Philosophy
We are thankful to our Mother the Earth, for she gives us everything that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk about upon her. It gives us joy that she still continues to care for us, just as she has from the beginning of time. To our Mother; we send thanksgiving, love, respect. Now our minds are one.
Robin Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
Holistic Child Development
We foster children’s growth and development in an holistic way through instilling a love of playing and learning in an outdoor environment while nurturing a deep sense of wonder about the natural world that surrounds us.
The Value of Inclusivity
We treat all children, their families and communities with dignity and respect by honoring culture, ethnicity, neuro-diversity, beliefs, gender identification, and will welcome all to our program
Stewardship
We encourage the children to be curious, to explore their environment as a steward of the land and their community. We empower their sense of discovery that allows for meaningful connections to self, others, their surroundings and their community
Children as Researchers
We collaborate and co-create learning experiences with the children by demonstrating a working relationship with community, regional experts, and our national affiliation with the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada
Land Based Learning
We recognize that it is a privilege and an honor to live, work and play in the unceded traditional territory of the Shuswap, Secwepemc and Ktunaxa Nations, and the many First Nations and Metis whose footsteps have marked these lands for generations.
Risky Play
Children take pleasure in being on the edge. Risky play in early childhood can help develop a child’s self-confidence, resilience, executive functioning abilities and even risk management skills. We believe in an evidence based approach to Risky play following the work of Mariana Brussoni of the University of British Columbia and the BC Children’s Hospital.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Budding Minds is inclusive and values neuro diversities, and our practice is focused on evidence-based child development theories by demonstrating an integrated approach to nature-based learning.
Our practice is centered around the philosophies of the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada principles.
We are guided by the ECEBC code of ethics, demonstrated by our commitment to the children and their overall development.
Budding Minds aligns with the British Columbia Early Learning Framework developed by the British Columbia Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Child and Family Development, and the Early Learning Advisory Group.
