Philosophies and Objectives
To The Home
1. To provide a supplement to the home in terms of a loving, secure and stimulating environment.
2. To better facilitate family relations, decreasing family pressures by allowing the mother to assume outside employment when necessary, being assured that the child’s normal growth and development needs can be met.
To The Child
1. To-provide an environment in which the children are exposed to different experiences to facilitate learning and intellectual development, development of a positive self-concept and of a body image.
2. To provide the children with an environment which encourages independence. Children should be allowed to do as much for themselves as they can. But shouldn't have unrealistic expectations placed on them.
3. To provide the children with an environment in which realistic limits are set (in play-areas and outside) and the children encouraged to stay in them.
4. To provide staff supervision which is consistent in setting the limits for the children's activity and encouraging the children to stay within them. The staff should agree on the consequences of violating the set limits.
5. To help the children to provide an orderly environment for themselves. Staff should encourage the Children to replace their toys on the shelves when they are finished using them and to tidy up the housekeeping area.
6. To provide the children with an environment which allows some opportunity for freedom of choice and to accept the responsibility for the alternative chosen. The child's health, wellbeing and safety must always be considered as factors which limit choices available' a child cannot be allowed to choose something harmful or endangering; to himself or others.
7. To structure a non-competitive environment for the children which removes the necessity to pit the children against each other in order to achieve certain goals e.g., Seeing who can be "quietest", put their shoes on "fastest". Etc., thereby: creating a situation in which many or most of the children will “fail” 'or "lose" and which is potentially damaging to a child's self-image.
8. To provide an environment in which the children are free to express their emotions and are given help in accepting, understanding and learning to control them.
9. To provide an environment in which the children can learn to engage in positive social interactions with one another to share, etc.
10. To provide the child with an adequate lunch at noon hour and snacks during the program to meet the nutritional requirements of the child.
11. To provide an environment where the child acquires daily rest and relaxation since the service is provided on a full day basis.
To The Community
1. To provide a needed service to the community of Portage la Prairie and district. Enabling families under financial or-emotional stress to find adequate child care at reasonable cost,
2. To provide a daily program conducive to the child's physical and social growth, thus a preparation for the school system without stressing educational requirements and-therefore not assuming a structured educational program.
3. To provide an open-ended service to the community that is not limited to working mothers or economic status.
4. To provide; where necessary, for home follow-up either by the Public Health Nurse or Social Worker depending on the circumstances.
To The Parent
1. To facilitate the smooth operation of the program. It is the parent's responsibility to maintain contact with the director as to the child's progress within the program and to relay any pertinent information regarding the child to the director.
2. To assure that no child will be excluded from the service due to the parent's inability to pay full fee. All Families are encouraged to apply for Government Subsidy and payment plans can be discussed with the Executive Director.
