Philosophy

We believe children should be cared for in a warm, loving, family-like environment.  They have a need to learn at their own pace, without being pressured into competitiveness at such an early age.  It is our responsibility as caregivers, to help build their self-esteems, and to provide opportunities for learning in a exciting and enjoyable way.  Learning through play allows them to expand their learning experiences, and develop a better understanding of the world around them.

It is our goal to assist the children in developing in their own unique way, meeting his or her potential.  We strive to create and atmosphere where your child always feels welcome and at home.

We offer a Junior Kindergarten program where children develop confidence through cooperation and compromise when working in small or large groups.  The children are encouraged to build on ideas and activities, as they continue to grow and learn.  There are diverse choices of educational activities such as pre-reading, numeracy, music and movement, and art.  Miss Alana’s Childcare’s Junior Kindergarten class serves as a bridge between ordinary daycare activities and kindergarten by providing your child with academic and social skills that are necessary to be prepared for kindergarten, as well as becoming a well rounded child, teenager, and adult.

Goals

In Junior Kindergarten, our goals include:

1. Helping the children work as a class to develop rules that will benefit them.
   

2. The children will develop understanding of concepts about themselves, others and the world around them through observation, interacting with people and real objects, and seeking solutions to concrete problems.
   

3. The children will grow in social skills such as cooperating, helping, negotiating and using communication to solve interpersonal problems.
   

4. The students will experience success and be proud of their achievements.
   

5. The students will develop high self-esteem and positive feelings toward learning.
   

Infant Curriculum

Our infant programs are very special because:

1. We give your baby a consistent quality care each day.
   

2. We carry out the daily schedule in a consistent, gentle, and timely way so that your child and I have maximum interaction and build a close relationship.
   

3. Each day we provide developmentally appropriate materials and equipment for each age group to help encourage their small and large motor development, social and emotional development.
   

4. Daily activities are planned around a weekly theme. Fun activities like a multi-child buggy ride (weather permitting) are also part of the curriculum.
   

Basic Academic Readiness Skills   

Junior Kindergarten class works with numeracy and reading skills which are presented in a natural context.  Pre-reading and pre-writing skills are developed through the use of tracing pages, access to many theme-based books and materials, and a constant exposure to print.   A printing center is available to the children during free play.  Numeracy concepts are developed in a variety of ways.  The children count daily during calendar and snack times.  Hands-on manipulative are used to help them count and understand numbers in a concrete way.  During dramatic play and other forms of free play, they are given the opportunity to experiment with numbers and letters in a way which is appropriate and beneficial.

Art, Music and Movement

Art, music and movement are considered an important part of the Junior Kindergarten program.  Daily activities incorporate art and music and movement in relation to the theme that is being explored.  Art is a time when the process is more important than the product.  Children are encouraged to use a variety of materials when creating their projects.  Children are sometimes given a specific task to complete, but are also encouraged to create during their free time.

Music is a time for children to learn to appreciate and love music.  Songs are usually related to a theme and can be correlated with books that we are reading.  This helps them to develop language skills, practice proper enunciation, memorization, and increase vocabulary.  Music can also be brought from home.  The children use musical instruments (some are self-made), to practice differentiating between loud and soft sounds, fast and slow rhythms, and other music related concepts.

Gross motor skills are developed through various movement activities.  They also play outside daily.  In addition, movement to music is part of the daily curriculum.