L’Isles aux Enfants

child care center

Within the Foundation we have an educational project which explains our values and our pedagogical line for children.

We have now decided to deepen this document by working on educational projects for each age group.

By sector, all the teams will think about the specificities of each age, in relation with their stage of development and needs. The most important aspects will be selected so that we can provide them with the best possible support during this period.

For example, in the Toddlers sector, language development has a prominent place. Our role is to support children by providing a wide range of activities linked to French learning: stories, nursery rhymes, vocabulary enrichment, etc. 

Link to our Educational Project

This year, we are getting into a fourth certification on the theme of sustainable food.

Whether through our Green Fork label or our educational project, balanced nutrition is already at the heart of our concerns.

Together with the Eco-Schools committee and L’Isles aux Enfants team, we will rethink about the thematic of food, to decline our reflections in activities for children and provide more general actions on the theme (proximity and sustainability).

What place is given to fathers in the early childhood institutions?

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the role and place of the father evolve. Fathers are asking to be more and more involved in their child’s everyday life.

We will think about the place we offer to fathers/ men into Pomme d’Happy and L’Isles aux Enfants childcare centers and how to make this place more visible.

Each evening, educators communicate information to parents who come to pick up their child. This moment is precious because it maintains the connection between the childcare center and the family.

This year, we will work on the content of these daily communications in order to answer better to the families’ needs. Together with the parents, we will determinate which information is essential for them and which can be simplified or communicated on a different way.

One of the primary goals for the nursery in 2023 is the reduction of free sugar.

We are committed to having the Chef work in close collaboration with our dietician by continuously monitoring the nutritional composition of the menu to propose a reduced offer in free sugar.

ACTIONS

• We have reduced the frequency of fruit juices at breakfast and replaced them with flavored waters.

• We have also limited flavored yogurts in favor of plain yogurts, to which fruit coulis can be added in smaller quantities.

• We favor the natural sweetness of fruits for our desserts and compotes.

• Many seasonal fruits are used in different forms, such as fruit salads, compotes, or served whole.

Our current sedentary and comfortable lifestyle often limits outdoor activities, which are weather-dependent. However, going outside is vital! In addition to accessing a space of freedom and discovering nature, it promotes the maintenance of health.

We decided to go deeply into this “Going out in all weathers” theme by questioning children’s need to go out as often as possible, any cultural differences within families and the thoughts of the educational team.

A working group aims to reflect on the advantages and constraints of the project in order to assess the material conditions that need to be implemented to carry out this project and communicate with families about this new approach.

This practice, inspired by the Nordic countries, consists of letting a child sleep outside in all seasons. Among the benefits linked to this habit, the exposure to outdoor air, which is healthier than indoors, and a better-quality sleep are often mentioned.

Currently, it happens that children returning from a walk end their nap outside in the stroller.

A reflection work about this concept and its feasibility is led in the Nurseries sector.

With the help of filmed sequences, the “Marte Meo” method invites to identify how to support children in their development, for example in terms of social skills.

In some groups, we have started making videos to share with the parents during meetings. We also conduct situation analyses to understand group dynamics. The whole of the educational team followed a 4-hour training to get familiar with the “Marte Meo” method. Several members of the team will undergo an in-depth training to make good use of the videos and share their knowledge with their colleagues.