Program Overviews
Children learn through interaction, play, and socializing. First and foremost, we recognize that kids should be allowed to be kids: guided by an adult who is nurturing, giving, and caring, a child will flourish in a positive, clean, and friendly environment. At Kidz Junction we believe that every child deserves to be happy and satisfied with their childcare situation. Children should learn, laugh, play, and discover a truly fulfilling day, every day. We provide plenty of opportunities for crafts, games, songs, storytelling, and much more.
Young Infant Program (6 months — 18 months)
The purpose of this program is to nurture your child’s essential needs. Most importantly, infants will receive nurturing in a safe, healthy, and loving environment. They will be supervised during a thorough regimen of body care, feeding, resting, and sleeping. The development of their social skills will be learned through an assortment of playful learning experiences. Infants will explore their creativity and imagination through play both with toys and with others of their age.
In the infant room, children will be given the opportunity to explore and learn in a safe and stimulating environment. Weekly activities will be planned to meet the interests of your child and to encourage exploration, learning, and independence. Bottle feeding and solid foods will be provided. Each child will have his/her own crib or mat as a number of sleep/rest times will be required. The staff will change diapers, maintain the cleanliness of the facility, and closely monitor all the infants in the room.
Toddler Program (19 months — 35 months)
The purpose of this program is to help children have a healthy and smooth transition from home to preschool. Basic routines and the development of social skills are learned through an assortment of learning experiences. Toddlers are set up to explore creativity and imagination through play and visual arts.
In the toddler room, children will be given the opportunity to explore and learn in a safe and stimulating environment. Weekly activities will be planned to meet the interests of each child and to encourage exploration, learning, and independence. The furniture will be child-sized so your child can learn independent self-help skills such as eating. Breakfast and hot lunches will be provided. Each child will have his/her own cot as a daily sleep/rest time is required. The staff will guide and assist children in the development of proper eating, dressing, and personal hygiene skills.
Because communication becomes more important at this age, children will be encouraged to develop language skills through songs, stories, and games. This will help expand their vocabulary and expressive language. “Circle time” will be interactive and will encourage child participation. The child will enjoy sensory exploration and discrimination through sand and water play. Age-appropriate educational toys will teach your toddler various concepts such as colours, shapes, numbers, and sizes. Toddlers will also have an outdoor playground with age-appropriate play structure (slides, ropes, stairs, etc), riding toys (bicycles and cars), balls, and a sand box.
Kidz Junction’s supervision of toddlers will abide by a 6:1 ratio (one staff member supervising not more than 6 toddlers). Parents will be given daily reports of their child’s day (i.e. meals, length of nap time, etc.).
Preschool Program (36 months — 4½ years)
This program is designated for children who are in the process of making the transition from being toddlers to school-age children. This program includes more group time and more elaborate creative activities. The preschool program offers the next step in your child’s development, following the toddler curriculum such as language, arts, math, science, and movement. At the end of the week there will be a general overview of your child’s activities and accomplishments in their cubby as well as worksheets provided for further learning.
Kidz Junction’s care within the preschool room will offer your child choices of play and planned activities. Learning centres will be available to the preschoolers at any time; they will have the choice to practice different skills through play such as:
- exploring, predicting and problem-solving in the science/sensory centre
- using different art techniques such as cutting, painting, drawing, and gluing in the creative arts centre
- learning spatial relationships (on, under, near, etc.) that consolidates the knowledge of shapes, colours and sizes
- playing/acting out scenes of adult life such as visiting the doctor, engaging in family activities, and shopping at the grocery store in the dramatic centre.
Planned activities will be posted weekly and will have different topics. The children will learn different concepts such as numbers, letters, shapes, colours, sequencing, and patterning. They will be encouraged to recognize, name, and trace numbers and letters. “Circle time” will be interactive and will develop expressive language through songs, stories, and games.
Preschoolers will have a playground with age-appropriate play structures. Breakfast and hot lunches will be provided and sleep/rest time (quiet activities) will be offered daily. Kidz Junction’s supervision of preschoolers will abide by an 8:1 ratio (one staff supervising not more than 8 children). Parents will be given weekly reports of their child’s day (i.e. activities, learning progress, etc.).
Kinder Program (4½ years — 6 years)
This program concentrates on developing your child’s academic skills through a variety of activities. By use of group and individual project work, children will expand their skills in mathematics, science, social skills, music, visual arts, drama, and language. Through daily routines, Kidz Junction staff will teach your child to apply these skills to reading, writing, and basic mathematics.
Children will be offered choices of play in the learning centres (science/sensory, creative art, books, and dramatic centre) as well as an academically oriented curriculum. Our weekly program plans implement activities that encourage children to develop writing, reading, and math skills such as recognizing and printing uppercase and lowercase letters, writing words and short messages (sentences), printing numbers to 50, counting to 100, and adding and subtracting up to 10, all to prepare them for the first grade. Children will learn basic vocabulary, colours, numbers, shapes, days of the week, month of the year, simple phrases, songs, and games.
Kidz Junction’s kinder program will have an outdoor playground with age-appropriate play structures and various outdoor games. Weather permitting, outdoor activities will be scheduled twice a day (morning and afternoon). Breakfast and snacks will be provided. Quiet activities will also be offered every day. At the end of the week there will be a general overview of the child’s activities and accomplishments in their cubby. This age group will also be offered a program called the “reading club” where staff members will lead children by their age and their ability to participate. Children will learn to recognize their sight words as the basis of reading and writing.
Kidz Junction’s supervision of kinder children will abide by a 10:1 ratio (one staff supervising not more than 10 children).
Out of School Program (6 years — 12 years)
his program concentrates on developing your child’s academic skills with a variety of activities. By use of group and individual project work, children will expand their skills in mathematics, science, social skills, music, visual arts, drama, and language. Through daily routines, Kidz Junction staff will teach your child to apply these skills to reading, writing, and basic mathematics.
Children will be offered choices of play in the learning centres (science/sensory, creative arts, books, and a dramatic centre) as well as an academically oriented curriculum. Our weekly program plans implement activities that encourage children to develop writing, reading, and math skills, such as writing sentences and paragraphs and performing basic arithmetic functions, all to advance their elementary grade performance.
Children will also learn through the use of educational computer games.
Kidz Junction’s afterschool program will also have a significant physical exercise component. Children will access the outdoor playground where they can participate in various outdoor games. Weather permitting, outdoor activities will be scheduled once a day.
Snacks will be provided daily. Quiet activities will also be offered every day. At the end of the week there will be a general overview of the child’s activities and accomplishments.
This age group will also be offered a program called the “reading club” where staff members lead children by their age and their ability to participate. The intent will be to strengthen their reading and writing capabilities.
Kidz Junction’s supervision of out of schoolers will abide by a 15:1 ratio (one staff supervising not more than 15 children).