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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1975-04-10, Page 13r Crossroads the weekly toy towel ItanueX', •. iasheat • Adv*iee- Tlmes *ad Mit Forest Coate- Berate 1 .rid by 33,200 a In the "heartland of MId'westernu Ontarlork. (Based on 3.5 .readers la each of 0,503 homes.) Published every wit* in The Listowel Banner, The Wingharn Advance -Times - and The 'int Forest Confederate by Wenger Bros. Limited. I0kOisiZoop Crossroadsm-.Apel 10, li< - The century of the child Early Children..4-earn What They Live If a child "lives with criticism; He learns to condemn; If a child lives with hostility, He learns to fight; If a child lives with ridicule, He learns to be shy; If a child lives with encouragement, He learns confidence; If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, He learns to find love in the world. Dorothy Law Nolte Children can be the most curi- ous, the funniest, the most irri- table or the sweetest individuals in the world. Past experience has proven that understanding their moods, problems and their inter- ests takes a certain type of per- son with the proper training. The latter part of the 20th cen- tury is said to be the century of the child. During this period kin- dergartens, nursery schools and, quite recently, day care centres have sprung into being. As these organizations progressed it was realized what a great future there was for them. High schools and community colleges began to set childhood education up courses to train child care staff. The Conestoga College Early Childhood Education Program, (ECE) at the Doon campus just outside of Kitchener has grown into the largest and one of the most efficient infant and day care centres in Ontario. The course was originally taught in portable classrooms, until a year ago, when it was moved into a new, fully -equipped building especi- ally designed for the ECE course. The course at the college is a two-year diploma program and its aim is to teach the basic skills and help those who wish to make youngchildren their career un- derstand them better. During the two years the students delve into such subjects as psychology, child development, child re- ‘' ;+s Par .... r•n^ageer+-� Rte. CONESTOGA College of Applied Arts and Technology in Kitchener is proud of its new Early Childhood Educatidn Building. It was officially opened on March 23 by Parlia- mentary Assistant to Jamas Auld, Dr: Harry Parrott. Mr. Auld is the Minister of Colleges and Universities. PLAYGROUNDS are an important part of early childhood education. The playground at the new Early Childhood Education Building at Conestoga College, Kitchener, features a man-made hill for tobogganing and sleigh -riding and an obstacle course to keep the chil- dren busy. SLIDES, obstacle courses, monkey bars and various toys are only a few of the facilities the new Early Childhood Education Building at Conestoga College has to offer. A visitor to the opening ceremonies and tour takes advantage of the facilities. search, infant care and family life education. Students spend two full days a week during one semester in the college lab :under the direction of qualified. and highly -skilled staff and by doing so gain insight into the various problems they may come across while dealing with children, Specially Built Upon entering the new early childhood education building, it is easy to tell that it was . designed specifically for children. There are no sharp corners in the build- ing. Hall dividers are rounded to protect the child running down the hall from a nasty blow. Mini- ature water fountains and toilets line the walls in many of the rooms. Each room serves a different function. There is a special room for infants and toddlers, fully - equipped with cribs, walkers, changing tables, sinks and baby notions. Reg Vanbakel,, a teacher at the Avondale Day Care Centre in Stratford, was amazed at . the facilities available for the in- fants. She is a teacher in the in- fant section at Avondale arld was envious at the amount of room the new ECE building offered. There are playrooms With something to amuse every child. Obstacle courses are set up to let the active child wear down his excess energy. Bubble -blowing, string painting, finger painting and water play areas are set, up and are supervised by ECE stu- dents. _. . Play and4.carµ Every activity in which the children participate is designed to teach them awareness of their surroundings, self-control, and to understand cause and effect. For example, paint to young pre-schoolers is a real adventure. The bright colors and wetness of it fascinates them. In working with paint young children come to 'realize they are'in• control of this substance. String painting gives the child a chance to witness cause and ef- fect. Acchalk board has much the same effect. The child develops an awareness of color and learns that the depth of color and inten- sity depends on how much pres- sure is exerted on it. ECE stu- dents learn that the simplest play toys can become some of the best learning tools. Observation booths with one- way mirrors are situated be- tween some qf the major class- rooms. In this way the students can observe a class in progress and with earphones can hear the conversations between their classmates and the children. In these booths, the students can observe the child in a normal atmosphere. They know that children who realize they are being watched often become in- hibited and withdrawn or they go to the other extreme and are showoffs, making it impossible to study their reactions and behavi- our patterns. While in the booth the ECE stu- dents can observe their class- mates at work, take note of their mistakes and offer constructive criticism. It also gives the teachers a chance to see how a student is progressing. Outdoors As well as inside the building, the yard surrounding it has been set up in such a way as to keep any child happy. A man-made hill in the centre of the playground provides a good site for tobog- ganing, sleigh -riding or playing "king of the castle". Monkey bars and obstacle courses are also set up. Paved walkways are great areas for the tricycle en- thusiasts. A high escape -proof fence surrounds the grounds to keep any wandering child away from the parking lots and road. Cathy Ridgeway, supervisor of the Mount Forest Day Nursery on Dublin Street, has seen the build- ing and its facilities and is im- pressed by the amount of space available. "I am amazed at how they are able to have somany age groups going- at the Same time," she said. The supervisor felt that this is a great advantage 'as the chil- dren are with their peers instead of being mixed in with other age groups. Presently there are 10 infants in the centre ranging in age from four months to two and one-half years. Thirty to thirty-five. pre- schoolers,from two and .one-half ►.to five years are full-day chil- dren. The children are mostly those of the college staff or those of students attending classes. As well as working in the centre on campus, the ECE students are also involved in community field placement in area day care cen- tres, nurseries, home day care centres and centres for retarded and handicapped children. Each student spends two days per week in a supervised work placement. The other three days are taken up with 16 to 18 hours of classroom wqrk. Although the students do not have final exams they are con- tinually being evaluated through their work with the children, term tests, take-home exams, es- says and classroom presenta- tions. Applicants for the course are carefully selected. They must be 18 years of age or over, have a liking for children and preferably related work experience. Men are encouraged to apply. Diploma Course Upon compl4etlion of the course, the students receive diplomas stating that they have met the academic and field work require- ments for certification in Ontar- io. The graduate must then be employed for two years before being eligible to apply for,certifi- cation by the Association for Early \Childhood Education. Job opportunities have been very good so far. The graduates can be sure to find jobs in day care centres, nursery schools, and homes for the retarded or handicapped. The course at Conestoga does not train the stu- dents for the latter, but after graduation they may enter a spe- cial course for this training. Mrs. Lane, supervisor of the Wingham Day Care Centre, feels that training in early childhood education is a definite must. "I notice a real difference be- tween those who have been trained and those who haven't," she said. "Their attitudes- to- wards the children are different and there is a big difference when it comes to thinking up new ideas a. d creative activities." The Wingham Day Care Centre has five teachers on staff. Three of them have received diplomas in early childhood education from a community college. One of the teachers formerly taught in grade school. Thirty children come to this centre daily. They are divided into groups with the two and three -year-olds together and the older three and four year-olds to- gether. A trained staff member heads each group. More Needed What future lies ahead of day care centres and nursery sc ►ools? Mrs.. Lane feels that there will be a need for more in a short time. . "There is a real need for them as there are more and more working mothers. These mothers want morefor their children than just a baby-sitting service," said Mrs. Lane. "Two years ago when we opened up we had just enough children. Now we have a long waiting list." Cathie Ridgeway, supervisor at the Mount Forest Day. Nursery, agrees with Mrs. Lane when questioned about the future. She agrees that there will be more of them in the future and that pos- sibly it will become compulsory for a child to attend pre-school centres. Cathie Ridgeway does not feel that pre-school education hamp- ers children when they enter kin- .dergarten. "When they get older. they use .the same materials in a different way. They are ready to sit down and learn and they have already mastered the social skills," she said. The Mount Forest Day Nursery has also had to expand to meet the demands for early childhood education. The building, which was originally designed for 30 children, had to be expanded to hold 45. Presently there are 41 children in full attendance. Thirty-one have already been registered for next year. There are seven teachers on staff of which four are trained in ECE and three are preparing to enter a course shortly. "Special training is definitely needed," the supervisor said. "Otherwise the teachers don't really understand the needs of the children." She also feels that a teacher's personality is as im- portant as the training received. The two things go hand in hand. Mary Joan Bannerman, super- visor of the Avondale Day Care. Centre in Straltford, had an ex- perience xperience in January which proved to her that special UPI*, ing is really a must for ;maple who want to make day care cm! tres a career. While worlting with Please turn to Page' 2 PARLIAMENTARY ASSISTANT—Dr. Harry Parrott offi- cially opened the new Early Childhood Education building at Conestoga College in Kitchener on March 23- His young assistant led him to -the ribbon. Many people took part in a tour of the facilities which followed the ceremony. PLAY DOUGH made up from a home recipe devised by the early childhood education students at Conestoga College is rolled into many forms and shapes by busy hands. Visitors to the grand opening of the new building on March 23 watched the proceedings with interest. BUBBLES, BUBBLES EVERYWHERE. This young man tries his talent in the bubble -blowing room at the new Early Childhood Education building on the Doon campus of Conestoga College in Kitchener.