Member Directory
Greenbelt Academy and Early Learning Centre
Who we are:
We are a soon-to-be licensed Nature-based Preschool and Private School. We have been offering programs in Grimsby since 2017. We have been at our current location, 130 Main Street East, since September 2019.
Community Goal:
To be an influential part of the growing movement to connect children with nature and to educate the community about the benefits to not only the individual child, but to the community as a whole.
Mission:
Education rooted in nature to inspire in our students a deeper connection to the community around them.
Vision:
Every child is given the opportunity to learn about their world through daily access to extended time in nature. Quality educators facilitate an emergent curriculum that reflects the needs of the whole child and meets the demands of the world in which we live.
What we offer:
Preschool Program(s) Description: Soon to be licensed Childcare Centre
Our preschool outdoor learning program provides children from ages 18 months- 2.5 years and 2.5- 4 years with opportunities to engage with nature on a regular basis. Our full-day child-led, inquiry-based program will focus on developing social, physical, cognitive, creative, and emotional well-being while fostering a connection with the world around them. Our preschool program will prepare our students for Kindergarten, following a Forest School Curriculum as well as referencing the Ontario Kindergarten Curriculum. We offer small class sizes (1:5 and 1:8 ratios) which provides educators with the opportunity to connect with and build upon children’s learning in our enriched child-led environment.
School-Aged Programs:
Our School-Aged Program is offered on a full-time and part time basis. The part time program is offered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, or just Friday (our Forest Friday Program). We have low 1:10 ratios for our Kindergarten and Forest Friday programs.
Our days vary throughout the week with us visiting the forest Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. During our time in the Forest, children are offered skill based activities such as: using tools, building shelters, flora & fauna identification, and much more. Free play is an important aspect of our program and children are given time each day to explore and engage freely (in the Forest and at our home base). Throughout the week, teacher one-on-one and mini-workshops including music & drama, foreign languages, geography, history, baking/ food literacy, health, and S.T.E.A.M are offered. Reflection time and mindfulness activities are encouraged following our lunch breaks. Our afternoons are filled with group lessons, team building activities, free play opportunities, and child initiated provocations to extend learning and facilitate deeper thought.
We also offer PA Day Camps & Summer Camps- Please visit our website for more information.
Why we started:
We recognized a need in our community for a program that fosters the child and nature connection and offer opportunities for regular, unstructured access to the outdoors. We, as Educators and advocates for nature and well-being, collaborated to create an environment that could support this connection and provide quality education that addresses the needs of the whole child.