Our rooms
Three rooms, each with its own educators, routine and colour.
Children stay with the same small group and the same educators through the year, and move up a room when they're ready, usually in late summer.
The rooms side by side
| Infant room | Toddler room | Preschool room | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ages | 6 to 18 months | 18 months to 3 years | 3 to 5 years |
| Group | Up to 9 children, 3 educators | Up to 15 children, 3 educators | Up to 20 children, 2 educators |
| Naps | On each baby's own schedule, in cribs | After lunch on cots, about 12:30 to 14:30 | A rest after lunch; non-sleepers get up for quiet play |
| Yard time | Mid-morning and mid-afternoon | 9:45 to 11:00 and 15:15 to 16:15 | 10:00 to 11:15 and 15:30 to 16:30 |
| Meals | Bottles from home; purées and soft finger food from our kitchen | Lunch and two snacks at small tables | Lunch and two snacks, served family style |
Infant room
6 to 18 months
- Up to 9 babies
- 3 educators
- A separate sleep room
What the day holds
Babies keep their own rhythm here. Educators follow the feeding and sleep times you give us, and change them with you as your baby grows. Between naps there's floor time on soft mats, board books, songs, push toys for new walkers and short trips to the yard in all but the coldest weather.
At pickup you get a written sheet with each feed, sleep and diaper change.
What to pack
- Diapers and wipes, enough for the week
- Bottles and breast milk or formula, labelled with your baby's name
- Two full changes of clothes
- A sleep sack for naps
- Outdoor clothes for the season: snowsuit, hat and mitts in winter
- A soother, if your baby uses one
Toddler room
18 months to 3 years
- Up to 15 toddlers
- 3 educators
- Their own corner of the yard
Toddlers are busy, and the room is set up for it: low climbing blocks, a sand and water table, a reading corner with cushions and shelves they can reach by themselves.
What the day holds
Morning circle with songs and names, play inside and out, lunch at small tables where they learn to pour and use a spoon, then a long nap on cots. Toilet learning starts when your child is ready, and we work on it together with you.
What to pack
- Diapers or pull-ups, if your child still uses them
- Two changes of clothes, more while toilet learning
- Indoor shoes that close with Velcro
- A water bottle
- A small blanket and stuffy for nap
- Splash pants and rubber boots
Preschool room
3 to 5 years
- Up to 20 children
- 2 educators
- A quiet corner for rest
Preschoolers plan more of their own day. Projects grow out of what they're curious about, from a bird's nest found in the yard to the snowplough that goes by each morning, and some of them run for weeks.
What the day holds
Circle time, a long stretch of play and projects, outdoor time twice a day, lunch served family style, a rest after lunch, then stories and music in the afternoon.
Getting ready for school
Letters, counting and early writing come through games and projects. In their last year, children practise what kindergarten asks of them: packing a bag, zipping a coat, waiting for a turn.
What to pack
- One change of clothes
- Indoor shoes
- A water bottle
- A small blanket for rest time
- Outdoor gear for the day's weather: snowsuit, mitts and toque in winter, a sun hat in summer