents, staff and others involved in our centre must use e-mail, electronic devices and the Internet according to our policies. This protects people’s privacy and the confidentiality of information. Children, staff and families using our child care centre’s computer and electronic devices must :
- respect and protect the privacy of others
- respect and protect the integrity of all electronic resources
- communicate in a respectful manner
- report threatening or inappropriate material
Lord Selkirk Park Child Care Centre
- To work in partnership with families and their children attending the child care centre and accessing the resource centre.
- To work with staff to provide on-going training in the Abecedarian Approach.
- To keep accurate records for the purposes of the pilot project.
- To work in partnership and communicate with the early childhood educators, child development staff, resource centre staff and home visitor.
- To participate in the home visiting program, child development assessments and surveys on an annual basis.
- Commit to your child’s enrolment for as long as possible until they have outgrown the age group.
- It is very important to keep the centre advised of accurate work and home phone numbers and addresses for both parents and your emergency contacts. Please advise the staff at the centre of any changes.
- Parents must participate in evacuation or shelter-in-place drills or procedure occurs while you are at the centre. Please see a detailed Safety Plan in Appendix.
