Program Description

While our core program philosophy is learning through play, we also ensure all our children are ready for school/kindergarten through focused activities.

Our educator/child co-construct programs are planned to meet each child’s individual needs and interest.

The Educators purposefully structures the environment for meaningful learning to occur.

Our program emphasizes the learning through play approach, while also allowing the child freedom to interact with the environment.

While our core program philosophy is learning through play, we also ensure all our children are ready for school/kindergarten through focused activities.  We are part of the Welcome to Kindergarten Bag Day Events (WTK), where the children participate in actitivies based around the items found in their WTK bag.

Interactions with the educators and other children will help to stimulate language and social learning.

Play is an important part of our program children will learn many skills while learning through play.

Our programs are based on the New Brunswick Curriculum, it is planned to meet each child's individual needs. It recognizes the individual learning abilities and unique cultural and linguistic identities of all children. It encourages children to be active participants in their own learning and allows them to follow their interests. It works with their strengths and aims to develop dignity, a sense of self-worth, and a zest for living and learning.

The Four Goals of the New Brunswick Curriculum for Early Learning and Child Care:

Well-Being - Children experience safe and caring environments where their emotional and physical health, positive identities, and sense of belonging are nurtured and protected.

Play and Playfulness - Children experience open and flexible environments where playful exploration, problem solving and creativity are encouraged and purposefully planned.

Communication and Literacies - Children experience intellectually, socially and culturally engaging environments where their communicative practices, languages, literacies, and literate identities are valued and supported.

Diversity and Social Responsibility - Children experience socially inclusive and culturally sensitive environments in which consideration for others, inclusive, equitable, democratic and sustainable practices are enacted, and social responsibility is nurtured.

By following the New Brunswick Curriculum we provide a variety of developmentally appropriate activities and materials which emphasize active learning. 

Activities are play based, involving exploration and inquiry, with hands-on activities that engage all their senses.  They are developmentally and culturally appropriate.

See the "Program activities" page for examples of activities we've completed based on the NB Curriculum

After a long day at school we realize that children are tired of a rigid structured curriculum.  Our aim is to make their afternoon at Next to Home Early Learning and Afterschool Center a pleasant and comfortable one. They have the opportunity to interact with their age group friends as well as the preschoolers and siblings who look up to them and wait for their arrival on a daily basis. The children have a free access to all age appropriate materials provided and integrated into our program for their use.

They also take part in our projects and documentations and are integrated in the New Brunswick Curriculum.

The children are welcome to start their homework at Next to Home Early Learning and Afterschool Center, however, it is not our responsibility to supervise them or to ensure completion of projects and assignments.

Our focus at the Next to Home Early Learning and Afterschool Center for our after school children is to:

• Help young people develop strong, positive relationships with adults.
• Build on the young person's strengths rather than focus on his or her weaknesses.
• Provide an environment that helps young people develop positive relationships with peers.
• Give young people challenges they can rise to.
• Provide enriching, creative activities they can participate in.
• Give young people opportunities to develop leadership and decision-making skills.
• Focus on the developmental needs of young people by nurturing their autonomy at the same time the programs lend them guidance.
• Provide all of these opportunities over the long term.