Program Overview

Advantage Child Care Academy has two locations in Winnipeg, one at 51 Scurfield Blvd in Winnipeg’s south west and our second site is located at Unit #2, 4 High Level Road which is just off of McGillivray in Winnipeg’s West end.  Our Scurfield location program includes; Infants, Toddlers, Preschool, Pre-K and Before & After School, while our McGillivray location includes Toddler, Preschool and Pre-K.

In our Infant Rooms, the staff follow the guidelines and general philosophy of the centre. In addition, we also follow the Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE) philosophy. This is evident in the behaviors you will see in the caregivers, as well as their interactions and relationships with the children.  RIE is a philosophy of care that is based on respect. Children are treated as unique, competent individuals. RIE was developed by Magda Gerber, who was an early childhood educator based in California. Her principles stem from her work with Emmi Pikler, a pediatrician who worked with orphaned children in Budapest, Hungary. Their goal was to help raise children who are explorers, curious, competent and cooperative. 

In our preschool, including our NEW Before and After School Program, Advantage Child Care Academy supports children’s learning & development with daily opportunities for play-based exploration; experimentation & learning through developmentally appropriate interactions, environments & activities. Opportunity for spontaneous learning happens throughout the child’s day.

Through extended play experiences (45 – 60 minute blocks of uninterrupted free play at one time) children build skills such as cooperation and self-esteem, climbing and cutting, problem solving and language.

Our team members sit near children to observe them. They share their observations with other team members during the day and at regular team meetings. They use the information gathered along with their knowledge of children and their development to organize interactions and prompt emergent experiences. Our team continually creates engaging play spaces & assembles play materials to provide a curriculum that meets the needs & interests of individual children and the group as a whole.

Team members have encouraging warm & friendly conversations throughout the day with our children. This builds relationships with children, siblings & families. Staff stimulate children’s thought processes by asking open ended questions such as “Why do you like strawberries?” “What do you think will happen next in the story?”.