Year: 2018 – Province: Alberta
Certificate of Achievement Recipient
Greenfield School Age Day Care Association (St. Stanislaus Elementary School)
3855-114 Street NW
Edmonton, AB T6J 1M3
Telephone: 780-391-1331
Website: https://gsadca.com/locations/st-stanislaus/
Type of setting: Day care and out-of-school care for children from preschool to Grade 6
A college graduate from Ethiopia, Tadelech Midaksa came to Canada to make a better life for herself and her children. She took an early childhood education course on evenings and weekends, while working full time, raising her family and overcoming personal struggles. Now, she is a strong and smiling presence for the children in her daily care and in the lives of their parents.
Philosophy of care
Encouraging vitality and play, Tadelech lets the children lead the way in her class. She believes that children are citizens who should have the opportunity to make choices, express ideas and participate. Mostly, she is of the view that children's opinions matter.
Support of child development
- Focuses on language development: from the moment they walk into class, children as young as three learn to recognize their name in print, associate it with their photo and move it from "away" to "here" on the attendance board; with the help of older classmates, young children also place name cards on the lunch table
- Supports emotional development: children place their photo on the area of the emotional thermometer best indicating their mood; they may also express their emotions through colour, when they cannot find the words for how they are feeling
- Strives to determine where children's real interests lie: for example, one group's excitement about cars suggested an interest in movement; this, in turn, led to various movement-focused activities, including yoga and sliding objects down the outdoor slide to see which went fastest
- Accepts and even encourages "dizzy play"—rambunctious running, jumping and spinning—to allow children to safely express themselves in whatever creative physical way they choose
Involvement with parents, families and the community
- Establishes traditions to connect with parents: on Coffee Fridays, for example, the children help make a fresh pot of coffee in the morning so parents can have a cup to go
- Connects children with their elders: weekly visits to a local retirement residence introduce children, who often have had little contact with the elderly, to seniors; they read and talk together, while children learn about the challenges of aging and about equipment such as canes and walkers
- Assumed mentoring role for fellow staff at the day care association's six other sites
Rave reviews
"Tadelech establishes positive relationships with the families and children in her care. The welcoming environment she creates along with the clear expectations and routines in place support children to be successful."