Frequently Asked Questions

A co-operative preschool can be described as a non-profit organization of parents who are committed to providing and maintaining a preschool for their children. A co-operative preschool school creates an environment in which parents and teachers work together to provide the highest quality early childhood education for their children.

In keeping with the co-operative nature of our school, you, as the parent, are encouraged to become actively involved in your child’s education. By participating on committees, or perhaps joining our School Council, you will be showing your child that you are interested in their education. This partnership between you, your child and their school will help to ensure your child’s success in learning.

An emergent curriculum builds on the interests and natural learning styles of children. In a warm and nurturing environment, educators design learning experiences that provide positive, hands-on learning to promote the development of skills that children will need for later school and life success.

“The curriculum is called ’emergent’ because it evolves, diverging along new paths as choices and connections are made, and it is always open to new possibilities that were not thought of during the initial planning process” (Jones and Reynolds, 1992). Our education team develop curriculum plans to be flexible and respond to children’s interests and activities.

Emergent curriculum arises naturally from adult-child interactions that allow for “teachable moments”. It connects learning with children’s prior experience and knowledge, and addresses children’s interests in the here and now rather than focusing on a narrow, individual, or calendar-driven topic.

Our educators encourage learning through play by building learning objectives into classroom activities which are designed to encourage the development of the Ontario Ministry of Education’s four foundations of learning, ‘Well-Being’, ‘Belonging’, ‘Expression’ and ‘Engagement’, through a variety of activities and explorations including pre-writing, pre-reading, creative art, sensory, dramatic play, and block construction.

The following is an example of a typical preschool day.

Drop off

• Arrive at the Nursery School and reverse into parking spaces.

• Inside the Nursery School, find your child’s cubby and hang their coat and backpack.

• Check with your child’s educator or read to Daily Board to learn if your child will start their day in the classroom or on the playground.

• It’s time for Parents or Guardians to say a quick and confident Goodbye.

School time!

• Gross motor play outside or in the school gym

• Circle time and a story

• Snack

• Free play

Pick up

• Parents or Designates return to pick up. Children are released one at a time from the classroom into the care of their adults. It’s time to put on coats and take any art work or notes from school home for the day.

BCCNS closes when OSTA cancels school busses in Ottawa. Check for OSTA cancellations here.

Bells Corners Co-operative Nursery School is responsible for providing a safe and secure environment for all members (children, employees and volunteers) attending and participating in the school and for minimizing potential situations of risk.

All agencies funded or licensed by the Ministry of Education, providing direct service to children, including childcare, are required to have Vulnerable Sector Check Policy in place. Vulnerable Sector Reference Checking is a precautionary measure designed to ascertain whether individuals providing direct service to children have a criminal history which could potentially make them unsuitable for certain positions of trust. Such checks can assist agencies in attempting to ensure the safety and well-being of people who are receiving services from them.

It is the policy of BCCNS that any person who intends to function as a field trip supervisor must present a Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC) by the Ottawa Police Service on a yearly basis. BCCNS will maintain a record of individuals who are eligible to be duty person and thus permitted to enter the classrooms or be field trip supervisors. These records will be kept on file for no less than three additional years after the member leaves the school. At the end of that time, they will be shredded.

The child’s Parent, Guardian, or Designate who volunteers to supervise field trips (i.e. caregiver, grandparent, or other individual approved by parent) can visit the Ottawa Police Services website to apply for a VSC. If more than one person will fill this role, a separate Vulnerable Sector Reference Check (VSC) must be completed for each of those individuals on separate forms.

Should you require it, BCCNS will provide you with a letter that indicates you are a volunteer and as such you will receive a reduced rate for your VSC.

This process can sometimes involve long wait times so please submit your application forms for a VSC as soon as possible.

• Physically through activities designed to develop muscle coordination, using developmentally appropriate toys and equipment.

• Intellectually by solving problems, thinking creatively, and expanding language development.

• Socially through playing, sharing and co-operating with other children in a supervised learning environment.

• Emotionally by learning to channel emotions constructively and by increasing independence in meeting and solving problems through the growth of self-esteem.

BCCNS will provide an environment where your child can build a positive self-image, learn skills which will allow them to co-operate with others, and become skilled at both independent and group learning activities.