Z40. Langley’s Community Business Leaders
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Child Development with Education and Play CEFA Walnut Grove is about an enriched curriculum with a focus on natural play based learning. When Mark Leslie and Jackie Jackson started their family of three boys, they didn’t know they would experience the worst that childcare could be. Jackie actually ended up leaving her career to care for the couple’s first child because the daycare situation was so bad. Both Mark and Jackie grew up in the country with room to play and explore. They knew they wanted those values in a childcare facility but couldn’t find one, so they started their own. They purchased Walnut Grove CEFA in 2015 and are adding two more CEFA childcare facilities in other communities to their business. “We knew what we wanted for our children,” Jackie said. “CEFA met a lot of our requirements.” CEFA stands for Core Education and Fine Arts and is an educational-based program through play. It’s partly Montessori, but more play based with a focus on having fun while learning. Mark and Jackie chose to remove a lot of the plastic toys from their classrooms and replaced them with wood materials. “Children and parents walk in and feel good,” Mark said. “Why can’t it be a wonderful environment with natural wood toys and manipulative’s with warm, calming paint colors that won’t over stimulate the child but rather help them stay focused and more relaxed throughout their school day.” Others in the community must agree with Jackie and Mark’s requirement for a great school. The couple is building a new baby room because demand is so high. They accommodate children from birth to five years old at the school. Another positive aspect of CEFA Walnut Grove is the things parents
Your COMMUNITY BUSINESS LEADERS
MARK LESLIE AND JACKIE JACKSON
5 Hands on play is part of the learning process and a key part of the curriculum at CEFA Walnut Grove don’t have to do to prepare their chil- five-year-olds or one-year-olds. dren each day. Children wear uniforms “It’s so important that children are so the morning battle of what to with others at similar developmental put on goes away, plus the in-house levels,” Mark said. “Plus because chef creates all snacks and meal from we have an enriched cirriculum with scratch eliminating the need to pack math, science, cultural Immersion, lunches. Yoga, Fine Arts and many other as“Our chef is amazing,” Jackie said. pects. Our Teachers all have addition“She makes bread from scratch and al training to become CEFA certified. she helps get This is a place to help the children them develop, it’s not to try things just a place you leave they’ve never your children because “Why can’t it be a tried before. you have to go to work. wonderful environment She even had It helps create better with natural wood toys them eating individuals.” beet soup. One of the most popand manipulative’s with They will eat ular things from CEFA warm, calming paint colors it because Walnut Grove is Date that won’t over stimulate their peers are Night. Parents can drop the child but rather help eating it.” children off for a night Children are them stay focused and more of pizza and play while put into classthe adults take a night to relaxed throughout their es with their themselves. school day.” peers, unlike Mark and Jackie invite ~ Mark Leslie parents to come and the majority of day care visit CEFA Walnut Grove facilities where to see if it is a place they all children are grouped together. This would want their children to grow and way three-year-olds are learning and learn. playing with other three-year-olds not
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100-19950 E 88th Ave., East Langley, B.C.
604-881-2332 www.cefa.ca
REASONS TO ENROLL YOUR CHILDREN AT CEFA WALNUT GROVE 1
Play-based educational school with a curriculum.
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Qualified teachers with four months CEFA education beyond Early Childhood Educator education.
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Healthy meals and snacks are made fresh daily by our onsite chef.
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Warm, natural environment with wood not plastics.
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Children spend time with peers of their own age.
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