Saskatoon Early Learning and Child Care

A licensed child care facility that provides care and supervision for up to 90 children with complex medical needs, their siblings, as well as typically developing children from the community, between the ages of six weeks and six years.

Philosophy

• Emergent Curriculum and Project Approach
  • A child initiated approach – the child has a say in what they are learning. 
  • Educators create their learning topics or activities base on the children’s interests. 
  • If the child is asking questions, the educator can create a project allowing kids to find answers themselves.
• Inclusion
  • Creation of programs, activities, outings, and daily practices that facilitate the full participation of all children. 
• Person First Language
  • Standard expectation across all Hopes Home locations.
  • Refers to the way they refer to a person before their diagnosis.
• Early Intervention
  • Help’s the children’s physical, cognitive, language, emotional, and social development.
• Age-Appropriate interactions
  • Respectfully converse and respond to children in relation to their chronological age and environment.
  • Words used to communicate are powerful and need to be chosen carefully.

Programs and Activities

• Each job/role at Hope’s Home plays its own part for programs and activities.
• Physical Development Consultants implement each medical child’s physical therapy program.
• Developmental Workers assists medical children in outings, activities, and programs. 
• Developmental Workers will sit alongside the children and provide any support needed for them to feel fully included. 
• Early Childhood Educators are responsible for creating activities, routines, and daily programming for their classroom of children and create numerous learning opportunities for all children, including medical kids too.
• Nurses are responsible for any medical procedures needed – they will help integrate children with complex medical needs into all activities when Early Childhood Educators and Developmental Workers are unsure about the safety of including them.

Nutrition

• Three meals provided – breakfast, lunch, and snacks.
• All meals include at least one high protein food to help children’s development.
• Nutrition specialist prepares all the meals and snacks for the children being aware of the allergies and intolerance. 
• Complex medical needs are considered when meals are made as some kids have special dietary requirements, i.e. puree food.