Curiosity grows into conversation, friendship and discovery
Three-year-olds bring questions, stories, strong ideas and growing independence into everything they do. They are beginning to play more cooperatively, use language to solve problems and stay with an experience for longer, but they still need patient adults, predictable routines and plenty of time to move.
Our Junior Preschool Program balances purposeful learning with the play, imagination and relationships that make learning meaningful at this age. Educators prepare inviting experiences, listen closely to children's ideas and provide just enough guidance to help each child participate, practise new skills and feel successful.
We are here to provide a loving and secure environment where your child can grow, learn and thrive.
- Age range
- 3 years to under 4 years
- Program hours
- 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Care options
- Full-time care. Part-time care may be available; families must inquire first, and approval depends on space.
- Daily rhythm
- Two outdoor periods, learning centres, sensory exploration, short group experiences, meals, rest and family handoff
- Regulated ratio and group size
- Standard ratio of 1 primary staff member for every 8 children; regulations permit 1:16 during rest periods. Maximum regulated group size: 16.
- Family updates
- Daily information in person and through the Centre Parent App, plus a formal progress report each August
- Curriculum
- Montessori-informed practice, emergent curriculum and Alberta's FLIGHT framework working together
At a glance
Children learn best when they feel known
Junior preschoolers are developing a stronger sense of identity while learning how to share space, materials and ideas with others. A secure relationship with educators gives them the confidence to speak, try, make mistakes and return to a challenge.
This relationship-centred approach can be seen throughout the day:
- each child is welcomed personally and helped to enter the room at their own pace;
- familiar routines and visual or verbal cues help children anticipate what comes next;
- educators listen to children's explanations, questions and imaginative ideas;
- feelings are acknowledged and children receive help finding words for needs and conflicts;
- clear, consistent boundaries protect safety and respect;
- children are encouraged to make meaningful choices and complete manageable tasks; and
- families hear about a real moment from their child's day.
Children do not have to manage every social or emotional challenge alone. Educators stay close enough to guide while leaving room for children to practise the skills they are ready to use.
How our curriculum works in Junior Preschool
Montessori-informed practice, emergent curriculum and FLIGHT work together throughout the day. They guide how educators prepare the environment, respond to children's interests and connect everyday experiences to development.
Montessori-informed practice
Concentration, order and independence
The environment is prepared so children can see their choices, reach suitable materials and take an active role in caring for the room. Hands-on materials and practical-life experiences invite children to sort, match, transfer, pour, build, fasten, clean up and repeat developing skills.
Educators demonstrate carefully, break a task into manageable steps and allow time for children to try. A child may work independently, alongside a friend or with an educator, depending on the experience and the support needed. The aim is purposeful participation, not completing every task in exactly the same way or at the same speed.
Emergent curriculum
Children's ideas shape what comes next
Children's questions, conversations, play themes and repeated interests help shape planned lessons, projects and learning invitations. Educators observe what children are trying to understand, add materials or questions and follow the investigation as it develops.
A seasonal interest might begin with noticing insects on a neighbourhood walk, then continue through drawing, movement, counting, stories and close observation. One interest can connect language, early mathematics, science, art and social learning without separating them into unrelated lessons.
FLIGHT
Belonging, well-being and active participation
Alberta's Early Learning and Care Framework keeps relationships, identity, communication, play and well-being at the centre of practice. Children are viewed as capable contributors whose ideas and experiences deserve attention.
Educators reflect on everyday moments, make room for different ways of participating and use learning stories to make growth visible. Family languages, traditions, knowledge and goals enrich the room and strengthen the connection between home, the centre and the wider community.
Learning centres, group experiences and free play
Children need different ways to participate. Learning centres let them choose a material, work at their own pace and return to an idea through play. Educators observe, join when helpful and extend thinking with new vocabulary, open-ended questions or an additional material.
Morning circle and afternoon small-group experiences are intentionally brief and active. They build belonging, listening and shared attention without expecting every child to sit still for a long lesson. Children may explore a story, art process, movement idea, early literacy concept, early mathematical relationship or question that has emerged in the room.
Free play remains essential. It gives children time to develop stories, negotiate roles, make plans, solve real problems and practise using the language and social skills introduced with educator support.
What we support during this stage
| Area of development | What parents may see |
|---|---|
| Language and communication | Longer conversations, questions, new vocabulary, storytelling, listening, songs, rhymes and using words to express needs or ideas |
| Early literacy | Enjoying picture books, retelling familiar events, noticing sounds and print, drawing with intention and beginning to recognize meaningful letters such as those in a name |
| Early mathematics and inquiry | Counting in meaningful situations, sorting, matching, comparing, recognizing patterns, exploring size and position, predicting and testing simple ideas |
| Social and emotional growth | Joining play, developing friendships, taking turns with support, showing empathy, naming feelings and beginning to negotiate shared ideas |
| Self-regulation and attention | Following familiar routines, shifting between activities, staying with an experience for longer and using adult support or simple strategies to regain calm |
| Gross-motor development | Running, climbing, balancing, jumping, throwing, kicking, dancing and navigating outdoor spaces with growing coordination |
| Fine-motor development | Drawing, painting, building, manipulating small materials, using tools and strengthening the hand control needed for dressing and later writing |
| Independence and self-care | Washing hands, managing clothing, using utensils, opening containers, helping with cleanup and participating in toilet learning as needed |
| Creativity and imagination | Dramatic play, music, movement, open-ended art, storytelling and representing ideas with many different materials |
Development does not follow one timetable. Educators plan for the group while adapting experiences, expectations and support to each child's strengths, interests, needs and current abilities.
A typical day in Junior Preschool
This is the room's usual weekday rhythm, and Tuesday through Friday follow the same shape. The sequence offers predictability while leaving educators room to respond to children's care needs, developing interests and safe outdoor conditions. Themed experiences change with the children and the classroom plan.
The everyday details
Positive guidance and growing social skills
Three-year-olds can have strong feelings before they have the language or self-control to manage them consistently. Educators anticipate difficult moments, offer meaningful choices and use positive directions such as "Walking feet, please." Boundaries are clear, consistent and appropriate for the child's development.
When conflict occurs, educators keep children safe, acknowledge feelings and help them understand the effect of an action without labelling the child. They may model words, support turn-taking, help children find another solution, adjust the environment or stay close in a quieter supervised area until the child is ready to rejoin.
Children are never shamed, humiliated or isolated for discipline. Families and educators work together when a child needs consistent support across home and the centre.
Personal care and toilet learning
Handwashing, dressing, toileting, meals and cleanup are part of the curriculum because they build health habits, language, coordination and independence. Educators provide the level of help each child needs while encouraging them to complete manageable steps.
Children do not need to be fully toilet trained to join Junior Preschool. Toilet learning is a partnership between home and the centre. Educators follow the child's readiness and the family's approach, encourage without pressure and respond calmly to accidents. Families should keep educators informed about routines used at home and provide extra labelled clothing during this stage.
Children who still use diapers are changed promptly with warmth, privacy and respect. If a family provides creams or ointments, they must be labelled and may be applied only after the required Medication Authorization Form is completed and approved by the Director.
Meals and snacks support independence
The daily schedule includes morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack. Educators sit with children as positive role models and use mealtimes to support conversation, self-help and awareness of hunger and fullness. Children practise age-appropriate skills such as opening containers, using utensils, serving themselves when suitable and helping care for their eating space.
Morning and afternoon snacks are included in the optional Essential Services Package. Families who decline the package provide snacks and milk or yogurt. Whether supplied by the centre or family, snacks include foods from at least two food groups. Families send a nutritious, ready-to-eat lunch each day.
Food is never forced, used as a reward or withheld as a consequence. Allergies, sensitivities, dietary restrictions and feeding requirements must be recorded and kept current in the Centre Parent App. Families should also speak with the Director so a safe plan can be arranged.
Rest and quiet time
The full-day program provides an after-lunch rest or quiet period of up to two hours. Children settle on individual cots, and a child who does not sleep is offered a quiet, developmentally appropriate activity. Educators use familiar routines, soft voices and reassurance without requiring every child to nap.
KCC provides each child with an individual cot appropriate to the program. Families provide a properly fitted cot sheet and any personal rest item requested or approved by the centre. Bedding goes home for washing at least weekly and whenever it becomes wet or soiled.
Outdoor learning and active movement
The room schedule includes about 60 minutes outside in the morning and another 60 minutes in the afternoon, when weather, temperature, UV conditions, air quality, playground conditions and children's health and safety needs allow. Children have opportunities to run, climb, balance, dig, carry, throw, kick, investigate nature and create outdoor play together.
On some mornings the group may take a supervised neighbourhood walk. Recurring walks require a completed Walking Excursion Agreement for the centre. Educators meet or exceed applicable ratios and use the centre's attendance, headcount and supervision procedures whenever the group leaves the premises.
Movement continues indoors through songs, dancing, action games and active play. Beyond the movement that happens naturally through the day, educators provide at least two indoor movement periods of 10 to 20 minutes. If outdoor time must be shortened or cancelled, indoor movement opportunities increase. Families send seasonally appropriate clothing each day so their child can participate safely and comfortably.
Screen-free learning
Screen media is not used with children under four and is not part of the Junior Preschool Program. Learning happens through relationships, conversation, stories, movement, hands-on materials, imaginative play and real experiences indoors and outside. Assistive, communication or accessibility technology may be used when it supports an individual child's participation.
Care, supervision and group size
For children 3 years to under 4 years, Alberta's standard regulated minimum is one primary staff member for every eight children, with a maximum regulated group size of 16. During children's rest periods the regulation permits one primary staff member for every 16 children.
| Program age | Standard staff member-to-child ratio | Permitted rest-period ratio | Maximum regulated group size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years to under 4 years | 1:8 | 1:16 | 16 children |
The maximum regulated group size is a licensing grouping limit; it is not the physical capacity of an entire room. Applicable ratios are maintained alongside active supervision, regular headcounts and the centre's safety procedures.
Starting with us
Staying connected with families
Families know their children best. Before care begins, educators want to understand your child's routines, interests, communication, comfort strategies, dietary needs, toileting experience and the relationships, languages and traditions that matter to your family.
Daily information is shared in person and through the Centre Parent App. Updates may include meals, rest, toileting information, photographs, room journals, learning stories and meaningful moments from the day. Families receive a formal progress report through the app each August, summarizing the child's strengths, interests, learning and areas for continued growth.
Please share new skills, changes at home, family goals and strategies that are working well. This knowledge helps educators respond consistently and plan learning that is relevant to the child.
What to bring
Please label every item with your child's name. Junior Preschool families generally provide:
- indoor shoes and a labelled water bottle;
- at least two complete changes of clothing, with additional clothing during toilet learning;
- seasonally appropriate outdoor clothing and footwear;
- a small blanket and properly fitted cot sheet when requested;
- an approved comfort item when helpful; and
- a nutritious, ready-to-eat lunch each day.
Families who decline the Essential Services Package also provide diapers and wipes when needed, morning and afternoon snacks, milk or yogurt, sunscreen and insect repellent. Creams and ointments must follow the centre's medication authorization process.
Beginning care and moving to Senior Preschool
Starting in a new room is a meaningful transition. Families are encouraged to tour the centre, meet the classroom educators and share information that will help their child feel secure and ready to participate. Educators work with each family on a comfortable start within the options available in the program.
Senior Preschool begins at age four, but a birthday alone does not determine the exact day of a room move. Room placement and transitions also consider licensing requirements, development, relationships with educators and peers, support needs and available space. Before a planned move, the Director works with the family and both room teams so the transition is thoughtful and well prepared.
Frequently asked questions
Is Junior Preschool mainly academic?
Learning is intentional, but it remains active, hands-on and connected to play. Early literacy, mathematics, science, communication and problem-solving develop through stories, materials, movement, conversation, inquiry, creative work and meaningful routines.
Does my child need to be toilet trained?
No. Educators support children who still use diapers as well as those beginning or continuing toilet learning. Readiness and the family's approach guide the process, and children are encouraged without pressure.
What if my child no longer naps?
The program provides an after-lunch rest or quiet period of up to two hours. Children who do not sleep are offered quiet, developmentally appropriate activities while the environment remains restful for others.
How do educators support conflict between children?
Educators keep children safe, acknowledge feelings, help them find words and guide them towards a workable next step. They model respectful communication, support problem-solving and adjust the environment or level of support when needed.
Do children go outside every day?
Two outdoor periods are planned each day when weather, air quality, playground conditions and safety needs allow. Timing or duration may change, and indoor movement increases when outdoor play must be shortened or cancelled.
How is learning planned for my child?
Educators observe and document children's interests, strengths, emerging abilities and needs throughout the month. Those observations guide the following month's flexible classroom plan, including purposeful group experiences and individualized goals or support.
How will I know about my child's day?
Educators share daily information in person and through the Centre Parent App. Families may also receive photographs, room journals and learning stories, followed by a formal progress report each August.
Is part-time Junior Preschool care available?
Part-time care is not guaranteed. Families must inquire first, and approval depends on available space, staffing and the enrolment options currently offered.
Come see purposeful play in action
A tour lets you meet the educators, explore the prepared environment and see how play, relationships and intentional learning come together throughout a Junior Preschool day.
