Waterbridge Preschool and Extended Day Programs

Waterbridge Preschool and Extended Day Programs

The Mothercraft Waterbridge Preschool Program offers a full-day all year around preschool program for children ages 30 months to 6 years. The Waterbridge Before and After School program offers before and after school, as well as non-instructional day care for children attending Farley Mowat Public School in Barrhaven.

Our goal is to create a learning environment that is engaging, developmentally appropriate, and makes learning fun.

The Waterbridge Program was designed to offer a high quality, safe and caring licensed child care programs conveniently located at Farley Mowat Public School in the heart of Barrhaven.  

The programs at Mothercraft Waterbridge are licensed by the Ministry of Education and governed by the Child Care and Early Years Act.

Waterbridge building

Preschool Program

The Mothercraft Waterbridge Preschool Program opened at Farley Mowat Public School in January, 2015. This full time program for children aged 2.5 to 5 years is located in its own dedicated space, with- access to the school’s play yards, outdoor space and gymnasium.

In keeping with the Child Care and Early Years Act, our preschool Educator-to-child ratio is 1:8 with a maximum group size of 16.

Our on-site Program Manager and team of Early Childhood Education professionals are dedicated to caring for children and their families. We ensure all of our registered Early Childhood Educators are members in good standing with the College of Early Childhood Educators and we require each member of our team to maintain valid first aid and CPR certifications along with a Police Records Check for service with the Vulnerable Sector.

The Waterbridge Preschool curriculum and programming are guided by Early Learning for Every Child Today (ELECT): A Framework for Ontario’s Early Childhood Settings and How Does Learning Happen: Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years. These documents can be found on the Ministry of Education website.

Our program is steered by the children with our Educators facilitating continuous learning in a play based environment. Our emergent curriculum approach to programming allows the Educators and children to work collaboratively in order to develop both planned and spontaneous learning experiences. By taking an emergent approach we provide interesting, responsive and engaging programming using the children’s ideas and interests as a driving force. Our schedule includes various indoor and outdoor activities to make learning fun.

Our Preschool Program includes a nutritious morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack.

Our on-site cook creates a seasonal, creative and meatless menu that has been reviewed and approved by a dietician to ensure it meets the Canadian Food Guide recommendations.

At Mothercraft, we believe that each family is unique and establishing strong partnerships with them enhances our ability to meet the needs of the children in our care. We welcome families into our environments and value their perspective, ensuring that communication is an important part of each day. Sharing information through posted program plans, message boards, learning stories, email and daily conversations supports this critical partnership between families and Educators.

Extended Day Program

The Mothercraft Waterbridge Extended Day Program has provided care for kindergarten and school aged children (3.8 to 12 years old) since 2006. The program operates within the school, which allows us to make use of the classrooms, play yards and gymnasium before and after school hours.

In keeping with the Child Care and Early Years Act, our kindergarten Educator-to-child ratio is 1:13 with a maximum group size of 26 children and our school age Educator-to-child ratio is 1:15 with a maximum group size of 30 children.

Kinder March Break Calendar

School Age March Break Calendar

Our on-site Program Manager and team of Early Childhood Education professionals are dedicated to caring for children and their families. We ensure all of our registered Early Childhood Educators are members in good standing with the College of Early Childhood Educators and we require each member of our team to maintain valid first aid and CPR certifications along with a Police Records Check for service with the Vulnerable Sector.

The Waterbridge Extended Day curriculum and programming are guided by Early Learning for Every Child Today (ELECT): A Framework for Ontario’s Early Childhood Settings and How Does Learning Happen: Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years. These documents can be found on the Ministry of Education website.

Our program is steered by the children with our Educators facilitating continuous learning in a play based environment. Our emergent curriculum approach to programming allows the Educators and children to work collaboratively in order to develop both planned and spontaneous learning experiences. By taking an emergent approach we provide interesting, responsive and engaging programming using the children’s ideas and interests as a driving force.

On non-instructional days we offer a full day of care for those children who are registered. Our full day programming for these days include field trips, special guests and a variety of indoor and outdoor activities.

pepper

The Extended Day Program includes a nutritious snack before and after school on a daily basis.

Our on-site cook creates a seasonal, creative and meatless menu that has been reviewed and approved by a dietitian to ensure it meets the Canadian Food Guide recommendations.

At Mothercraft, we believe that each family is unique and establishing strong partnerships with them enhances our ability to meet the needs of the children in our care. We welcome families into our environments and value their perspective, ensuring that communication is an important part of each day. Sharing information through posted program plans, message boards, learning stories, email and daily conversations supports this critical partnership between families and Educators.

Summer Program

Our Full Day Summer Program for registered kindergarten and school aged children includes a variety of indoor and outdoor activities paired with outings to local attractions such as the National Gallery, museums, conservation areas, local skating rinks, parks, and splash pads! We love our city and the amazing local talent that can be found within! Inviting special guests to enlighten the children about their skill is a treasured event. Over the years we have invited animal specialists, scientists, musicians, dancers, explorers, artists, writers, and more to share their expertise with us!

Kinder Summer Program Calendar
School Age Summer Program Calendar

How to Apply

We would welcome the opportunity to show you our program and answer your questions!

Please call the Waterbridge office (613-825-3110) to inquire about current space availability, and for further information about our registration process.
If you are interested in our Preschool Program, please note that you also must place your child on the City of Ottawa’s Child Care Registry and Wait List for the Waterbridge Preschool Program.