Our Program

Grand Ave Children's Centre is a licensed childcare provider with care for children from three months to four years of age. We are licensed under the Ministry of Education and are associated with the College of Early Childhood Educators and the Child and Youth Network of London. We offer full time and limited part time spaces and adhere to the Ministry of Education ratios (infant - 1:3, toddler - 1:5, preschool - 1:8). We are a small, family focused centre and have very low staff turn over which helps us provide a consistent childcare experience. All of our centre caregivers are Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECE) and are dedicated to lifelong learning. Grand Avenue Children's Centre has an agreement with Children's Services of London Ontario for the Federal and Province Ontario for the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Funding Agreement. This will provide funding to the national child care system to build and leverage the success of Ontario's existing early learning and child care system by increasing quality ,accessibility, affordability and inclusivity in early learning and child care, towards achieving the objectives of: providing parent fee reduction rates retroactive to April 1 2022 building towards $10 day child care spaces in 2025. Creating new quality spaces ,addressing inclusive child care and valuing the ECE workforce and providing them with training and development opportunities.

At GACC, we aim to develop and foster children’s learning through a nurturing and safe environment. Our curriculum is play based with Reggio Emelia's emergent education theory. Our skilled and creative teachers develop a framework and work with the children's current interest and goals to create fun and stimulating activities. It's our goal that the activities are not only engaging but also incorporate opportunities for your children to develop their fine and gross motor skills as well as self-care skills. Our field trips (e.g, Apple Land Station, local splash pads, picnics in Thames Park, Children's mueseum, Adventures on Wonderland, London Public Libraries, Kusterman's, etc) align with our curriculum and are wonderful experiences for the children. Who doesn't like a school bus ride or a walk to the park on a summer day?

Our Settings and ratios:

Infant Program (3 Months-18 Months): 1:3

Toddler Program (18 Months- 2.5 years): 1:5

Preschooler room (2.5 years- School Age): 1:8

For our curriculum, we have included the following features:

Sensorial Activities
Mathematic Activities
Language Activities
Cultural Activities
Physical/Outdoor Activities
Field trip Experiences
Loose Part Materials
Play-based Environment
Intergeneration Programs with Child-Senior Interaction

Intergenerational Program:

Our curriculum integrated a unique intergenerational program that brings different generations together to share experiences in a co-learning environment. Our program integrated music curriculum and movement that collaborated with “CLAP with Clarie”, which is offered weekly. Arts and crafts activities are offered weekly, and we also have social development activities offered monthly. As building relationships between children and different generations, children learn to explore their world, and this connection can be meaningful as children can create a sense of community belonging and improve social awareness.

Family Engagement Event:

We view family engagement is a crucial component to the success of a child’s development. To support children’s learning, we encourage parents to be involved in children’s learning process. GACC holds 4 family engagement events every year, which allow parents to participate in the center through building network with other families, learning our curriculum and establishing a positive relationship with the teachers.

Our Setting:

We are very pleased to partner with the Grand Wood Park Apartments and Retirement Home to offer a multi-generational arts program for our preschoolers. As well, Grand Wood Park hosts a monthly Senior Social which brings the young and old together to enjoy treats and chats. It’s a wonderful learning experience for both groups!

We have an on-site, full-time cook who is known for her freshly baked zucchini loaf and big hugs. Christina is focused on providing healthful snacks and warm lunches for the children everyday.

At Grand Avenue Children’s Centre, we strive to build relationships with our children and their families. To help foster this sense of community and to show off the children’s performance skills, we host two family events a year: the Christmas Concert (with a special visit from a jolly Santa and gifts for all children!), and our newest event The Spring Fling with scavenger hunts, crafts and activities. Parent participation is encouraged.

Our Board Members are always looking for new ways to improve the centre, this has included fundraising to allow for more field trips, adding a fresh coat of paint to the kitchen and helping “Spring Clean” the yard. These initiatives have been great opportunities for our families to get to know each other and help build the sense of community our centre is dedicated to achieving. We also ask for parent volunteers for all field trips. It’s a fun way to see your child interacting with his/her school friends and creates wonderful family memories.