About Us
Acorn 8 Oaks Daycare is licensed under the Provincial Child Care Regulation of the Community Care Facility Act to provide care for 25 full time equivalent children aged 30 months to 5 years.
Acorn Daycare is a non profit society and registered charity in good standing run by an elected board of director's comprised of parents and volunteers. All families using the centre become voting members of the Acorn Daycare Society, and agree to abide by the constitution and by-laws and policies, which govern the society.
Our Mission
To provide a high quality daycare service to preschool children and their families which promotes the physical, intellectual, emotional, and social growth of each child.
We believe children are entitled to environments and opportunities that foster positive emotional, social, cognitive, and physical development and that value inclusivity, multiculturalism, interdependence and dignity.
Families are entitled to be involved in a meaningful way in their childcare experience and deserve assurance of safe, quality childcare for their child.
Staff is entitled to a working environment which recognizes and respects their training, skills and commitment to childcare and which demonstrates this through respectful communication and personnel policies.
The Centre enhances the lives of children, their families, and the community by providing a caring, supportive and vital community service.
History
Acorn daycare was incorporated in February 1992 as a non-profit society. This was a result of Inner City Housing, a non-profit property developer, beginning negotiations with City Hall, to obtain this piece of land for Co-op Housing. There had been opposition by the Douglas Park Community to the demolition of the existing building, which housed a fire dispatch centre. One of the major identified needs in the community was for more daycare space. After many meetings the community agreed to accept the Co-op on the city owned land, provided a daycare be included in the Co-op. Acorn daycare opened in September 1982.
Our Philosophy
Specific Goals for Parents
- To accommodate the working hours of most families by being open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., five days a week, twelve months a year.
- To relate to parents as partners with staff members; to be sensitive to parents’ goals and cultural values; to utilize a variety of means to ensure that each parent feels welcome and involved in the Centre.
Specific Goals for Each Child
- To help each child feel secure and comfortable in the Daycare Centre, knowing that there exists a close relationship between parents and staff.
- To experience a consistent expression of warmth, acceptance, and respect from the adults in the Centre, and to form a trusting relationship with staff members.
- To experience many opportunities to strive and succeed – physically, socially, and intellectually.
- To derive an ever-increasing sense of self-worth and self-confidence.
- To grow in autonomy and independence.
- To enjoy working/playing both independently and with other children; to value his/her own rights and feelings and those of others.
- To grow in ability to recognize his/her own feelings and express his/her emotions constructively.
- To develop curiosity and a sense of wonder and to experience the thrill of discovery.
- To experience many opportunities to make appropriate choices and decisions and to solve problems – physical, social, and intellectual.
Acorn 8 Oaks Daycare Guiding, Caring and Discipline Policy
As a licensed daycare centre that must abide by all regulations under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, staff must ensure that no child enrolled in our centre, while under the care or supervision of centre staff is:
- Subjected to shoving, hitting, shaking, spanking or other forms of corporal punishment.
- Subjected to harsh, belittling, or degrading treatment whether verbal, emotional or physical that would humiliate the child or undermine the child's self esteem.
- As a form of punishment confined, physically restrained or kept without adult supervision apart from other children.
- As a form of punishment deprived of meals, snacks, rest or necessary use of a toilet.
- Subjected to emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse or neglect as those terms are defined in the above referenced regulations.
At the centre the staff works towards providing an accepting, safe and caring environment where consistent discipline is a part of our program. Our goal is to help each child to develop to his/her full potential physically, intellectually, socially, and emotionally. The ultimate goal of discipline for your child is self control and self discipline. Through consistent and positive discipline staff hope that the young child will gradually become more responsible for his/her own behaviour and ultimately become a responsible fully contributing member of society.
As a staff we try to set reasonable limits that relate to the safety and protection of the rights of others. Limits are simply stated and maintained and take each child's stage of development into account. Controlling the daycare environment makes less need for the direct control of the child's behaviour. When the program is well planned direct control is little in evidence. If a child is not getting on with other children redirection can play an important role in discipline. The staff redirects his/her energies in a more constructive way, often by assisting the child in choosing a more suitable activity.
The daycare staff utilizes the logical consequences theory as much as possible. The child learns that consequences may happen if certain behaviour continues. Occasionally safety must be considered first, and in such cases, the child must be removed from the situation. Staff may choose to remove the child from the problem area, to a place where the child and teacher can take a few minutes to calm down and hopefully the child will be able to regain his/her composure while still being able to see what is happening in the centre. When the child has calmed down the staff member will discuss what has happened using as few words as possible. The child can then rejoin the play he or she has left or when necessary be redirected to a different activity with a staff member's assistance.
Defining limits, explaining reasons in simple terms, giving choices, controlling the environment and redirection are all positive techniques for disciplining children. Staffs use a combination of these techniques for positive results..
When dealing with discipline staffs try to make it clear that it is the child's actions, not the child, that are disapproved of and not acceptable. This is often unclear to the child causing him/her to think that he/she is bad. Staff always let the child know that the teacher’s love and acceptance is always there through good times or bad.
Children need discipline to assist them in developing into healthy well-adjusted members of society. Our goal at Acorn is to assist them in acquiring their own self-control through positive discipline so they can one day monitor themselves.