Come September the Community Resource Centre Childcare at JD Hogarth Public School will be offering a new program aimed at toddlers.
“We’re making the change to meet the needs of the community,” said Karen Goodman, the supervisor at the licensed childcare facility in Fergus. “A lot of families (were) calling in and needed care earlier than we generally provide for them and with full day kindergarten we do lose our pre-school children earlier now so it was a great time for a change.”
In the past, the facility offered a program for 32 preschool-aged children who were 2.5 to 4 years old. Now there will be 16 spaces for preschool-aged children and 15 spaces for toddlers who are 18 months to 2.5 years old.
The new toddler program will offer a flexible routine.
“It’s based on the play and the interests of the children rather than a teacher-led curriculum,” Goodman explained. “So the teachers observe how the children are using toys, what they’re doing with them, what they’re interests are and then they change their program daily to meet the interests of the children while still targeting the developmental levels that a child gets to at each age group.”
Speaking on behalf of the three teachers who will be facilitating the new toddler, program Tracy Clark said “we’re proud and excited and honoured.”
Goodman explained that the three teachers; Clarke, Carol Waters and Henrietta Ruzsvanszky, are already qualified to run the toddler program.
“We are providing additional training to staff because we’ve traditionally been a preschool–based program,” Goodman said.
“It doesn’t differ very much at all but we are sending them out the third week in August to some other licensed childcare centres to do some observations and talk to the toddler staff that have been doing it for a long time there.”
The toddler program is offered on a 12-month cycle from 7am to 6pm daily. Because the childcare centre knew it would be offering this program soon Goodman said they haven’t been accepting new families into the preschool-aged program.
“Everyone’s still here, nobody got kicked out or moved or anything like that,” she said. “We wouldn’t want to accept them and then let them know that the space is gone in September.”
Even though the facility just recently received license approval Goodman said the 15 toddler-designated spaces are filling up fast. Those interested in the toddler-aged program can contact the Community Resource Centre Childcare at JD Hogarth Public School at 519-843-6632 or at www.communityresourcecentre.org for copies of the necessary registration and information packages.
Community Resource Centre Childcare also provides before and after school care for Fergus-students up to 12 years of age at J.D. Hogarth School Public School, St. Joseph Catholic School and James McQueen Public School throughout the school year.
“We have families who use our care, now starting from 18 months to 12 years of age,” Goodman said. “They can be with our agency for that whole period of time.”
If the desired age-group is full parents and guardians can ask for their child to be included on a wait list.
