Programs
Alberta Education Funded Children
Oliver Centre is a licensed Early Childhood
Services Program (ECS) funded through Alberta Education. The
program for children needing supports is offered in all of the Head
Start programs. As a licensed preschool program the Alberta
Education Kindergarten Program Statement is the guide to curriculum
development for the children. Teachers take the Kindergarten
statement and soften it to support the age appropriate development
of three and four year old children within the program.
Upon entering our program educators observe and
gather information about each child to gain information about how
well he or she functions from day to day and where he or she is
experiencing difficulties. Preschool Screens help us to determine
the areas of strengths and needs of each child. Children who need
further testing are referred to specialists such as Speech and
Language Pathologist and Occupational Therapists. The results of
these assessments determine the type of funding they will receive
through Albert Education. Alberta Education provides funding for
children with mild to severe challenges. 2/3 of our funded children
are severe and 1/3 have mild to moderate needs.
The Program Unit Funding (PUF) provides children
with severe challenges an assigned staff member for approximately
3.5 hours per day to meet each child's educational goals. Depending
on the needs of each child; speech and language, occupational and
physical therapy are integrated into learning activities daily in
the classroom.
Regular visits from Occupational Therapists,
Physical Therapists and our in-house Speech and Language
Pathologist (SLP) and Early Education Coordinator with the child
and educator ensure educational goals are monitored and
progressing.
Funding for children with mild to moderate
challenges have regular visitation from the Speech Language
Pathologist and Occupational Therapy ensuring each child receives
services necessary to promote typical speech, language and motor
development. In the classroom the Educators ensure the curriculum
is modified to meet the needs of these children.
All funded children have in Individual Program
Plan (IPP). IPPs are important components of quality educational
programming for young children. All IPPs are developed with a
collaborative approach allowing professionals and parents to work
together to meet the child's individual needs. The IPP addresses
the specific priorities of the child through functional goals which
guide classroom activities and routines. The plans are tailored to
specific goals defined from assessments that occurred during the
school year. Goals are reviewed a minimum of three times a year to
ensure that growth is noted and new goals are defined.
Parent's play a major role in the development of
the child's IPP, thereby giving an opportunity to the family to
assist in their child's learning. Family-Oriented ECS Programming
is offered four times a year to consult with the parent, to provide
coaching, information, resources, skills, and strategies to
facilitate the child's development and enhance the centre-based
hours.
Oliver Head Start Child Care
Full Day Program Highlights
Located at 10227-118 Street
This program has been accredited since July 2005
by the Alberta Children's Services. The full day Head Start offers
a Head Start learning program to children of working or student
families. To support these families with longer hours the Centre
provides wrap-around childcare. This program is designed to
strengthen the child's self-concept and encourage growth in all
areas of development.
This program reflects the developmental needs of
children and is concerned with all aspects of the child's life,
including their family and community relationships. While the
centre provides group care for the children, each child right to
privacy, individualized attention, and specialized activities are
respected. The staff of Oliver Centre strives to develop social,
emotional, physical, and intellectual growth of the child in a
positive and sensitive learning environment.
Oliver's full day Head Start program provides
our pre-kindergarten rooms with a Teacher who holds a Bachelor's of
Education degree to enhance learning times throughout the day. The
teacher focuses on components from the kindergarten curriculum and
learning through play. Learner expectations from the program of
studies include early literacy which focuses on the children being
actively engaged in acquiring language works. In 2007 Oliver Centre
began to focus on the Reggio Emilia Philosophy and through that the
programs became Reggio inspired. Oliver Centre strongly believes
that children learn through their own hands-on experiences.
Teacher's document their learning and post it in the classrooms for
revalidation and continued learning.
Early numeracy focuses on the connection between
natural learning with the conventional language and process of
mathematics. Environment and community awareness the children use
their five senses to explore, investigate, and describe their
environment and community.
Citizenship and identity focuses on the
development of a strong sense of identity, self-esteem, and
belonging. Creative expression encourages the children to explore
and express their thoughts and feelings through visual arts, drama,
music, and movement.
Learning through play involves activities such
as sand, water, art, blocks, cooking, and dramatic play. Many
skills that the children develop are social skills, ability to
express ideas and feelings, math and science concepts, physical
dexterity, decision making, problem solving skills, and also
recalling and recreating those experiences.
The infant and toddler rooms focus on developing
social and life skills that the children need while growing as
independent individuals. Along with teaching the children how to
participate in group activities and play experiences to further
their social skills.
Room staff are qualified professionals with
Early Childhood Education Diplomas or Bachelors of Education
Degrees.
Oliver Centre's Half Day Head Start Program
Half Day Program Highlights
Classrooms Located at 13910-122 Ave (In the Dovercourt
School)
The Half Day Head Start program is located in
the Dovercourt community, but serves both the Calder and
Oliver communities as well. This is a FREE program that runs from
September until June, Tuesday to Friday, for half days either
AM or PM classes. The program is available to children who are a
minimum of 3 ½ years old on September 1st. Families must live in
the designated bussing areas for the respective area, and the
program is only for low-income families.
The staff in the Head Start program is a multidisciplinary team
providing the best practice and resources for children and their
families. Each classroom has a Certified Teacher who follows the
Alberta Education Kindergarten Program Statement. This provides the
children with seven learning areas which include: early literacy,
early numeracy, citizenship and identity, environment and community
awareness, personal and social responsibility, physical skills and
well-being, and creative expression. Also in the classrooms are
Early Childhood Educators who possess an Early Childhood Education
Diploma, Bachelor of Education Degree or equivalent. Educators are
responsible for supporting children who may need enhancement with
such skills as speech, language, or fine motor development. The
program also provides the children with these identified needs with
the assistance of Speech and Language Pathologists, Occupational
Therapists, Physical Therapists, or whichever specialist is
required to meet those specific needs. The Primary Health Care Team
from Capital Health also provides the program with height, weight,
vision, hearing, and dental screens. CASA is another partner that
provides parents and classroom staff with strategies in working
with children with behaviours.
Other members of the team are the Community
Outreach Workers. Each classroom has a designated Community
Outreach Worker who develops strategies and provides special events
to encourage growth within the family unit. Another mandatory
component of the program is parent involvement. Parents are
expected to attended parent groups provided by the Community
Outreach Workers. These parent groups start in October and are held
3 times per month. Parent groups include information to parents on
such topics as different parenting skills, health, resources
available to families, and literacy. Community Outreach Workers
also visit families in their homes on a regular basis throughout
the year to check in with families and update them on the progress
of their children in the classroom. Our goal for families is to
increase their sense of community and their support system.
Oliver Out of School Care
Located at 10227-118 Street
This program is for children ages 6 to 12 years
who attend Oliver Elementary school from Kindergarten through Grade
six. The program offers care year round, closing only for statuary
holidays. This program is open from 7:00 am to 5:45 pm, providing
care before school, lunchtime, after school and during school
closures (spring break, summer holidays etc.)
The Centre provides the children with a
nutritious breakfast and after school snack. This program does not
provide lunch, however, the staff will heat up food that the parent
wishes to send for their child. The staff encourages children and
parents to work together in preparing the lunch, this helps with
"likes and dislikes". In addition, the Center has a "no junk food"
(pop, chips, candy) policy helping children to make healthy food
choices. On early dismissal days, snack is named "Children's
Choice" this presents the children with an opportunity to choose a
snack and develop life skills when assisting with the preparation
of the food. Sometimes the children choose a snack that may be
unusual so that they have the opportunity to experience different
tastes, textures, and mixtures in food.
While the Centre provides group care for
children, each child's right to privacy, individualized attention
and specialized activities is respected. The staff provides the
children with activities that support cooperative social
interactions, and are developmentally age appropriate. During the
summer, the staff plans various field trips and activities that
enhance the children's educational and life experiences. These
activities include hiking, swimming, museums, the Ukrainian
Village, Fort Edmonton Park, the Public Library, City parks, and
ongoing City Festivities. The program works with parents and the
Elementary teachers to aid the children in meeting their
developmental level in school. These supports are offered through
daily programming concepts (math, science, language arts and social
studies). The homework club has been a success. The children have
now taken the responsibility and initiative to start on their
homework without staff having to encourage them to do so. A quiet
area has been developed in the book corner for these children.
The staff have various opportunities to enhance their
educational skills by attending various workshops and conferences
in and around the city.
Oliver Centre - MillCreek
Site
Oliver Centre operates a child care program and
an out of school care program in the Millcreek School located at
9735-80 Ave. Edmonton Public School has decided to provide a
purpose built space to support the community needs for childcare
and out of school care. The program offers care to children from 3
years to 12 years of age. The program offers two nutritious snacks
per day. The educators are very well trained with a Child
Development Supervisor diploma or a Bachelor of Education degree.
The program offers ehanced ratio to the children and ensures that
they follow the curriculum framework expectations for
development.
Oliver Centre Wipac Micihta Program -
West end site
Located at 15830-100A Ave.
This program is a accredited program that opened
its doors on February 28, 2019. It offers child care to children 12
months to 6 years of age. The program has a fulltime Cook who
supports the children's nutritional needs each day by offering a
breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack. The program supports
an environment that delivers culturally based and distinct early
learning grounded in Indigenous cultures. Combining a holistic and
Reggio inspired approach that supports the wellness of children and
families in a safe, nurturing, and well resourced program.