By Tiffny Rhodius
A year ago when it opened its doors, Kiskadee Kids Playgroup and Day Care’s big bright yellow building almost swallowed its eight registered children. Today, it is at capacity with 74 children, who live the motto, “Learning with Love and Laughter”.
Kiskadee Kids was officially opened on May 2, 2008 with the aim of providing child care in a safe environment that allows for hands-on learning, which promotes exploration and growth among the children. On the inside of the bold yellow building, the colour of the well-known local bird and a symbol of the confidence of the day care in its service, is an even brighter yet spotless interior that is decorated with colourful aids and bright-eyed mannerly toddlers and sleeping babies.
The playgroup which accepts children between the ages of 17 months and two years, six months, ensures that all the activities that the children are a part of contribute to their social and academic development. The headmistress of the centre, Ms Desiree Albert speaking to The Scene last Monday said that everything the centre does is designed to teach the children a skill. The playgroup has also adopted the Preschool Progress Report for two year olds which is published by the Haynes School Publishing Company and is used in the United States. The report evaluates the work habits, social, emotional, and motor skills of the children over two terms. Kiskadee Kids however has modified the report to grade the children over a three-term period.
Albert said the centre was unique in its field since it prepares children for the transition into the next level of school. The children are given an oral exam on the activities done throughout the term in an environment similar to the ones in the nursery level. The centre also recommends schools to parents that it believes will continue to foster the level of work that the children have attained while at Kiskadee Kids.
While the parents are guaranteed a safe and fun environment for their children, they can also ensure that their children will be taught the value of good nutrition. At Kiskadee Kids, a balanced lunch is provided. The lunch is made up of vegetables, rice and meat and on Fridays, no meat is served. The headmistress said some of the parents have related that their children are now asking at home for the meals that they usually get while at the centre.
Meanwhile, the centre is working to further develop its staff and the parents of its charges. There is an upcoming workshop for the parents, ‘Principles of Good Parent/Child Communication’, which will be facilitated by the headmistress and another child specialist.
The aim of the workshop is to teach parents how to listen and talk to their child or children so that the work that Kiskadee Kids implants in the children will continue to bear fruit in the home. There are also plans for the caregivers of the centre to attend upgrade workshops to develop their child care skills. Consultations are currently being done with other day cares in the hopes of forming an organisation that will ensure all day cares and playgroups be uniformed in the quality and standard of care and learning given to children. Kiskadee Kids does not want to dominate the day care industry; rather it envisions all day cares and playgroups providing the highest standard in care giving to the charges entrusted to them.
To mark their first year in the business of helping to develop the physical, social and emotional development of the little ones that are placed in their care, a simple ceremony was held last Saturday at the centre.
At the ceremony, donations of bicycles and gift hampers were presented to the centre by appreciative parents. A grand mini fair is set for next Saturday on the grounds of the Kiskadee Kids as part of the celebrations.