Dartmouth Day Care Centre40 Years of Quality Childcare

Dartmouth Day Care Centre is a not-for-profit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors. We have been providing quality childcare to families and children in the East and Central Dartmouth areas for more than 45 years. We currently provide childcare for close to 60 families.

Announcements

DDC Consolidation Information

Read Announcement (PDF)

Dartmouth Day Care Centre is looking for Community Members to join our Board of Directors

If you are interested please fill out the application and return to dartmouthdaycare@ns.sympatico.ca
or contact Angie for more information at 902-434-2865.

Board of Directors Application (PDF)

Employment

We are looking for Qualified Early Childhood Educators

Call 902-434-2865 for more details or email your resume to dartmouthdaycare@ns.sympatico.ca.

Dartmouth Day Care is accepting resumes for Summer Employment Opportunities

If you are between the ages of 15-30 and love to work with children this opportunity could be for you.

Requirements for the position:

  • Current: First Aid Course
  • Current: Child Abuse Registry
  • Current: Criminal Record and Vulnerable Sector

Email resumes to: dartmouthdaycare@ns.sympatico.ca.

About Us

  • Our Story

    Dartmouth Day Care Centre was created from a shared vision to create a quality program for families and children in the East Dartmouth area. We were incorporated in 1974 and settled into the basement of St. Luke’s Anglican Church on Veterans Avenue. We started out small with an enrolment of 30 children. In 1987, due to an increased need for childcare in the central Dartmouth area, we expanded to 33 Crichton Avenue. After successfully expanding and operating two full-time childcare programs, the Board of Directors for Dartmouth Day Care Centre approved the movement of the St. Luke’s program to 28 Caledonia Road in 1990. Currently, Dartmouth Day Care Centre provides quality childcare to more than 60 families in the East and Central Dartmouth areas. In 2019, we proudly celebrated 45 years of service to our communities and thank all those involved in helping build a successful organization.

     

    Our Mission

    Our Centre provides a high-quality inclusive early childhood education program that includes diversity, cultural respect for community and a holistic framework to support a nurturing environment for all children to reach their full potential. The Dartmouth Day Care Centre is a community-based organization serving the needs of families in the Dartmouth area within the rules of the Day Care Act and its Regulations in the Province of Nova Scotia. The philosophy of Dartmouth Day Care Centre is to provide a warm, safe and stimulating environment for all children in our care.

  • Our Director
    Angela Daniels-Drummond
    Executive Director

    Caledonia Location:
    902-434-2865
    dartmouthdaycare@ns.sympatico.ca

We Learn When We Play!

Our learning centres in each play room are developed with the children's interests in mind. Our Early Childhood Educators consult with children about their key experiences and help form various learning areas such as: Block Area, Creative Art Area, Quiet Area (Library and books), Tactile Area ( Sensory bins ) , Pretend Play ( dress up. Puppets, themes area ( medical clinic/ veterinary clinic/ grocery store), Math/ Science and Nature Area. We believe in a unique, technology- and screen-free learning environment where children learn by doing.

Science & Exploration Area

  • Explore and experience the natural world
  • Problem solving
  • Making guesses and estimates
  • Develop observation skills

Math Centre

  • Develop concepts: many/few, thick/thin, classification, rational counting, ordinal counting, sets, same/different, greater than/less than, heavy/light, measurement etc.
  • Cognitive development
  • Sense of self worth
  • Concentration and completion of a task

Manipulative Toys/ Table Top Toys

  • Fine motor control and development (pincer grasp)
  • Concentration and completion of a task
  • Enhanced self esteem and feeling of control and mastery
  • Early concepts such as patterning, sequencing, order
  • Problem solving

Creative Art & Expression

  • Creativity and imagination
  • Self expression
  • Concepts such as colors, shapes, lines, properties, textures, cause and effect
  • Fine motor control and development
  • Conceptualization (interpret observations with concept; to arrive at a concept as a result of things seen, experienced, or believed; to imagine)
  • Hand-eye coordination
  • Social and language development
  • Setting limits, trying new things, risk taking

Block Area (Construction)

  • Concept development (shape, size, balance, contrast, one-to-one correspondence, counting, matching, sorting, spatial relationships, groupings, classifying, problem-solving, length, height, weight, leverage, geometric shapes, etc.)
  • Conceptualization(interpret observations with concept; to arrive at a concept as a result of things seen, experienced, or believed; to imagine)
  • Cooperation/social skills; learning to communicate with others and work out differences
  • Logical thinking

Books / Library / Quiet Corner

  • to teach children a love and appreciation for books and literature
  • books are sources of information can answer our questions
  • pre reading concepts- the written word is talk written down, made with symbols; stories are read from right to left; sequencing; letter recognition; language patterns and development; new concepts and vocabulary; etc.
  • Encourages thinking and predicting skills (what will happen next, recall past events in story)
  • Concentration and independent play
  • Matching and identifying pictures from books to actual objects and real life situations
  • Imagination and creativity through storytelling

Dramatic Play

  • Understand and experience the adult world through imitation
  • Means to express feelings and emotions
  • Assist in better understanding their world
  • Experience a sense of power by imitating grown-ups
  • Develop creativity and imagination
  • Experience different roles
  • Improvising and symbolic use of items- abstract thinking
  • Social interaction/ socialization (resolve conflict, social play)- working together, sharing
  • Build language skills
  • Develop body/mind identity, identify a sense of self awareness
  • Empathy- understanding how others feel

Outside Play / Active Play

  • Exploring
  • risk-taking
  • fine and gross motor development
  • social development
  • appreciation of nature
  • problem solving
  • freedom of expression
  • body control
  • confidence building

Sensory Play / Water and Sand Play

  • math and science concepts (empty/full, before/after, shallow/deep, and heavy/light)
  • fine motor skills
  • hand-eye coordination
  • cause and effect
  • independent play
  • gross motor development in( puddles, sprinklers)
  • fosters curiosity, imagination, and experimentation
  • cognitive development (making sense of their world through concepts developed)
  • promotes social learning and cooperative effort
  • enrich language experiences
  • Aid in development of senses

Our Playgrounds

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Apply Now

We would love to welcome your child at Dartmouth Day Care. To get started either call us on 902-434-2865 for more information or download and complete our application forms:

 

Application Forms

Please return the completed forms to:

P.O. BOX 2715
28 Caledonia Road
Dartmouth, NS
B2X 1K8

Costs

(as of 1 May 2021, annual review of costs completed by board of directors)

toddlers

$39 / day

  • 18 months to 3 years old
preschoolers

$38 / day

  • 3 - 5 years old

Our Board of Directors

If you would like to contact the Board of Directors please email dartmouthdaycarecentre@gmail.com

Angela Daniels-Drummond, Executive Director
Catherine-Laura Dunnington, Chair of the Board
George Nau, Vice Chair of the Board
Kaycee Morrison, Secretary to the Board

Jason Jackson, Community Representative to the Board (and Financial Consultant)
Jennifer Gaudo, Community Representative to the Board (and Public Relations Consultant)
Ashley Clements, Parent Representative to the Board
Alison Landry, Parent Representative to the Board

Contact Us

Caledonia Road

Dartmouth Day Care Centre
28 Caledonia Road
Dartmouth, NS
B2X 1K8

902-434-2865

Thank you for message. We will get back to you as soon as we are able.

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Our Curriculum

Why Emergent Curriculum?

Emergent Curriculum is...

  • a child-centred approach to planning in child care centres
  • how we meet our goal of providing a creative, nurturing, responsive environment to children
  • developmentally appropriate

Download our Emergent Curriculum Document for more information (PDF).

Sun Safety Policy

Dartmouth Day Care Centre is taking all necessary measures to protect children and staff from the harmful effects of UV Rays. Sun safe practices will be on going throughout the year with extra precautionary measures during the months of May – September. In an effort to keep families and staff informed our sun safety policy is available to all parents and staff. Temperatures and UV index will be posted in a clear visible spot each day for reference.

Protecting Children

In accordance with the Nova Scotia Day Care Act and Regulations staff of Dartmouth Day Care Centre will take the following precautions during outdoor play time in the summer months. When the UV Index is high, the following protections will be in place:

  • all children are encouraged to wear protective gear including hats with brims, sunglasses (if provided) and lightweight clothing to protect the skin
  • while outside, shaded areas and drinking water are provided
  • the majority of outdoor activities will be planned for early morning and late afternoon (before 11am and after 4 pm)
  • sunscreen with a SPF of at least 30 will be generously applied to exposed skin 30 minutes before going outside. (Refer to proper application of sunscreen)
  • children who show signs of heat illness, including thirst, fatigue, leg or stomach cramps and cool, moist skin, will be removed immediately to a cool place.
  • in extreme heat conditions children will have shorter periods of outside play time, or will remain inside participating in planned activities.

Download our Sun Safety Policy Document for more information (PDF)

Sample Menu

Dartmouth Day Care Centre provides nutritious lunches and snacks for children in our care.

Download a Sample Menu (PDF)