Curriculum

The foundation of the curriculum is based on the natural flow of the yearly calendar:

It includes the annual seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter) as well as all the relevant cultural, religious and national events, for example: in the months of November and December we celebrate, Halloween, Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year.

Each child’s culture will be given the opportunity to present their special tradition/day(s). Parents are encouraged to contribute and assist on such a special day/event, ensuring that each child feels heard and respected.

Commonalities are highlighted in order to demonstrate that we are globally all very much the same, yet unique and special in our own cultural way.

Every morning there is circle time during which, through the illustrations of the felt calendar, the days of the week, months of the year and the weather of the day are discussed. We also introduce the number of the week, colour of the week and shape of the week.

In order to structure the curriculum program, we constantly look at the four key elements of development to ensure the growth of the child as a whole.

These four key elements that are incorporated in our program are as follows:

Social and Emotional Development

Children will enjoy a safe, nurturing “home-away-from-home” where they can learn to express themselves and understand their own unique identities. We encourage your child to be independent in personal hygiene and we expect them to help with tidying up the playrooms (before snack, lunch and home time). We also help them to take responsibility in following the childcare’s Golden Rules. These rules will help them gain the confidence, self-esteem, and negotiating skills necessary for a lifetime of healthy relationships.

The daily circle time and game activities provide a routine which will promote the child’s self-esteem, self-confidence and co-operative skills to forge trusting relationships.

Physical Development

We focus on the physical health and well-being of your child so he/she grows up safe and strong. Motor-skill development, coordination, mobility and exercise all help ensure your growing child has a healthy body and mind and is ready to face the future. The spacious rooms with construction materials and puzzles invite children to develop an good eye, as well as hand and finger control. The large outdoor area provides a stimulating environment for energetic play. Other and/or music and dance sessions ensure healthy physique.

Intellectual Development

Our program ensures a series of age-appropriate cognitive activities to prepare the children for our multicultural world.

As English is a second language for most children, we ensure to support the English language development throughout the day through fun and play. Our curriculum is also based around stimulating English by including songs, rhymes, reading and phonological games.

Reading, writing, and math are important and children learn by experiencing the world around them. Early mathematical skills are developed through games, books and action-rhymes. Early reading and writing are encouraged through reading books, tracing activities and interesting displays.

In our daily routine, we provide a wide range of art & craft activities to develop children’s creativity. These are calendar-based e.g. for Halloween children may glue spiders or paint pumpkins and for Hanukkah the children decorate menorahs. Our staff members are keen to introduce new ideas and projects into the artistic activities which keep the children interested and involved. 

From a musical perspective children may experience/experiment with playing on different musical instruments, singing calendar-based songs e.g. for Halloween “incy wincy spider” and “dreidle, dreidle, dreidle” for Hanukkah.

Regular cooking (like baking) and domestic duties (like helping clean-up) add to your child’s ongoing development.

Discipline

We use positive praise to encourage children to follow the rules and routines of the childcare. The childcare’s Golden Rules have been developed in order to give guidance to the desired behavior.                                           

Golden Rules:

Please be gentle

Please be friendly

Please listen to each other

Please be polite (say “please and thank you”)

Please take care of our toys

Time-out is the method of discipline used in the daycare facility (one minute per age of the child).