CEFA Programs: Top Ranked Child Care Programs in Canada
Core Education & Fine Arts (CEFA) is the most sophisticated Early Learning child program in Canada. We believe that quality care is essential, and that children need more than care to thrive. Children thrive when they are learning, and the CEFA curriculum is rooted in the four key areas of child brain development: Language, Numbers, Peer Social Skills, and Emotional Control. CEFA helps build a strong foundation for children upon which future success can be built upon.
CEFA was launched in 1998 as an Early Learning School for children 1-5 and has grown into a full-service offering with many different formats to meet the ever-changing and demanding needs of parents today, including half-day preschool (CEFA Minis), before and after school programs (CEFA Kids Club), occasional and weekend care (CEFA Weekend + Evening Care) and summer programs (CEFA Camps).
CEFA Baby (0–18 months)
The building blocks of literacy begin to develop in infancy. Day-to-day activities expose babies and toddlers to sounds, words, speech, and print. Researchers have found strong evidence that children can learn reading and writing in their earliest years, long before they go to school (National Early Literacy Panel Report, 2008)
Children who are immersed in rich language activities (like being read aloud) may hear 30 million more words by the time they enter school than children who don’t have the same amount of exposure. As babies hear sounds, voices, and words, they begin to discriminate the oral language and build the foundation for written language, reading, and writing. Studies have shown that this is reflected in the test scores administered to the same children when they are nine and ten years old (read the Early Literacy study).
Exposure to language and vocabulary is a key part of CEFA Baby. We also teach foundational math through tactical sorting games that incorporate colour, size, texture, and shapes. Activities also encourage children to focus and stay on one task (increases attention span) which contributes to their social and emotional development. Our CEFA Baby schedule features magical storytime, socializing, gross motor development, and of course, mindfulness naps. Click here to see more of our curriculum at play in CEFA Baby.
Junior Kindergarten 1 (2-year-olds)
Stimulate your child’s development in an exciting and playful way, while helping get them ready for kindergarten. CEFA’s early childhood educators use a proprietary methodology that is motivational, inspiring, exciting, and fun for kids.
At young ages, learning must be fun and full of play. It fosters better comprehension, participation, and retention. Learning through play also helps them foster a positive relationship with learning at an early stage in life, which is reinforced as they progress through the curriculum.
Around 24 months, children begin to engage in literacy and writing activities and learn about math language (understanding what math symbols mean)—a key prerequisite to engaging in math itself. The curriculum also includes Yoga, Dance, Music, Visual Arts, Culture Immersion, Drama, Sport, and Languages, as well as many other great activities designed to enrich your child’s experience and strengthen their desire to learn.
Click here to learn more about our curriculum like Open Learning and Group Learning in JK1.
Junior Kindergarten 2 (3-year-olds)
CEFA JK2 focuses on the uniqueness of each child and the ability for each child to communicate and contribute to our community and to the world, individually or as a group.
When children are actively involved in subjects like Creative Play, Drama, Music, and Fine Arts, they are provided an outlet to harness and project their emotions in positive, communicative and creative ways. Children also learn to perceive, process, and predict these emotions in others.
The curriculum also includes robust literacy activities, Outdoor and Nature Program, STEM, Culture Immersion, Reggio Emilia project art, Creative Play, Citizenship, and Contribution. Children are active participants in their learning.
Click here for the JK2 Schedule of Activities.
Junior Kindergarten 3 (4-year-olds)
Children engage in a deeper dive of the core subjects in their final year before Kindergarten. They also take more of a leadership role in their learning and are encouraged to experiment with the material, to exercise their own reasoning (like Montessori), by working on long-term and short-term projects of their own interest (like Reggio), by interacting more with the teacher (like in elementary school) and by collaborating and interacting with their peers to learn what it means to be a good friend.
They also gain a sense of worth and self-esteem by learning to be more self-sufficient, by doing things like putting on and zipping up their own jackets, helping to put toys away after playtime, and learning to read on their own. The curriculum includes Reading, Writing, Dance, Visual Arts, Literacy games, Little Chefs, Creative Play, and cooperative group work.
Click here to see how they’re getting kindergarten ready through our JK3 schedule.
Summer Program
During the months of July and August, your child will participate in four out of seven distinct summer classes selected by the school. CEFA’s Summer Program offers children the opportunity to develop their creative and social skills through a variety of summer activities and projects. The program incorporates CEFA’s unique methodology as well as our proprietary CEFA games and curriculum related to Reading, Writing and Math.
CEFA Kids Club
When children graduate from CEFA Early Learning, they transition from a full-day activity schedule to one that is typically 8:30 am to 2:30 pm. Parents and kids alike can benefit from before and after-school programming that includes morning drop-offs, and afternoon pick-up at their elementary school.
CEFA Kids Club caters to two distinct age groups: Junior Kids Club (ages 5–6) & Senior Kids Club (ages 7–10)
There are a few distinctions between the Junior and Senior Kids Clubs aside from age. The curriculum is tailored to the age groups with topics that these age groups are capable of learning, as well as subject matter and activities that are appropriate for stimulating their development and curiosity. Additional features include:
- Before and after school hours
- Delivery to and pick-up from their school
- Homework help
- Fun and engaging educational programs and activities
Kids Club is theme-based and designed to expand curiosity. Each month is a deep dive on a particular theme and subject. This allows children an opportunity to truly explore, learn, and develop with in-depth exposure and expert instruction on each theme. This aids in achieving objectives and advanced skills and also provides a platform for students to inquire more on a theme, helping to expand their curiosity.
CEFA Kids Club is currently not offered at all locations.
CEFA Weekends & Evenings was designed for parents who work irregular or non-traditional work schedules, who struggle to find quality child care and extracurricular activities on the weekend and evenings, or who don’t have other adequate community or family child care support. CEFA Weekends & Evenings offers quality care and support for all families who need it, without having to commit to a regular full or part-time care program, or in conjunction with our current junior kindergarten program.
CEFA Weekends and Evenings is an age-based, part or full-day early learning program. Children socialize, collaborate, play, and learn together through activities in STEM, Literacy, Creative and Dramatic Arts, and Outdoor Games.
This CEFA program is an officially licensed “Occasional Care” program. When you register in our CEFA Weekends and Evenings caregiver program, you sign up for the times you need (up to 40 hours per month). No commitment to the same schedule every week. It makes supporting your child’s future through early learning opportunities easier, no matter your schedule.
CEFA Weekends + Evenings is not currently offered at all locations.
CEFA Weekends & Evenings was designed for parents who work irregular or non-traditional work schedules, who struggle to find quality child care and extracurricular activities on the weekend and evenings, or who don’t have other adequate community or family child care support. CEFA Weekends & Evenings offers quality care and support for all families who need it, without having to commit to a regular full or part-time care program, or in conjunction with our current junior kindergarten program.
CEFA Weekends and Evenings is an age-based early learning program. Children socialize, collaborate, play, and learn together through activities in STEM, Literacy, Creative and Dramatic Arts, and Outdoor Games.
This CEFA program is an officially licensed “Occasional Care” program. When you register in our CEFA Weekends and Evenings program, you sign up for the times you need (up to 40 hours per month). No commitment to the same schedule every week. It makes supporting your child’s future through early learning opportunities easier, no matter your schedule.
CEFA Weekends + Evenings is currently not offered at all locations.