Media Coverage |
Learning and growing at Tender Years
Tender Years offers preschool and kindergarten programs with theme-based activities in nursery and kindergarten classes. The centre also encourages parental involvement, inviting parents to join in on classroom time, for example. Parents also help organize special events outside of school hours including the Fall Festival, which took place last month at Huron Park. Dori Ricci, a teacher whose son and daughter went to the school, said she enjoys that parents take the opportunity to get involved in their children's education. She said it's evident the school had a "real community spirit," which was her main motivation to return as a teacher. "(Tender Years) provides experiences in a safe, nurturing way that children may not otherwise get. Here, they get to school and they learn things a little sooner," said Ricci. Saville, marketing chair on the board of directors, says it's a community that's passionate about providing the best environment for children. "It's a support system," she said. "I was the only one among my friends who had children so it was very isolating to have a child and not have any friends who are going through the same things you are. At Tender Years, you're going through the same ups and downs (with other parents)." Jane Shores, who has been at the school for more than 25 years as a parent, teacher and now an administrator, says parents make the experience special by working with teachers to provide special programming for children and volunteering to help with activities and other events. |
For 28 years, Tender Years Co-op School has been a place where children can learn and grow. Julie Saville, a parent volunteer, says the school provides children with a safe, fun and nurturing environment. "As soon as I walked into Tender Years, met the teachers and toured the school, I felt at home," she said, recounting the first time she walked into the centre with her son nearly three years ago. "I was really comfortable leaving my children there."