Building Blocks Montessori and Preschool recognizes children are capable and curious and delivers programs and services that value and build on their strengths and abilities. Building Blocks Montessori and Preschool has embraced How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years as a professional learning resource guide for Educators to support pedagogy and curriculum/program development in our early learning programs. This aligns with the Ministry of Education’s Policy Statement on programming and pedagogy. At Building Blocks Montessori and Preschool we view children and families as capable and competent community members with valuable ideas and perspectives.
Children are competent, capable, curious and rich in potential. Building Blocks Montessori and Preschool recognizes each child is a unique individual who brings his or her own abilities to the program and deserves the encouragement and space to try new things, explore new ideas and develop their own unique creativity. We provide an environment that fosters curiosity; one that allows children to explore. We believe that every child deserves a safe and caring environment (a place where children want to be and where they feel “at home”), in which to grow and develop to their maximum potential. We understand the importance of taking children’s stages of development into consideration. For each child, their stage of development is an individualized and complex interplay between developmental factors and their unique family, community and life experiences. In each case, we aim to integrate all areas of the child’s development into our program in a holistic way.
To foster learning and support children’s interests, Building Blocks Montessori and Preschool offers a variety of daily activities surrounding language and literacy, numeracy, music, science, nature, fine motor and gross motor, creative arts, and physical activity both indoors and outdoors. Our goals for children, consistent with the Ministry of Education pedagogy The Four Foundations of How Does Learning Happen, include the following:
- Every child has a sense of belonging when he or she is connected to others and contributes to their world.
- Every child is developing a sense of self, health, and well-being.
- Every child is an active and engaged learner who explores the world with body, mind, and senses.
- Every child is a capable communicator who expresses himself or herself in many ways
A focus on these foundations throughout all aspects of our programs ensures optimal learning and healthy development.