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Thursday, January 17, 1985

 

THE OTHER PRESS

page 7

College cares for children

Caring for another person’s child is
not a task to be taken lightly, and when
a parent leaves their child in the
responsibility of a day care centre or

COLLEGE NEWS SERVICE

pre-school, they want to be sure the
supervisors have had the best educa-
tion available.

Douglas College builds the element
of caring into every part of its Early
Childhood Education (ECE) program,
the most comprehensive program of its
type in British Columbia.

Offering both the basic certificate
program plus a post basic diploma in
Early Childhood Education, Douglas
College has become the envy of every
college in the province that offers
similar classes.

On top of this, Douglas College is
the only institute that provides train-
ing for Infancy and Special Needs
supervisors.

Beginning with the eight month
basic certificate, Douglas College
graduates learn the true value of
quality early childhood experiences
through theory and practicum, says
program coordinator Carol Ebner.

On top of top quality training,
Douglas College is now integrating its
ECE program into the operation of an
on-campus day care centre and off
campus training programs, Ebner
said.

New additions to ECE are absolutely
necessary, she says, because of the
eaeate change to Canadian family
life.

“‘Early Childhood Education super-
visors are on the front lines of societal
change,’’ Ebner says. ‘‘Whether it’s

 

adapting to one parent families,
alcoholism in the home or homo-
sexuals adopting children, it is our
graduates who are the first to deal with
these changes.’’

This is also why Douglas College
offers so many different forms of
training, she says.

Throughout the year, special sem-
inars are sponsored for pre-school
supervisors. Courses such as multi-
cultural materials and children’s music
are big favourites with working profes-
sionals, Ebner says.

Another program sponsored by the
Douglas College ECE department is
the Squamish Project which teaches
day care supervision to native Indians
in their home communities.

“We've had calls from as far away
as Whitehorse from people who want
to get involved in our program,’’ says

      

Ebner.

To the uninitiated, these ECE
programs may appear ‘‘high tech’’,
but Douglas College counters this with
a policy of ‘‘high touch”’ interaction for
the children they work with.

One example of this is the New
Westminster day care centre run in
cooperation with the Ministry of
Human Resources. Licenced to care
for up to 20 children, Douglas College
has been getting some ‘‘very enthu-
siastic’’ feedback from the parents and
supervisors involved, Ebner says.

‘‘The whole centre if very flexible
and set up especially for the children,’
says the centre’s supervisor Leila
Denton.

By combining the philosophies of
the ECE program and day care centre,
Douglas College is presenting a
unique opportunity for students, par-

ents and children, Denton says.

“We feel strongly that the children
should be given the room they need to
explore and interact with the environ-
ment they live in,’’ she says.

But the task of integrating children
between the ages of 18 months and
five years into one daycare centre is
not necessarily an easy one, shen
adds. If a younger child wants to take
his afternoon nap a little earlier than
the rest of the group, they are given
that right.

Plus the surroundings in the centre
are suited to fit the needs of all
children. One corner includes a sink
for playing, there is a childsize house
for playing grown-up, as well as a
science table, a music corner, art
tables, a reading corner and lots and
lots of toys.

On top of all this, there is an outdoor
playground complete with climbing
equipment, a sandbox, a garden and a
play area with tricvcles.

Beside the day care centre, Douglas
College has built a special observation
lab for students in the ECE program.
Through a one-way mirror, every
student in the program has the
opportunity to see how the theories
they learn apply to real-life situations.

When every class is totalled up,
about 260 students can be enrolled in
the program at any one time, and with
some people registering in more than
one class, every course is usually full.

“It sort of overwhelms me,’’ says
Ebner.

For some day care. supervisors,
special training at Douglas College is
necessary for their jobs, especially in
the special seminars on administra-
tion, special needs, after school care
and infancy care.