St Nicholas is proud to be an Indiana Paths of Quality Level Three program. “Level 3 Programs have demonstrated the knowledge and skill necessary for planning appropriate activities and opportunities that lead children toward school readiness. Level 3 programs have made a significant investment in the professional development of the staff, and they incorporate family and staff input into the program. “ Childcareindiana.org.
The quality of our childcare program is evaluated according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children guidelines, Indiana Paths to Quality program, and Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) regulations. Our quality program meets the low child-adult ratios, minimum space requirements, trained staff, curriculum guides for every age, safe sleeping for infants, family education and involvement, and a healthy food program, etc. As stated in these documents a high-quality childcare program provides an environment for infants and toddlers where they will be safe, well supervised, nurtured, nourished, and stimulated with language, sights, sounds, and engaging learning experiences. This can result in healthy, happy children prepared for academic success and productive lives
St. Nicholas Board of Directors are committed to ensuring that at least 50% of the staff have a Child Development Certificate or higher education degree and that ongoing training is provided for staff and volunteers to ensure that best childcare practices are in place.
Infants
Respectful and responsive caregiving is what happens throughout the day.
Although we are spending most of our time feeding, changing, and helping get to sleep, with each caregiving task we engage and interact and talk with each infant, and we follow their individual schedules. Whenever possible, we read to them, stack blocks (again, and again, and again), and we work on infant sign language. We are building relationships based on trust, which encourages the infants to explore their world more confidently. The infants begin bonding with one another through play, and sometimes their communication with each other can be quite loud.
Toddlers
Routine is introduced by having a daily schedule with set (but flexible) times for outdoor/gross motor play, classroom activities that can be guided by the teacher or discovered through “free play” or choice time.
Many sensory activities are shared with the toddlers because they are still learning how to use their bodies and their senses. They want to touch, taste, smell, see and hear as much as possible, so music and movement plays a big role in their continuously developing language skills. A surge in vocabulary building happens as toddlers near 24 months, so we talk with them as much as possible.
Our toddler program consists of two classrooms: Toddler Ones and Toddler Twos. In our Toddler One classroom, a child must be at least twelve months old and walking, so they still need many opportunities to practice their gross motor skills. They also need several hands on activities, along with many hugs. They love to explore books, but especially love it when one of the teachers explores with them. In our Toddler Twos classroom, we are introducing some teacher-led activities that lead to child-directed experiences as they learn how to treat their friends as well as their environment with respect.
Two-and-a-half to Fours
Literature is the focus in this classroom. Activities are built around themes and stories that are read to the children on a daily basis.
Through books, children are learning numeracy skills, listening skills, how to work in small groups and large groups. This group still needs sensory activities as well – they learn by doing, so the teacher facilitates various learning centers for children to choose from, centers that allow for the practice of dramatic play, science and math skills, building with blocks, fine motor skills, reading and writing. These children want to express themselves more, so art activities are prevalent as well.