The Learning Place is  licensed and approved by the Province of Alberta. It is a privately owned preschool operated by Diane Hutchinson.  I am a trained Early years Teacher with specialisms and experience in Early Childhood Education and Special Educational Needs. 

I started my Teaching career in the UK with a mixed age range classroom and since then have always felt strongly that these mixed age ‘family grouped’ classes work really well; they allow every child the chance to act as a mentor and role-model to their younger peers, to develop a sense of family with their peers, to be allowed to take a leadership role, to gain confidence from seeing other children take part in activities and to develop socially through interacting with both younger and older children.


We offer a Pre-school program for children aged 3 to 5 years. We are open Monday through Friday and children can attend 2, 3, or 4  sessions per week, either in the morning from 8.45 till 11.15 am or the afternoon from 12.00 till 2.30 pm. You may choose the sessions that work best for you and your child.  We do take on-going registration throughout the year if we have spaces.

The class size is restricted and these smaller classes mean that your child receives more individualized attention from the Teachers and adults in the classroom. In some cases there may be more support staff in class and each session varies according to needs.

We are able to offer no charge screening and assessment for each child and can access funding to obtain extra support for you and your child if needed. We primarily work with the I'm for Kids team to run our screening sessions and provide learning support.


The program we offer provides a wide selection of activities across the curriculum including Early literacy, Library book sharing, Numeracy, Art, Music, Dramatic play, Fine and Gross motor skills, Problem solving, Social interaction and Personal Development training. We believe that each child is an individual and is unique and will therefore develop at a different pace; our goal is to facilitate each of their specific developmental needs. Teachers act as a resource and guide for the children but we truly believe that children learn by ‘doing’.  We constantly supervise the children at play ensuring that each of them is gaining the optimal learning experience and, if necessary, provide them with further challenges once their goals have been achieved.
A combination of structured and free play ‘hands-on’ activities to explore creativity and build self esteem also helps children to make sense of their world and to develop physically, socially, creatively and intellectually.


                The Learning Place preschool is truly 'The Place to Learn’.



Our routine

In the classroom we follow a daily routine where children start the day by greeting their Teachers and friends and this is followed by a choice of fine motor activities, books or games to work on until everyone has arrived and settled.

We have an initial circle time, this includes registration, question of the day, an introduction to our daily activities, time to socialize and tell news or chat with peers and teachers.

All children then have access to teacher led games and activities, as well as paired, individual and free play activities; some very open-ended, some imaginative and some more clearly defined. There will be, large and/or small construction, fine motor activities, puzzles, games, small world play, free mark making activities, as well as others. There is also a quieter area where children can relax, enjoy a book, or spend some quiet time with their friends. The activities are balanced to provide a range of learning and play opportunities which;
* stimulate and encourage children to explore freely and safely
* develop their self-confidence, self-esteem and skills for learning.
* meet the developmental needs of the children attending that session.
 
Some of the older children may spend longer on an activity, problem solving skills, communication and math skills and will have an opportunity to role model for peers. This also provides an opportunity for children to interact and work in a larger social group and encourage positive interactions and participation. All children also have access to more adult-led structured activities;   During the structured activity the children are usually in smaller groups. An adult will have planned an activity specifically tailored to meet the developmental needs of the children in during that session. These activities are fun; sometimes play based activities that are designed to enable the children to develop and progress. The activities may include craft, turn taking games, number recognition, reinforce an area of specific need or challenge an area of strength, but will always be achievable. We believe that this flexible approach allows children the time and space to engage fully with the activities on offer.
 

Towards the end of each session we have our snack; this is an important social occasion, where adults and children come together. The children are supported during snack time to provide appropriate role models. During the year the children become more responsible for this activity by setting and clearing the table.

To end the session we have a range of activities including story time,yoga or Music and movement. We take time to review our day and sing our goodbye song. Children are dismissed individually to their care giver by a teacher.

Our strong language based program uses a range of phonic and literacy approaches including the Letterland Program and materials. We focus on a letter of the week which also helps to teach reading and writing awareness and readiness. By the time your child is ready for Kindergarten we aim for them to
* have confidence in their own abilities
* be able to socialize with their peers and adults
* be able to recognize and write their name
* identify many of the letters of the alphabet
* recognize and name the characters in Letterland including some of the phonetic sounds they make
* copy and trace letters and words accurately
* have an awareness of print in the environment to identify some letters and/or words in books, signs, labels and packaging

Our Preschool Math activities encourage children to learn numeric concepts by exploring the concrete world through their senses, through constant experience, through practice and by repetition of learning activities. We aim to raise awareness of Numeracy with our students by introducing mathematical and positional language, sorting objects by size, color and shape, counting songs, puzzles, turn-taking games, number recognition f rom 0 - 20and numeral formation from 0 - 10.



In order to develop a structured learning program a general theme is planned, weekly topics and daily activities then tie different areas of the curriculum together. 

Information regarding our themes and activities is sent home regularly in the form of a newsletter which is available on the website. We also encourage the children to talk to their parents/carers in order that they can share their learning and allow others to become involved in the learning process.


There is an open door policy at the beginning or end of a session where parents are always encouraged to stop by and discuss any worries or concerns with us. Parents can also email if they have any queries.