By BOB Awards

Best Daycare: Children’s Choice St. Anne

Oct 1, 2014 | 11:27 AM

Children’s Choice St. Anne Daycare is one of five facilities in Prince Albert that are currently run by Children’s Choice Child Development Co-operative. 

The facility provides 40 child spaces plus 20 extra spaces for a before and after school program. It also operates under the play and exploration early childhood learning guide.

“All of our centers follow the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education’s early learning program guide that was launched in 2008,” said Gail Szautner, executive director of Children’s Choice.  

Szautner said children learn through actively engaging with their environment and participating in creating things.

The early learning program focuses on building competency and self-confidence, which we know form the foundation for learning.

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“If we feel competent and have good self-confidence we are more ready to take on new tasks, to step outside the box, to learn something new and we know that those are critical skills,” Szautner added.

At Children’s Choice, the staff engage in activities and conversations with the kids instead of just directing them. The children are offered a variety of activities and games,which allow them to engage in play and learn at the same time.

“When we buy paint we only buy the primary colours and the children make orange, purple and green or pink or what ever they want,” said Szautner, “We talk with the children and we plan with them rather then just simply giving them instruction on what to do or worse yet what not to do.”

“So it’s all about when I do it I learn it. We facilitate them doing as much for themselves as possible,” she added.

Szautner said the unique thing about a daycare being attached to a school is the convenience it can provide for both the parents and the child.

“It’s one stop shopping for parents,” said Szautner, “a lot of families have more then one child so you if you have a child that is school age and a preschool age child they can be in the same location.”

With the children attending the daycare, Szautner said it makes the transition into school smoother.

“If they go to school in the same location they are more familiar with the school and they know a lot of the other children and staff,” she added.

The other Children’s Choice locations include their original location on Dunn Drive, which provides 65 child care spots, their Cedar Brook apartment complex location on 15th St. West that provides 28 child care spaces, the St. Michael Community School location which provides 58 child care spaces and the newly opened centre in St. Francis School that offers 50 child care spots.

The Children’s Choice St. Anne Daycare is located at 530 24th St. W.

Children’s Choice can be contacted by dialing 306-922-4176. To contact Children’s Choice St. Anne Daycare directly dial 922-3383 and ask for Judy.

Phone: 306-922-4176

Hours:
Mon – Fri 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Address:
530 24th St. W.
Prince Albert, SK
S6V 4N3