HAPPY FEET LEARNING CENTRE

Welcome to Happy Feet Early Learning Center Inc. Our facility was established in 1981 to provide care for preschool aged children aged two to six years. Our original location wasin a converted house (located on the property next door to our current location) – formerly named Kinsmen Day Nursery.

Over the years, as Steinbach and area grew, we saw an increased need for child care. We began the project of building a brand-new centre in 2010. In September 2012 our dream was realized, and we opened ‘Happy Feet Early Learning Center Inc.’ at our current location. With our much larger building, we were able to increase the number of spaces to 64 preschool children (2 to 6 years), 12 infant (12 weeks to 2 years) and 15 (unfunded) school age spaces (6 years to 12 years). While your children are at our centre, he/she will be given opportunities to experience a variety of activities. Each morning and afternoon we provide activities that encourage your child(ren) to develop emotionally, socially, intellectually, and physically. There is a lot of time throughout the day for each child to choose his/her own activities. Children are able to move about their room and interact with their peers and caregivers as they would like. Each classroom has at least one scheduled outdoor time each day. During this time, rooms will use the playground space at the centre (sandbox, tree-house, various slides, tunnel and climbing wall) or visit areas throughout the neighbourhood.

Each classroom has a room leader who is an Early Childhood Educator, or ECE, who has a formal education in child development, and a Child Care Assistant, or CCA, who has completed a 40-hour course in child development. All our staff, which includes our substitutes, have training in first aid and child CPR which needs to be re-certified every 3 years. Any staff who are employed with the centre for a year or more are required to take a 40 hour course in child development. All staff of Happy Feet Early Learning Centre have knowledge of the child abuse protocols and are required to
review this manual yearly. Every member of staff of HFELC needs to have a clear criminal record check and child abuse check upon being hired and every 3 years after. Families are required to provide two snacks and one lunch each day. Each room has access to a microwave and will be able to warm up lunch/snack items. Please refrain from sending items requiring a warm up time in excess of two minutes or a large amount of preparation time. Happy Feet, also, offers a hot lunch program on Fridaysfor a fee. Happy Feet ELC is a Nut Free Facility, please refrain from sending items that contain or are labelled “may contain” nuts or peanuts. If an item containing or may contain nutsis accidentally sent, it will be sent home. Each classroom has a nap/rest time daily. Children that do not sleep will engage in quiet activities during nap time. All children are required to rest for at least thirty minutes daily.