"Children need
beauty. They need to be exposed to good quality artifacts
and
works of art as part of their aesthetic development. They need
opportunities to wonder and marvel at the natural world as well as be
surrounded by buildings that give a sense of permanence, even in our
transitory world."
– from the
OECD
Report on Early Childhood Education in Canada
Welcome
to the Early
Learning
Centre website!
We hope you enjoy this tour of our programs. The ELC was founded in
1977 to address the lack of resources available
to low-income families in Regina. It seemed ironic that families with
more financial resources could purchase a place in a nursery school or
a Montessori preschool to help their children learn basic
socialization and cognitive skills, but low-income families, often in
greater need of such supports, could not.
The Centre was created to
provide equal opportunities to low-income families and
to work in partnership with parents to enable their children to achieve
a greater potential.
The ELC has always taken the
idea of partnership very seriously and has developed ways of involving
parents in a variety of meaningful ways.
Some of these ways involve governance, home visits, an open door policy
and
programs for parents. Over time, we have articulated our values and
beliefs about how children learn and the importance of healthy family
and community systems in the life of the child."We also saw the teachers encouraging the
children to take initiatives and to collaborate with each other. The
children were not cosseted, but given genuine freedom to choose.
Through dialogue with their teachers these choices are then transformed
into purposeful activities."
Since 1977, the Centre has
grown in size and scope. Today we offer a range of educational and
support services for children and families from prenatal to school
entry. Staff retention rate is stable, enabling us to grow
in knowledge and skills. Being lifelong learners is a goal for all at
the Centre, and includes parents, children and staff. Keeping abreast
of research, reflecting on practice, and incorporating new learning
into practice have enabled us to maintain high standards of service
delivery. Join us in an exploration of life at the Regina Early Learning
Centre.
