ACW Program Statement

A Child’s World -Family Child Care Services of Niagara Program Statement

A Child’s World provides quality early learning and child care by creating an enriched foundation for children and their families. It is our commitment to support How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years.

All Educators, support staff, students, and volunteers will review the Program Statement prior to employment, annually and/or after any modification.

The term “Educator” refers to all ACW staff, students and volunteers who interact with children and families in our Child Care Centre’s.

A Child’s World Goal

A Child’s World Approach

Educators take responsibility for providing a healthy, safe, nutritionally sound program that supports the overall well-being of the children.

  • Demonstrates caring, authentic relationships with the children to create a sense of belonging.
  • Children will be supervised at all times.
  • Plans snack and lunch menus reflective of the Canada Food Guide requirements.
  • Accommodates medical, religious and cultural dietary needs.
  • Provides rest and quiet times as appropriate for each child.

Educators take responsibility for quality engagement interactions with the children, the families and colleagues.

  • Interacts at the children’s level.
  • Plans for individual children’s needs.
  • Allows for relaxed and flexible scheduling.
  • Collaborates to enhance positive interactions.
  • Approaches children and co-workers viewing them as competent, capable, curious and rich in experiences.
  • Recognizes the critical role that families play in their child’s development.
  • Creates an open environment that allows families to be an equal partner in the care of their children.
  • Providing opportunities for families to be engaged in the program.
  • Creating a community of practice through team development meetings.
  • Continuous communication amongst colleagues in regards to the wellbeing of the children.

Educators take responsibility to encourage the children to interact and communicate in a positive way and support their ability to self-regulate.

  • Encourages positive verbal and non-verbal communication.
  • Provides challenging environments that invite the children to explore, take risks and test their abilities.
  • Allows for relaxed and flexible scheduling.
  • Plans for individual children’s needs.
  • Offers indoor and outdoor environments that support children’s self-regulation.

Educators take responsibility to foster children’s exploration and inquiry through play.

  • Acknowledges children as competent, capable, curious and rich in potential.
  • Incorporates the values and expectations of Quality Child Care Niagara.
  • Designs environments that are child focused with the emphasis on the interests and abilities of the children.
  • Provides challenging environments that let the children explore, take risks and test their abilities.

Educators take responsibility to provide an all-encompassing program that includes child initiated and educator supported experiences.

  • Plans according to the children’s interests.
  • Allows for flexible scheduling.
  • Incorporates the values, expectations and tools of Quality Child Care Niagara.

Educators take responsibility for providing positive learning environments and experiences where each child’s learning and development is supported which is inclusive of all children, including children with Individualized Support Plans

  • Observes and documents children’s learning and development on an ongoing basis.
  • Provides opportunities that invite the children to explore, take risks and test their abilities.
  • Provides opportunities to enhance children’s learning including those with Individualized Support Plan.
  • Seeks opportunities to self-reflect, collaborate and learn jointly with other educators.

Educators take responsibility to provide an all-encompassing program.

  • Provides indoor and outdoor environments that nurture children’s healthy development and supports self-regulation while recognizing the individual needs of each child.
  • Allows for relaxed and flexible scheduling.
  • Provides rest and quiet times as appropriate for each child.
  • Designs environments that are child focused and reflect a home like setting with the emphasis on the interests and abilities of the children.

Educators take responsibility for quality family engagement.

  • Recognizes the critical role that families play in their child’s development.
  • Creates an open environment that allows families to be an equal partner in the care of their children.
  • Providing opportunities for all families to be engaged in the program.
  • Incorporates diverse backgrounds of the families enrolled in the program. (cultural, language, family dynamics)
  • Establishes relationships with families built on trust, openness and respect for confidentiality.

Educators take responsibility for building strong relationships with community partners

  • Plans activities to involve children in their local communities.
  • Collaborates with community partners.
  • Promotes community events for families and educators.

Educators are supported in their continuous professional learning.

  • ECCDC membership.
  • Internal professional learning opportunities.
  • Financial reimbursement for attending external professional learning.

A Child’s World will review the impact of the goals and approaches of the Program Statement.

  • Gathers formal and informal feedback from families, children and educators.
  • Revises program statement based on the feedback.

Prohibited Practices 

 The Child Care and Early Years Act specifies the following Prohibited practices: 

a) Corporal punishment of the child; 

b) Physical restraint of the child, such as confining the child to a high chair, car seat, stroller or other device for the purposes of discipline or in lieu of supervision, unless the physical restraint is for the purpose of preventing a child from hurting himself, herself or someone else, and is used only as a last resort and only until the risk of injury is no longer imminent; 

c) Locking the exits of the child care centre for the purpose of confining the child, or confining the child in an area or room without adult supervision, unless such confinement occurs during an emergency and is required as part of the licensee’s emergency management policies and procedures; 

d) Use of harsh or degrading measures or threats or use of derogatory language directed at or used in the presence of a child that would humiliate, shame or frighten the child or undermine his or her self-respect, dignity or self-worth; 

e) Depriving the child of basic needs including food, drink, shelter, sleep, toilet use, clothing or bedding; or 

f) Inflicting any bodily harm on children including making children eat or drink against their will.


Revised Nov 2021

 © A Child’s World, Family Child Care Services of Niagara 2021.