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White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group, Kansas City, MO, USA

Canadian Training Tour and Child Care Center Visits

Childcare centers in some countries tend to over-stimulate children, but the facilities our staff toured in Canada recently were soothing, creative and inviting. Natural materials, lighting, window treatments and plants have been used to great effect to establish a warm, relaxed environment.

White Hutchinson's Education and Child Development Director Vicki Stoecklin and Procurement Director Jolie Stoecklin headed off to Canada the first week of April to provide training on early childhood environments. We visited two cities in Canada, and we were warmly and graciously accepted in both locations. We first visited Regina, where we did a daylong presentation for directors on early education environments, both indoors and outdoors. This event was sponsored by the Regina Child Care Director's Association. Some of the directors had driven more than four hours to hear our presentation, so we felt very warmly received. The next day we visited several childcare centers in the area and shared ideas. We have selected three of our favorite photos to share with you about the environments we saw in Regina.

The first photo is of a classroom for 2-year-olds at Awasis Child Care Co-Operative, which is located at a newer childcare facility on the campus of the University of Regina. The center serves many children with special needs and is unique in that the opposite side of the building houses a different childcare program run by another agency. The teacher had created an indoor garden with play plants (carrots), a sleeping bag, plenty of flowers and other hands-on props. We liked the lighting and the fact that the teacher used ordinary things to create this very special corner. Our thanks to the center director, Sheila Pelletier, for her hospitality in letting us tour the center.

The second photo shown is from the Regina Early Learning Centre, which was established in 1977 for low-income families and has a comprehensive mission that includes working with both the children and their families. The center is housed in a former girls' school. We were impressed with the feel and ambiance of the center. Each room seemed to have an individual personality, yet all were soothing, inviting and creative in their use of natural materials in the classroom. The photo is from a preschool room that uses the Reggio Emilia approach and is in the art studio area. We liked the use of the natural materials and the way the inside of the classroom ties to the outside environment. The third photo is from the same classroom and again demonstrates the use of natural materials and plant life in the classroom. The branch with the draped fabric adds interest to this well-lit corner.

Our next stop was after a short plane ride to Winnipeg, Canada, where Vicki gave a presentation at the Canadian Association for Young Children Annual Conference on how to create high-quality indoor and outdoor environments. Our new friend, Ron Blatz, Executive Director of Discovery Children's Centre, took us on a tour of the early education center. We met Ron a year ago at the World Forum on Early Education in Montreal and were delighted with his offer to visit. One of the things that struck me when I was touring the center was how the mood or feel of each classroom was different yet soothing, relaxing and inviting. Plants, light, pillows, colors, textures and fabrics were used in unique ways. In one classroom, the use of roman shades over the classroom windows and wall shelves added a softness to the room. In addition, the light coming through the cloth shades created glowing warmth.

A room for 2-year-old children demonstrated a creative way to construct a small parent library. Although the purpose of the photo was to document the lending library, the photo captures the beautiful stained glass windows the teacher added in this room. Rooms across the hall in the same center had even another type of mood, due to the large glass wall connecting two classrooms. The mullions in the windows added a residential feel to the rooms and the use of roman shades were again used to create a different type of lighting.

In summary, while many of the childcare centers I have visited in other countries suffer from over-stimulation, I was delighted that all of the centres we toured in Canada had harmonious and tranquil spaces. We want to thank our Canadian colleagues for their warm hospitality and the tours of local child care centres.

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