At Little Angels Airdrie daycare, we pride ourselves on offering a holistic approach to childcare. A holistic approach to childcare aims to cohesively help children meet their emotional, social and physical goals. This approach to childcare is indicative of a high-quality environment that nurtures all aspects of a child’s development.

What Is a Holistic Approach to Childcare?

Research on child development sustains the importance of providing a learning environment that focuses on “the connectedness of mind, body and spirit.” In doing so, this approach to development focuses less on the academic end goal and realizes that a child’s success starts with how well care givers can lean into a child’s individual cognitive needs.

In a holistic childcare setting, children get the opportunity to explore, learn, and grow in a safe environment. The recognition that each child has different needs and sustains a high level of individual care is a key characteristic. When childcare implants a holistic approach, it is indicative of a low child to care-giver setting, which is one of the marks of a high-quality daycare.

Little Angels Airdrie’s holistic philosophy goes beyond the basics of development, structuring goals oriented towards cognitive-intellectual growth, socialization, language-literacy, exploration of the arts and science, and the development of motor skills.

Why Should I Consider a Holistic Approach?

A holistic approach to childcare is more than just the basic care of a child. It is a sensitive, caring, and individualized approach that strives to meet the needs of each child in a variety of ways.

A holistic childcare setting will take into account all aspects of a child’s life. In doing so, caregivers realize the different ways children learn. It pairs itself with a play-based approach to learning, as “well-trained educators guide children’s energy into productive physical activities that merge fun with learning.” 

In a holistic childcare setting, every child is unique and may need different approaches to care. Some children may benefit from being more active while others are more content with interacting at a less amplified pace. One child could have special needs that require some extra attention while another may not easily show their learning needs. For this reason, it is important that every child receive individualized attention in order for them to be comfortable in their skill sets.

Ultimately, this type of approach can help children develop better social skills as well as stronger relationships with parents or caregivers. Children are better able to build their confidence by expressing themselves in a way that is valued and inclusive.

A Holistic Approach Looks at the Whole Child

Learning has the most potential when the individual child is realized. By focusing on all areas of a child’s development, caregivers are able to look at the individual emotional, physical and social needs children have. Being able to identify them is key to creating an inclusive child care environment where children can be their best selves. It is up to experienced caregivers to be able to look at each child’s needs in order to appropriately shift the child care dynamic to encourage development.

A Holistic Approach is Not One-Size-Fits-All

One of the most important aspects of a holistic approach is that caregivers are flexible in adapting their environment to the needs of each child. Children are not placed in a set environment, but join one that is shaped by their interests and needs. A holistic approach to childcare focuses on all areas of a child’s development, where:

• A child’s emotional needs are met through the use of the most effective caregiving techniques and play-based learning.

• A child’s social needs are met by allowing children to explore their environment and interact with other children in a safe environment.

• A child’s physical needs are met through an evolving schedule that focuses on movement within the class room as well as optimal time spent outside, incorporating nature into the facility when possible.

The Benefits of Early Holistic Childcare

In the world of childcare, the term “holistic” is becoming central to high quality child care facilities. ‘Holistic’ is interchangeable with ‘interconnected’ as our caregivers realize that the skills children learn and develop in early childcare transcend all parts of their lives. To develop each skill, interest and talent with quality attention is what propels the goals of Little Angels Airdrie to nurture the whole development of the child.

Through a holistic child care program, each child is helped to develop at their pace. If you’d like to visit our facility, book a tour to see how we embed holistic approaches within our programs!