Our Programs
Our Programs
Though our childcare cottage is a new venture for our team, the BriarPatch has a long history in Sherwood Park. Over 28 years of family support programming, and over 16 years of providing licensed childcare through our BriarPatch Community Preschool. Both are award winning, and intentionally planned and executed to meet the needs of our community. At the BriarPatch Childcare Cottage, we continue to incorporate innovative care and play-based learning to create a nurturing, safe, and stimulating environment for your child. Our goal is to promote individual growth and development through an enriched environment, with the help of our passionate and highly qualified educators. We have 3 outdoor play spaces that provide additional opportunities for large motor development, and immersion in nature exploration in all 4 seasons.
Nursery (12 months to 18 months)
There are two nursery rooms. Each room will have up to 8 babies. By having a small number of babies in a room, we can ensure all littles receive more personalized attention and care to help foster a strong and trusting relationship with our educators. Each room is designed to be a cozy and safe space for infants to freely learn through exploration. Our curriculum focuses on sensory exploration to assist with the development of motor skills and social interactions.
Toddlers (19 months to 35 months)
There are two toddler rooms. Each room will have up to 12 toddlers. Smaller class sizes will help enhance learning experiences and forging strong connections to peers and educators. With this more personalized care, educators are able to understand the unique qualities and interests of your child. This assists educators in meeting your child's specific needs to further encourage their growth and development. Our environment is designed with your child's curiosity in mind, encouraging them to learn through play, social interactions, and creative expression. The goal of our curriculum is to foster independence and growth.
Preschoolers (3 years to 4 years)
There is one preschool room designed to have 5 pods of up to 8 children. Pods are like mini classrooms within the larger room. Pods assist in a blend of structuring learning and allowing children to come together for group play to foster imagination, social skills, and independence. Our curriculum includes a focus on cognitive development, critical thinking, physical development and creative expression.
Kinders (4 years to 6 years)
There is one kinder room designed to have 4 pods of up to 10 children, just like the Preschool classroom. Pods assist in a blend of structuring learning and allowing children to come together for group play to foster imagination, social skills, and independence. The curriculum is aimed to help children gain experience for kindergarten and 'big school'.
Outdoor Play
We believe it is critical a child's development to have time to explore and play outdoors. Our outdoor space is designed to be safe and engaging for children of all ages. Outdoor play time will be used to promote active play, exploration, and imagination. Our fenced play space is accessible by the back entrance of the centre. We are excited about our centre's location because it has a nature path behind the building, with a bridge, a creek and a pond. This gives us the opportunity to take the children on guided walks to explore and connect with nature. There are also 2 amazing playgrounds down the lane for our littles to explore.
Curriculum
Our curriculum is a blend of the FLIGHT, Reggio Emilia, Montessori, and Waldorf educational approaches to learning. We carefully pick elements from each of these approaches to create a play-based learning environment that will nurture children's growth, development, exploration, and creativity.
We carefully chose toys of the highest quality that will aid children's learning and development. Toys are chosen to keep children stimulated and to promote hands-on learning and imagination. We prefer toys that encourage children to use their creativity and active imaginations. All of our toys are made from friendly materials and most are BPA free.
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