Category Archives: Early Learning and Care

Building Relationships at Bell’s Corners Cooperative Nursery School

Bell’s Corners Cooperative Nursery School celebrated its 45th anniversary this past June. Over the years we have seen a lot of change but one thing that hasn’t changed is the need to build relationships. As teachers, we strive to build strong and positive relationships with the children in our classes. We have always had strong ties with our families because we are a cooperative. Today we are focused not only on providing a child centered approach, but a family centered approach to early childhood education. Continue reading →

The Gift of Extra Hands and Time

Some days, we find our rooms so busy and children are clamoring for our attention. Wishing we had extra hands, ears, eyes and time is a common wish of many teaching teams. At the end of the day we look back and ask ourselves how we could have been more engaged in play and skill development with individual children in our care. The reflection is often answered with “if only we had more adults in the room”. Continue reading →

“Shoe Box” Activities

1“Shoe box” tasks are one unit activities that are designed to teach a child a variety of skills from basic put in/put on tasks, to finger dexterity and eye-hand coordination, bilateral hand skills and pre-academic skills (matching, sorting, patterning, size, shape, colour). The “shoe box” includes all of the materials to complete the task.  As learning progresses, the child learns to complete the task independently including getting the box, bringing it to the table and replacing it when finished. Continue reading →

Uncertain Beginnings to Endless Possibilities

My daughter Zoe who we fondly call Chip was referred to Children’s Integration Support Services (CISS) when she was around 3 years old. She has a diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). She is now a thriving 19 year old young woman who is attending college and lives a busy active life.

The Early Years
Chip started child care at around two years of age. It was there that the staff noticed that she was having some challenges that should be investigated further. Her first diagnosis identified her as being developmentally delayed and I was told she would require full support for her entire life. A second diagnosis identified her as having PDD-NOS. Chip needed a significant amount of support during the preschool and school age years. She had difficulty communicating and became easily frustrated which would often lead to meltdowns. However, I always saw a great deal of potential in her and always pushed her to reach that potential. Continue reading →

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

We all know the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words”. For those of us in child care, this can be put to use and proven in many ways. Some programs use real pictures to welcome parents/guardians, children and visitors and to remind them that they belong and are valued members of the community. Others use pictures to introduce new toys and equipment and to provide suggestions of how to use them safely and creatively. Dramatic play can be greatly enhanced when real pictures of children using props and play materials are posted. This provides children with examples of how they can incorporate the use of props to extend their play. Pictures can also be used to enhance the daily log, parent/guardian notice boards as well as providing information regarding staff changes and upcoming events. They can be used to track curriculum planning and to document what the children did during the day at child care or while on an outing offsite. In addition, pictures can be used to help the children recall recent events and past experiences and to build the children’s understanding of their community and their world.   Continue reading →

Behaviour Guidance Tip – Pairing Positive Reinforcement with a Child’s Name

Did you know the impact of pairing positive reinforcement with a child’s name can;

  • Provide positive attention
  • Enhance self-esteem
  • Build self-confidence
  • Establish a sense of belonging

Toddler Scenario:
The whole family is sitting at the table for dinner.  Charlie is looking at his plate and notices a new food. He pushes his plate away and says; “I don’t want that”. The parent says, “They’re peas, they taste good”. The parent refrains from using Charlie’s name. After Charlie eats the preferred food on his plate, he decides to take a small bite of peas. The parent waits until Charlie tries again and then says with a big smile; “Charlie, you tasted your peas”. Charlie smiles. Continue reading →

Creating Engaging Outdoor Spaces for Children

C1As a Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE), I believe that outdoor play is essential to children. I strive to take the children outside on a daily basis throughout the changing seasons.  Depending on the weather, it can be challenging to keep the children engaged in play. Here are three strategies that I have found helpful to keep the children involved in their time spent outdoors:

1. Interest-Based Activities – Provide children with activities that are of interest to them. Be attentive to the conversations that are happening in the program to further their play based on their changing interests.

2. Provide open-ended material – Think about the purpose of the materials that are being set out and ensure that the materials can be used in a variety of ways. Providing these open-ended materials allows the children to adapt their play and encourages the use of their imagination.

3. Get involved! – The best way to get children engaged in an activity is to participate with them. I model for the children the different ways in which the materials can be used, encouraging them to play.

Continue reading →

WANTED: a Voice and a Friend

WANTED....a voice and a friendA mother’s story about the challenge of having a child with Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Voiceless….to have no voice. To be unable to effectively tell others how you feel, what you want or what you are thinking…this is how my 8 year old son feels, each and every day. He’s not silent. He tries so very hard to communicate and we listen. We try to understand and respond. Often, he’s not understood. Not even by us, his loving parents who want so much to connect with him. Many times he just gives up or shrugs and says “I don’t know” when asked a question during a conversation. It’s just too hard for him. My son has Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) and his name is Ewan. Continue reading →

Dr. Jean Clinton Makes Connections While in Ottawa

On October 3rd, Andrew Fleck Child Care Services along with community partners hosted an event with Dr. Jean Clinton. Dr. Clinton is an Associate Clinical Professor at McMaster University and author of many papers on early childhood development. In her inspiring presentation, Dr._Clinton explored the benefits of positive adult-child relationships, focusing on the importance of connections in a child’s education and development. Along with the growing research on the benefits of play-based learning and mindfulness, Dr. Clinton presented the benefits of an educator’s emotional connection with each child.

Dr. Clinton discussed the role of relationships in child development starting from birth. The first relationships which are typically between a mother and her baby create the internal representation of how children expect others to treat them. The level of attachment will affect a child’s relationships, academics, self-regulation and resilience. Experiences, connections and stressors change how babies and children respond to the world. Dr. Clinton emphasized that it is our responsibility as a community to support the positive attachments of mothers and babies. This relationship will virtually affect all other aspects of their development. Continue reading →