Upon arrival, your child will be warmly greeted by Educators and invited to wash their hands before beginning to play. They will notice a variety of toys, books, puzzles, paper and writing tools and open-ended materials to choose from to start their day. We also have a wonderful family area where the children are drawn too. Here they practice taking care of babies and using their imagination to make food for one another. This is a beautiful space to witness your child acting out daily routines that they find comfort in.
Once the children have had an opportunity to explore their surroundings and engage in play for about 30 minutes, we invite them to help tidy the room so that we can have our ‘Morning Meeting.’ This is a wonderful large group time that offers the opportunity to connect with one another, sing some songs and build upon their interests. This may look like playing games, investigating new ideas, learning about letter and number concepts or reading a story together.
Next, we enjoy snack together. Snack time is a great opportunity for casual conversation as we get to know each other and build social-emotional connections around the table. Our snack menu is focused on nutrient-dense, whole food items. View our menu here.
Some of the activities that your child may enjoy include:
● Music Exploration – singing, dancing & instruments
● Literacy - reading books, predicting outcome of stories, alphabet recognition, name awareness
● Numeracy – counting items together, number recognition, introduction to the use of ten frames
● Sensory Activities – sand or water play, play dough, squishy sensory bags, finger painting
● STEM Experiences - various activities highlighting science, technology, engineering and math such as simple experiments, working with loose part or building in the block area with a variety of materials
● Fine Motor Skills – pencils, crayons, markers, scissors, puzzles, pegboard activities
● Gross Motor Skills – dancing, indoor climber, various jumping and gross motor movement games, parachute, pop-up tunnel
We enjoy a daily snack together. Our snack menu has been curated by a Registered Holistic Nutritionist with an emphasis on nutrient-dense, whole food options.
Allergies & Sensitivities
At ECNS, we work closely with parents who have children with food allergies or sensitivities. We are a nut free space and make every effort to accommodate additional allergies or sensitivities. While outside food from home is not permitted, staff will thoroughly discuss the preferred options for your child and ensure those food items are provided at school for your child to enjoy.
There are many ways that parents can contribute to our school community from volunteering in the classroom to participating in various fundraisers & events. We also have special projects from time to time that may involve sewing, toy repairs, etc.
As a non-profit co-operative organization, we all work together for the betterment of the school. This also leads to a greater sense of community among families and staff. Parents are placed on either the Fundraising or Events committee and when called upon, are expected to participate. Parents have some choice for which committee they are on.
As a non-profit organization we fundraise for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is for a more expensive singular item and other times it is more general in nature to ensure our toys and learning materials are current & engaging, as well as supporting professional development and staff retention.
Approximately six field trips occur each year for both the toddler, preschool & kinder prep classes. These are a fun experience for everyone. Each child is expected to have a parent or caregiver participate in all field trips. In addition to keeping trip costs low, it is a unique opportunity to share a special experience with your child as well as meet other families in our community.
No, we have beautiful bathroom facilities that allow your child to simply have their diaper changed as well as begin to use the toilet as their interest and comfort allows.
While outdoor playtime is an important factor in child development, our location does not have dedicated play space for ECNS. Due to Ministry of Education regulations, we are unable to use the school playground on a regular basis. As the children’s skills allow, we do enjoy neighbourhood walks. This is more likely to happen during the spring months.
In place of outdoor time, we encourage gross motor development by engaging in action songs and poems, jumping from stools, balance walking, tunnel crawling, using our indoor climber complete with ladder, rock wall & slide as well as a rocking horse.
Please send your child with a backpack or bag to carry their belongings back and forth to school.
Additionally:
● water bottle
● indoor shoes
● 2 spare sets of clothes in a clear, plastic zippered bag
● diapers & wipes if necessary
The water bottle and shoes may come back and forth with your child; however, we request that their spare clothes stay at school in our washroom for easy access.
All items must be labelled. You can do this with masking tape & a marker, or if you would like personalized labels, please visit Mabel’s Labels to order your own. We participate in an on-going fundraising campaign with Mabel’s Labels. This means that your purchase supports our school’s fundraising efforts.
We have ongoing registration for children in both our toddler and preschool program, as long as spots are available.
Otherwise, our registration for the next school year will open every spring. Families who are in our program currently will have first availability into our programs the following year. Then we will fill up our classrooms with new families.