Safety.
Rest assured that your child is safe while he or she is with me. My family child care program meets all provincial health and safety standards. I am certified in CPR, First Aid, and trained to recognize signs of communicable disease and child abuse. Annual criminal background checks are run on me and members of my family 12 years old or older.
Learning.
French language development. Benefits: It’s been recognized by many studies there are cognitive benefits to learning a foreign language such as enhanced memory, more creativity and better multi-tasking abilities. Along the same lines of the cognitive benefits mentioned above, learning a foreign language can also provide academic benefits. Bilingual children have been shown to have better critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, and greater mental flexibility. All these things result in better academic performance. Learning a foreign language opens doors that would not otherwise be opened. Not only can a foreign language provide a competitive edge in the workforce, but it creates a deeper understanding of and appreciation for humanity and culture, which enriches one’s life and personal experiences in the world.
Full-scale Art studio. Benefits: Creative activities are some of the building blocks of child development. Many of the motions involved in making art, such as holding a paintbrush or scribbling with a crayon, are essential to the growth of fine and gross motor skills in young children and develop the skills children will need for writing. For very young children, making art, and talking about it, provides opportunities to learn words for colors, shapes and actions and enhances language development. Many studies talk about the importance of Art education for the strengthening of problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. The experience of making decisions and choices in the course of creating art carries over into other parts of life. When kids are encouraged to express themselves, and take risks in creating art, they develop a sense of innovation that will be important in their adult lives. Studies also show that there is a correlation between art and other achievement. A report by Americans for the Arts states that young people who participate regularly in the arts are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, to participate in a math and science fair or to win an award for writing an essay or poem than children who do not participate.
Reggio Emilia philosophy. Benefits: Children benefit from having the environment as their “third teacher”. There is an emphasis on using natural materials that can be used in more than one way to encourage an interest in the natural world and exploration. Children also benefit in being equal partners with, parents and teachers in the learning process. This gives children the power to direct their learning and grow their creativity. Children benefit from using many “languages” to express themselves. Some of the languages are writing, building, sculpting, music, different art mediums, and dramatic play. Children develop skills and problem-solving ability through hands-on practice. Curriculum planning is based on children’s interests leading to open-ended and often long-term projects that allow children to further explore their interests with teacher direction.
Food and Fun.
Children love spending time at Messy Hands. In our family child care program children are allowed to be loud, messy, and act like kids. They love the engaging learning environment and daily activities t
hat are so much fun they won’t realize how much they’re learning. The center will provide a morning and an afternoon snacks that will have foods from at least two different food groups. Canada’s Food Guide has four food groups: vegetables and fruit, grain products, milk and alternatives, and meat and alternatives. I will choose snacks that are nutritious, promote good dental health and teach lifelong good eating habits. Best of all, they’re nutritious enough for parent approval 
and delicious enough that children gobble them up. Creating a supportive healthy eating environment for children to eat in can be just as important, if not more important than the menu items offered. The environment children eat in can have lifelong impacts on their relationship with food. We have a fenced outdoor play area with a “Mud” kitchen and a small vegetable garden where children can participate in planting and growing their own seeds.
Caregiver.
As a well-educated and experienced family child care provider, I am passionate about children’s happiness and healthy development. I completed the ECE Basic Certificate program offered by the Burnaby Community and Continuing Education and focused on studying and implementing the ideas and theories of the Reggio approach and my goal as an Early Childhood educator is to help your child develop a life-long love of learning and prepare him or her for success in school and beyond.
Family.
Children thrive in the warm, nurturing atmosphere of our family child care program which feels almost like home. The small group size provides the best opportunities for each child’s development while the mixed-age grouping allows children to experience different roles in a family, develop self-help skills, and practice getting along with others. Parents are given respect, support, encouragement, and opportunities for meaningful involvement in the program.