Calgary child care embracing sensory learning and playing

A sensory program at Calgary's Immigrant Education Society offers tools to play with and learn from. It also helps identify children with developmental issues.

The Little Beginnings Urban Oasis (LBUO) child-care centre at The Immigrant Education Society (TIES) in northeast Calgary has introduced a number of sensory tools and material to help children learn.

The centre has 26 children enrolled from birth to six years old who come from more that 20 countries around the world. Raghda Abouelfetouh, LBUO childcare centre manager, brainstormed with all the educators in the program to choose the equipment they felt would be most beneficial to the children.

Abouelfetou says exposing kids to sensory activities at a young age is vital.

“All children have, and even adults, have different learning abilities, different skills,” she said. “So if you work in advance, you will be most probably be preventing challenging behaviors to occur in the school age children and are setting them up for success.”

The sensory tools help kids visualize and hear things but also help with math and learning the language.

“If I don’t speak English and I’m here and everyone is speaking English, I will be frustrated,” said Abouelfetouh. “I want to express, I want to engage, so this way we are letting everyone engage the way they are.”

She says that since the program started in March, educators have seen an 80 percent drop in kids who lash out through frustration, and adds that’s a positive indicator for the work they’re doing.

“A couple of parents, especially in the preschool room, they were sharing that the children now are speaking way more -- (they) are very expressive,” she said. “I’m like, here we go! We’re so happy with that.”

Identifying special needs

Sensory tools can also be used to identify children with special needs or those with neurodivergent conditions. Abouelfetouh says many children in Alberta are not eligible for any kind of cognitive assessment before the age of three.

“Until we get the assessment, (the child) will be almost four years old -- which is too late, because 80 per cent of the child’s development is done by the age of three so we don’t want children to lose these opportunities,” she said. “Why not offer this intervention as early as possible to prevent any learning delays and developmental delays in the school age.?

Racheal Ashamu’s four-year-old daughter Adesua is in the program.

“I have noticed a lot of improvement and she even wants me to have (the sensory tools) at home,” she said. “I can confidently say right now she is ready for kindergarten, because when I look at the Alberta curriculum, she knows everything that is expected of her already.”

Ashamu says Adesua has now developed a knack for building things that could lead to a career one day.

“I know that she likes stacking things, like creating something,” she said. “I mean, for her age (she is) maybe some sort of little engineer who wants to create something.”

Aboueleftouh is excited at the potential for the program for the current and future students.

“When you’re talking about the children, you’re talking about next generation, you’re talking about the future of Canada.,” she said.

Learn more about LBUO here.