A DAY IN AN INTEGRATED EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM

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1 Bruce/WoodGreen Early Learning Centre A DAY IN AN INTEGRATED EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM Early learning and care for every child

2 Page 2 An Integrated Day How it works: the elements of integration The Bruce/WoodGreen Early Learning Centre (BWELC) serves a mixed income community with a large new immigrant population in Toronto. The program operates from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, year round. BWELC serves children and families from pre-natal to grade two. The school enrolls children to grade six. The integrated early childhood program offered at the centre features 5 core elements: Integrated governance: The partners pool their resources to plan and deliver the program. At BWELC, Bruce School supplies the physical space and staffing including the principal, kindergarten teachers, parenting workers, teaching assistants and administrative staff. WoodGreen Community Services supports the centre manager, ECE staff and resource teacher, in addition to providing administrative assistance, professional development and family support referrals. Toronto District School Board contributes professional development and meeting release time for the principal and kindergarten teachers and the support of its superintendents and early years department. The Foundation for Student Success, Toronto Public Health and the Child Development Institute offer nutrition and parenting programs. Toronto Children s Services provides quality monitoring and operating and capital funding. Research and development is provided by the Atkinson Centre for Child and Social Development and the Institute for Child Studies, at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Operations and communications are supported by the Atkinson Charitable Foundation.

3 Staff team: The program is delivered by a teaching team of early childhood educators, kindergarten teachers, parenting workers and assistants using a common curriculum, resources and space. Integrated staffing allows a child/adult (teacher or ECE) ratio approximating the requirements of the Day Nurseries Act and is well below the 20-children/teacher cap proposed by the province for kindergarten-aged children. Integrated early learning environment: The school s classrooms are licensed under the Day Nurseries Act allowing multi-use of space, support for child development and enhanced health and safety standards. Seamless access: Through a single enrolment process families access the full range of activities the program offers. Participation is flexible there is no fee if parents attend with their children. Children aged 2½ and older are also eligible for a half day program at no cost. If additional hours are needed, there is an affordable parent contribution, about one-third the cost of tradition child care. Eligible families may apply for financial assistance through the City of Toronto s subsidy program. Emergency care is also available. One-third of the children have a parent at-home an indication of the wide need for non-parental care including by parents who are not in the workforce. Parent participation: Parent participation is paramount to children s success. Parents are welcome to take part in all the activities at the centre, all the time. This includes eating lunch or snacks with their children, joining in their children s classroom activities and participating in adult-only classes or parent/child activities.

4 Page 4 An Integrated Day T HE D AY B EGINS Children arrive at the centre between 7:30 and 9 a.m.

5 Page 5 S TAFF G REET P ARENTS & C HILDREN Teachers, early childhood educators and assistants are available to parents and children in the playground.

6 Page 6 An Integrated Day Children enter, put away their belongings and sign-in.

7 Inside time begins with reading; either alone or with staff, parents or volunteers. Page 7

8 Page 8 An Integrated Day G ROUP A CTVITIES Children meet with staff to share a story, plan their day and discuss current interests.

9 Page 9 Children choose from the various learning centres in the classroom. Activities are both adult and child directed.

10 Page 10 An Integrated Day T HE T EACHING T EAM Early childhood educators, kindergarten teachers, assistants and parenting staff interact to support children's learning in planned and informal ways. All staff share responsibility for program planning and supporting the children's growth and development.

11 Page 11 The school principal and centre director jointly oversee the program.

12 Page 12 An Integrated Day F AMILIES & THE C OMMUNITY ARE ENCOURAGED TO P ARTICIPATE The Centre is always opened to parents, siblings and caregivers.

13 Community and parent volunteers enrich the program. Page 13

14 Page 14 An Integrated Day S UPPORTING C HILDREN S SOCIAL, E MOTIONAL, I NTELLECTUAL AND P H YSICAL D EVELOPMENT Play-based problem-solving encourages emotional growth, socialization and lays the foundations for skills needed in formal schooling and adult life.

15 Classroom activities are balanced with outdoor play, rest, hygiene and nutrition. Page 15

16 Page 16 An Integrated Day F LEXIBLE A TTENDANCE At 11:30 a.m. children in the morning program have the option of going home or staying on for lunch. Staff supervise nap time for those children who want one.

17 At 1 p.m. children attending the afternoon program join the full day children and staff for stories, music and discussion. Parents and siblings are encouraged to join in. Page 17

18 Page 18 An Integrated Day A N A FTERNOON OF DEVELOPMENT Children continue their activities from the morning or choose a new learning focus. Snack and outside play are incorporated. Children go home between 3:30 and 6 p.m.

19 Page 19 From Toronto First Duty to Toronto s Best Start Toronto First Duty (TFD) began in 2000 as a partnership between the City of Toronto and the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), with support from the Atkinson Charitable Foundation and the Canadian Autoworkers Child Care Fund. The partners wanted to test early childhood service integration with the goal of influencing public policy. By bridging the disconnect between child care, education and family supports, they hoped to demonstrate the advantages of comprehensive, universal early childhood service provision to policy makers, families and communities. Five community organizations partnered with neighbourhood schools to demonstrate the TFD concept and document its successes and challenges. The TFD design is now reflected in Ontario government s Best Start strategy. It s core elements are incorporated into the Toronto Vision for Children: Best Start Plan. The training and assessment tools developed for TFD are now available for Best Start. The TDSB and the City have been joined by the French and Catholic school boards, community agencies and Public Health to expand early childhood service integration and change the way programs are delivered. TFD continues to inform the ongoing implementation of Best Start. The original TFD project sites are now under Toronto Best Start as models of integration and are being joined by other sites as integration leaders. The Bruce/WoodGreen Early Learning Centre continues to receive project funding to serve as a laboratory for Toronto s Best Start. Its mandate is to showcase the year ten vision of Best Start; to track community outcomes and to push further towards a fully integrated curriculum and program delivery model.

20 A Best Start for Every Child Bruce/WoodGreen Early Learning Centre 51 Larchmount Avenue Toronto ON Phone: x For more information contact: Pamela Musson, Toronto Children s Services, [email protected] Jane Bertrand, program development, [email protected] Kerry McCuaig, communications, [email protected] Jill Worthy, TDSB, [email protected]