In 1987, the parents of Montrose School in River Heights, identified a need for before and after school child care. In June of 1989, K.I.D.S. Inc. became a formal non-profit, unfunded incorporation run by a parent Board of Directors. Two programs developed to care for preschoolers and school-age children located in Montrose School. In May 1998, our preschool program operated from St. Peter’s Anglican Church (across the street from Montrose School) and our school age program operated from the old Montrose School building while our new facility was under construction. Both the preschool and school age programs moved into the new Montrose School in March 2000 and our Extended Day Program (for our oldest school age children) operated out of the church site after school. In 2017 K.I.D.S. Inc. expanded to École South Pointe School, opening infant, preschool and school age programs at that site. In 2018, we were delighted to add a preschool and school age program in École Sir William Osler School. Since 1989, our incorporation has grown and become stronger and better in all ways.

As we work, play and learn together at K.I.D.S. Inc., we would like to honour the land upon whichthis can happen. We acknowledge we are on Treaty 1 territory; the original lands of the Anishinaabe, Dakota, Cree, Oji-Cree, Swampy Cree, and Dene peoples, and the homeland of the Red River Métis Nation. We acknowledge the harms and mistakes that are ongoing and of the past. We dedicate ourselves to work to understand the history and culture of the Indigenous people of Turtle Island. May this land acknowledgement serve as a reminder of our ongoing efforts to recognize, honour, reconcile and collaborate with the Indigenous people whose land we benefit from today and in the future. By connecting with Elders and knowledge keepers’ wisdom, we will continue to learn and celebrate Indigenous excellence.

We believe that each child is a unique individual and learns best by way of their natural curiosity and sense of wonder. By providing a safe, stimulating environment, our program strives to meet the needs of each child’s social, emotional, physical and cognitive development.

Our rich curriculum provides success experiences to encourage children to develop creativity, self-confidence, and a positive self-image. Children in our programs have opportunities to solve problems, make choices and become independent. We believe in opportunities for children to explore and experience nature. The partnership between K.I.D.S. Inc. and the schools is an established relationship that supports children to learn and helps families thrive through communicating, cooperating and collaborating.

Our Early Childhood Educators and Child Care Assistants are passionate, loving and warm individuals who have a solid understanding and training in child development. They provide meaningful learning opportunities in response to the diverse needs and abilities within the community we serve. Our educators encourage children to develop to their fullest potential. Our educators regularly participate in many professional development opportunities.

We believe that children thrive in an environment of love and security and that the parent/guardian is the most important adult in the child’s life. Our program blends and enhances the child’s family experiences with their experiences at K.I.D.S. Inc. We collaborate with parents/guardians as they learn about and become involved in all aspects of their child’s program. We believe gender balance is important for children to learn from a variety of role models.

• Develop a positive self-image and self-confidence.
• Develop independence through making choices and solving problems.
• Develop creativity and use their imagination.
• Develop relationships, a sense of belonging and a respect for others.
• Develop empathy and express emotions.
• Develop resilience.
• Develop communication skills
• Develop decision-making and critical thinking skills.
• Explore with a sense of wonder which challenges their curiosity.
• Develop large and small muscle coordination.
• Develop an awareness of his or her body.
• Challenge their physical development through taking risks and through sensory experiences.

• Feel secure in the care of their child so that they can attend to their work or studies.
• Acquire information regarding child rearing, healthy child development, nutrition, etc.
• Understand and follow the Code of Conduct and program policies of K.I.D.S. Inc.
• Provide children with consistent approaches between home and the centre.
• Participate in the centre’s activities through input into their child’s day/experiences and/or policy making.

The K.I.D.S. Inc. educators are dedicated to the care and well being of your children. They are professionals and have been trained in child development or have had experience in a childcare setting. All educators are certified in emergency first aid and CPR. All educators have undergone criminal record and child abuse registry checks.

Children develop the environments we set up by defining what they want to do and explaining this to the educators through their interests, where they play and the materials they choose. All of our environments are adaptable and can be changed periodically to suit what is happening daily. The children are observed closely by the educators to assist them in creating environments responsive to the children’s learning and development. They provide open-ended (loose parts) materials and help children to learn more about the item they choose or the explorations and experiments they want to work on to scaffold their learning.

• Our indoor environments include natural elements for children to explore.
• Our outdoor environments include areas that reflect the interests of the children inside the centre.
• Curriculum is rich with explorations, invitations, and provocations throughout the environments.