The name of this association is Farmers’ Dell Co-operative Preschool of Glanbrook Inc. It is a parent participating, non-sectarian, registered non-profit school for preschool children, having membership in the Hamilton and District Co-op Council of Parent Participating Preschools and is licensed with the Ministry of Education and complies with the regulations under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014.
Farmers’ Dell Co-operative Preschool will provide a Parent Handbook which includes a Program Statement that is in line with Ontario’s pedagogy. The Parent Handbook will be made available to any parent considering whether to enter into an agreement with our preschool and to a parent of every child that receives child care at our preschool. The Parent Handbook will also be made available to any staff, student or volunteer who will be participating in our preschool. A hard copy of the Parent Handbook will be available at the preschool as well as a copy will be emailed to families and it will also be available on our website The Parent Handbook will be reviewed yearly and at any time when the Parent Handbook is modified.
PHILOSOPHY AND PROGRAM STATEMENT
Farmers’ Dell Co-operative Preschool is committed to sharing the learning experience with children and their families as a co-operative preschool within the rural community. We respect each child and their family for the unique individual that they are, while providing a positive experience. We view children as being competent, capable, curious, and rich in potential.
Farmers’ Dell Co-operative Preschool uses the document, How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years,to guide programming and pedagogy to support children’s learning and development.
A child needs play, as play is an important avenue for learning and enjoyment. A child needs to feel free to express attitudes and feelings, as they are important to learning and healthy personality growth. Our preschool provides children with a stimulating, safe, healthy and fun environment. By interacting in this environment,
the child will gain self-esteem and confidence, as well as self-control, with the help of teacher guidance. The child will also grow in all areas of development. (Physical, intellectual, language, emotional, and social).
Our goals throughout the school year are for your child to:
- Grow in independence.
- Learn to give and share, as well as receive affection.
- Learn to get along with others.
- Learn to develop self-control.
- Learn many large and small motor skills.
- Learn to interact and communicate in a positive way.
- Begin to understand his/her body.
- Begin to understand and control his/her physical world.
- Begin to develop awareness of his/her relationship to the world.
PROGRAM GOALS
a)Promote the Health, Safety, Nutrition and well-being of the children
Farmers’ Dell Co-operative Preschool promotes the health, safety, nutrition and well-being of the children. This will be implemented by following our preschool’s policies and procedures.
The staff will conduct a daily health check of each child as they arrive each morning and parents will share any knowledge of symptoms or illness. If a child is too ill to attend preschool then the parents will take the child home or call and leave a message at the preschool if their child will not be attending due to illness.
Each year, one or two parent members will volunteer to be on the Occupational Health and Safety Committee and will work with the staff and/or executive committee to conduct monthly and annual inspections to ensure that all safety and compliancy requirements are met and maintained.
The preschool will provide healthy, nutritious snacks following the recommendations of the Canada Food Guide. A monthly menu will be posted for parents to view.
Our program will provide a balance of active and quiet activities to promote the well-being of the children. We will allow ample time in our daily scheduleto use the outdoor playground (weather permitting) to engage in physical activities. We will provide opportunities and time for children to practice self-help and self-care skills throughout the daily routine and activities (i.e. getting ready to go outside).
b)Support Positive and Responsive Interactions Among the Children, Parents, Child Care Providers and Staff
Farmers’ Dell Co-operative Preschool supports positive and responsive interactions among the children, parents, child care providers and staff. We will encourage the children to interact and communicate their emotions, thoughts, needs, and requests in a positive way. When a child is unable to do this on his/her own then the adult will be there to support and guide the children. The staff, students and volunteers will demonstrate positive interactions among each other and with the children. We will encourage children to attend and listen to each other and assist in conflict resolution. We will ask children what or how they could handle a situation and guide children to make a good, safe choice. We will praise and offer encouraging comments and reminders to the children of acceptable behaviours.
We will engage in ongoing communications with the parents about the program and their children. At the start of each school year we will set up a registration interview with each family to discuss any questions or concerns a parent may have about our preschool and/or program. Parents can communicate with the teacher after class or set up an appointment to meet with the teacher to discuss any concerns they may have about their child or program. There is a policy for the process of expressing concerns.
c)Encourage the Children to Interact and Communicate in a Positive Way and Support their Ability to Self-Regulate
Farmers’ Dell Co-operative Preschool encourages the children to interact and communicate their emotions, thoughts, needs and requests in a positive way. The teacher, staff, volunteers and students will demonstrate good, positive interactions with the children and each other. They will provide support and guidance as needed, giving positive feedback or direction to the children. Through observations of the environment and the children’s interactions and play in this environment, changes will be made as needed to meet the needs of the children.
The teacher, staff, volunteers and students will support the child’s ability to self-regulate by responding to children in a calm manner and helping children to recognize stressors and develop the ability to manage their own arousal states. Giving children the words to express themselves, offer suggestions to help children regain their calmness (i.e. taking a big breath in and count to 10) or helping children to find a place to regain their calmness. They will give positive feedback and encouragement to children who are able to self-regulate. The environment will be set up to promote good, positive interactions and provide spaces for children to play on their own or with a group of children.
d)Foster the Children’s Exploration, Play and Inquiry
Farmers’ Dell Co-operative Preschool will foster the children’s exploration, play and inquiry by offering indoor and outdoor play and exploration. We will offer a balance of both active and quiet activities throughout the day. We will provide a stimulating, safe, healthy and fun environment for the children to learn and grow and be creative. We will arrange an environment that is open and offer choices throughout the day. The children will be able to make their own choices of what activities they would like to explore and be involved in and when they would like to explore these activities. We will provide ample time for children to explore and engage in these activities. There will be a set time for snack and outdoor play and we will offer a learning/story time circle. The staff, students, and volunteers will engage in the children’s play, offering support in a positive manner, encouraging children to take turns, share toys,
exchange ideas in play and ask open ended questions to encourage thinking, reasoning, and problem solving skills.
e)Provide Child-Initiated and Adult-Supported Experiences
Farmers’ Dell Co-operative Preschool will provide ample time for child-initiated experiences as well as adult-supported experiences during our free play and circle time activities. The teacher, staff, volunteers, and students will encourage, support and guide children through their experiences throughout the day, expanding on their ideas and providing opportunities for children to express themselves.
f)Plan for and Create Positive Learning Environments and Experiences in which Each Child’s Learning and Development will be Supported
Farmers’ Dell Co-operative Preschool will plan for and create positive learning environments and experiences that support each child’s learning and development by observing children during play, interaction and listening to children’s ideas. Through observations and documentation of the children’s play and interactions we will provide a stimulating, safe, creative and fun environment for each child to learn and develop. The teacher and staff will communicate and provide input on their experiences with the children and assist each other to plan and create ideas to support the children’s learning and development.
g)Incorporate Indoor and Outdoor Play, as well as Active Play, Rest and Quiet Time, into the day, and Give Consideration to the Individual Needs of the Children Receiving Child Care
Farmers’ Dell Co-operative Preschool will incorporate indoor and outdoor play, as well as active play, rest and quiet time and give consideration to the individual needs of the children receiving child care by providing opportunities in the daily schedule for children to participate in both indoor and outdoor activities. We will use the outdoor playground on a daily basis (weather permitting) to allow children to engage in vigorous physical play (riding tricycles, toy cars, riding toys, ball play, running activities, some climbing opportunities, and sand play). We will provide ample time for indoor freeplay where children will have the opportunity to engage in active and quiet activities (building toys/activities, puzzles, fine motor activities, books, puppet
play) as well as creative activities (painting, glueing, colouring, playdough, sensory activities, dress up and pretend play activities).
h)Foster the Engagement of and Ongoing Communication with Parents about the Program and their Children
Farmers’ Dell Co-operative Preschool will foster the engagement of and ongoing communication with parents about the program and their children by conducting a registration interviewat the start of each school year with each family to discuss any questions or concerns a parent may have about our preschool, our program and their children.Also, we will conduct an Orientation Meeting at the start of each school year for all members to meet and discuss the general operations of the preschool, program, co-op job allocation, duty and non-duty requirements. Parents can communicate with the teacher after class or set up an appointment to meet with the teacher to discuss any concerns they may have about their child or program. There is a policy for the process of expressing concerns.
i)Involve Local Community Partners and Allow those Partners to Support the Children, their Families and Staff
Farmers’ Dell Co-operative Preschool will involve local community partners and allow those partners to support the children, their families, and staff by sharing information that is forwarded to us that may benefit our children, families, and staff. We will work with community partners such as ASCY, Early Words to support their ideas, recommendations, and information. We will engage in community activities such as Markets, local fair, visit to fire station, pumpkin patch, and allow visitors to come to the preschool to share their knowledge.
j)Support Staff or Others Who Interact with the Children at a Child Care Centre in Relation to Continuous Professional Learning
Farmers’ Dell Co-operative Preschool will support staff or others who interact with the children at our preschool in relation to continuous professional learning by providing opportunities for staff to meet to enhance their understanding of the document How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years. We will support staff by providing a supply
teacher to teach the class to allow the teacher and/or staff to attend professional learning workshops, meetings, and other opportunities.
k)Document and Review the Impact of the Strategies Set Out in Clauses (a) to (j) on the Children and their Families
Farmers’ Dell Co-operative Preschool will document and review the impact of the strategies set out in clauses (a) to (j) on the children and their families by taking pictures of the children in the program, during their play and exploration, at special events, and when engaged in special activities. Throughout the school year, the teacher will observe and document the children’s behaviours, experiences and interactions and will keep a written log of these observations. A progress report will be completed twice/year (February & June). Each child will be given their own scrapbook to take home at the end of the school year filled with the child’s work, art activities, and photos of their experiences. A school scrapbook of our trips, events, and day to day experiences will be completed by a parent each school year that will remain at the school for parents to view. Parents will be asked to complete a parent survey once in the school year to share feedback on the preschool, program and staff performance.
Program Statement Implementation Policy
Farmers’ Dell Co-operative Preschool has written policies and procedures available for staff, students and volunteers to view which will guide implementation of the approaches in the program statement.
Farmers’ Dell Co-operative Preschool will ensure that the approaches set out in its program statement are implemented in the operation of its program by observing and monitoring staff, students and volunteers using our Monitoring form that shows compliance with the program statement approaches and that approaches that contravene the program statement are NOT observed in the program. The Supervisor and/or President will provide feedback as needed. If there are any concerns or non-compliance to the Policies and Procedures, including the use of a prohibited practice then a meeting will be arranged with the adult involved, supervisor and executive members to review policies and discuss alternative methods to be used and/or disciplinary actions to be taken.
The Monitoring form will be kept on file in a secure location for at least three years from the date of observation.
The Program Statement and the Policies and Procedures will be reviewed yearly by the Supervisor and/or President to ensure that it is aligned with the Minister’s policy statement.
Staff will reflect on and discuss documentation and engage in ongoing professional learning and development to enhance their knowledge and implementation of the approaches outlined in the program statement.
The Program Statement and the Policies and Procedures will be reviewed with all staff, students and volunteers prior to employment, placement, and volunteer position, prior to interacting with the children, annually and at any time when the Program Statement and the Policies and Procedures are modified.
All staff, students and volunteers will verbally confirm and sign and date a document to verify that they have read the Program Statement, Parent Handbook, and the Policies and Procedures prior to employment, placement, and volunteer position, prior to interacting with the children, annually and at any time when
there has been any modifications. The Supervisor and/or President will also sign this document to show written evidence that they have reviewed this information with the staff, student, and volunteer.
PROHIBITED PRACTICES POLICY
Farmers’ Dell Co-op Preschool’s Prohibited Practice Policy adheres to the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014. The Act states that:
No corporal punishment of the child.
No deliberate use of harsh or degrading measures on the child that would humiliate the child or undermine his or her self-respect.
No depriving the child of basic needs including food, shelter, clothing or bedding.
No locking the exits of the child care centre for the purpose of confining the child.
No using a locked or lockable room or structure to confine the child if he or she has been separated from other children.
No use of a physical restraint of the child, unless the physical restraint is for the purpose of preventing a child from hurting himself, herself or someone else, and is used only as a last resort and only until the risk of injury is no longer imminent.