Daycare Program

At-a-Glance

Ages 30 months – school-aged
Part-time or Full-time
Monday through Friday, 7:15am-5:15pm
High teacher to kid ratio: 1-2 kids to 1 teacher
Located in central Summerland next to a park, playground, library and museum

About our Daycare Program

Explore, learn, and have fun

Making Waves offers full and part-time daycare program for kids from 30 months to school-aged. Our program runs five days a week, not including statutory holidays. We are fully-licensed.

Our daycare team is made up of ECEs and ECEAs who are passionate about kids and learning. We want to build long-term relationships with our kids and parents. We want to grow with your family!

Making Waves deeply believes in the value of social responsibility and participation, and we strive to be an active part of our local community.

We believe in play-based learning and helping kids build friendships, nurture curiousity, foster emotional intelligence and independence to set them up for success. We believe in meeting kids where they are at to foster a love of learning.

Learn more below!

What to expect

Our Typical Schedule

7:15 | Arrivals and free play activities
9:00 | Welcome Circle and kids check-in
9:15 | Music
9:45 | Snack
10:00 | Outside playtime
11:00 | Learning Circle (Themed lesson)
11:20 | Crafts
11:45 | Lunch
12:15 | Quiet time*
12:45 | Outside playtime
2:45 | Snack
3:00 | Free play, activity tables, sensory bins

Outside Playtime and Excursions

We are firm believers in outdoor playtime! Our daycare is located across from beautiful Memorial Park and its fantastic playground. We go outside rain or shine, so please be prepared for any weather. In the summer we make weekly trips to Peach Orchard Waterpark and Rotary Beach. We stay indoors in extreme weather circumstances, and on those days we make use of the Summerland Okanagan Regional Library (also across the street!) and the Summerland Museum (just next door).

We love taking the kids on field trips. We have taken the kids to the Summerland Ornamental Gardens, Research Station, Firestation, District of Summerland and more.

Themed Weeks

Every week our learning and activities centre around a theme. Themes have included: emotional zones of regulation, the ocean, space, colours, numbers, shapes, life cycles, seasons, the body, cultural holidays and celebrations, farms, trees, animals… we could go on!

Circle Time

Circle Time is an introduction to our theme for the week. Our Circle Times are interactive discussions with the kids to encourage their curiousity and participation. We incorporate a variety of approaches to accommodate different learning styles.

Activities

We provide a wide range of activities to nurture fine motor skills, gross motor skills, language, social and emotional skills. We endeavour to set your kids up for future success by building confidence through skill development.

We encourage process art–focusing on the experience of creating–rather than the end-result. We actively facilitate loose parts play to foster creativity, innovation and self-expression. We use the world around us as inspiration for our art and learning through doing and interaction. We like to have fun, laugh and get messy!

Activities include crafts, building, painting, play dough, sensory bins, dress-up, imaginary play, etc.

Potty Training

We get that kids develop at different times. We understand potty training can be stressful and also limits your childcare options. We accept kids who are not fully potty trained. We do our utmost to assist parents in their potty training journey. We will work with you and follow whatever potty training methods you are using at home. In our experience, kids emulate their peers when it comes to using the potty and when they know their friends are having success on the potty, they want to have success as well.

*Our Approach to Naps

Kids that don’t nap have at least 30 minutes of quiet rest time which includes a pillow and a blanket on their own cot, and books at their request. Kids that don’t nap will head to outside playtime after 30 minutes of quiet time.

Kids that nap also have their own pillow, blanket and cot and have a sleep for an hour and a half. We do a gentle wake up around 1:45. They then go for outside playtime until 2:45.