At Bow Valley Child Care Centre, we are fortunate to be able to offer a variety of opportunities to the children develop gross motor skills throughout the day. Children have the opportunity to exercise on our child sized fitness machines, play sports and games, dance, practice yoga, pilates, balance beams and stretching in a versatile space we refer to as the “gym”.

Outdoor play is also an integral part of our physical literacy program. All children are scheduled for outdoor time each day subject to weather. Our outdoor play space features three large play structures including tunnels and slides, as well as a variety planned activities. During the summer the older children enjoy picnic lunches and snacks outside. The younger children are taken on stroller and community buggy rides outside on the rotunda and park area weather permitting.

Part of physical literacy is also the development of fine motor skills through manipulation of small materials. In each classroom at BVCCC there are many unique opportunities for fine motor development with the use of sensory bins, sorting and counting activities, sand and water play, puzzles and playdough.

Children grow and develop quickly, making good nutrition especially important. A healthy diet provides the energy and essential nutrients that children need to grow, develop and be active. At Bow Valley Child Care Centre, we provide a homemade and healthy lunch as well as morning and afternoon snacks.

Our menus consider children's ages, nutritional needs, cultural and religious practices and health needs (for example, allergies). The meals and snacks are reviewed on a monthly basis to ensure that they meet the changing nutritional guidelines of research and Canada's Food Guide to support children's healthy development. All menus are posted outside our kitchen and recipes are available to parents.

Our meals are served family style: early childhood professionals and children sit, eat and talk with children during meals, role-modeling good nutritional, social and health practices.

We employ a full-time cook trained in food handling procedures as per Government of Alberta requirements.

Children's growth and developmental milestones are linked to certain ages but each child will reach a milestone at his/her own pace. Early childhood professionals apply the knowledge that the stages of physical, social, emotional, creative and cognitive development of each child are different.

One of the tools we use for development screening is the Brigance Diagnostic Inventory of Early Development. This booklet is designed to recognize development milestones in children birth to 7 years in the following areas:

Our curriculum promotes play as a major learning process. Play is vital to young children's daily lives and enhances their development. Play is a powerful way for children to add to their knowledge, develop new skills and cultivate friendships. Play also promotes peer learning through discovery and exploration of their world. Our play includes any early learning experience that children freely choose allowing them children to guide and direct their own learning Our early childhood professionals support children in their play.

Our curriculum supports and encourages the emotional, social, cognitive, creative and physical growth and development of each child. Our curriculum includes early learning experiences, play materials, physical environments, flexible daily schedules, routines and most importantly the people that are a part of our centre.

The development of our curriculum is based on understanding the children by observing, interacting, recording and reflecting upon the children's daily experiences. We base the curriculum on the children's interests, individual backgrounds, needs, abilities, along with parent input and parent goal setting. We also incorporate the outcomes of developmental screens on weekly planning sheets and monthly calendars. As this is an evolving process, throughout the day early childhood professionals modify the environment and learning experiences.

Early childhood professional's plan and provide daily early learning experiences that support and promote each child's physical, emotional, social, creative and cognitive development. Children's growth and developmental milestones are linked to certain ages but each child will reach a milestone at his/her own pace. Each child's growth and development depends on a combination of nature (what he/she is born with), nurture (what he/she experiences) and cultural influences. Early childhood professionals apply the knowledge that the stages of physical, social, emotional, creative and cognitive development of each child is different. Early childhood professionals carefully plan and implement early learning experiences to meet a child's individual needs and progress.