Child Development Resources | Welcome to West Oakville Preschool Centre!

“Children are competent, capable of complex thinking, curious, and rich in potential.” (How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years, 2014)

West Oakville Preschool Centre staff use a number of tools, in collaboration with parents, to follow children’s development and plan responsive and engaging programs for the infants in our care.

The Nipissing District Developmental Screen (NDDS)

The Nipissing District Developmental Screen (NDDS) is a developmental tool designed to be completed by a parent or caregiver. It provides a snapshot of your child’s development to discuss with your health care or child care professional. The 13 checklists follow a child from 1 month of age up to 6 years and cover the following areas of development: vision, hearing, emotional, fine motor, gross motor, social, self-help, communication, and learning and thinking.

CLICK HERE for more information.

Continuum of Development

The Continuum of Development (found within Excerpts from ELECT) describes predictable sequences of development within broad domains of development. It helps early childhood practitioners observe and document children’s emerging skills, based on an understanding of children’s development. The primary purpose is to use that information to plan curriculum that is meaningful for individual children and groups of children because it is grounded in an understanding of child development.

The Continuum of Development is a tool that can help early childhood practitioners and families exchange information about children’s growing skills. Families have knowledge of how and what their child has learned at home and in the community. The early childhood practitioner has knowledge and observations of that child in an early childhood program. The continuum provides a reference point for discussions about the child’s development.

INFANT DEVELOPMENT CLICK HERE to access more information on Infant Development from Birth to 24 Months (pages 18-28).

TODDLER DEVELOPMENT CLICK HERE to access more information on Toddler Development from 14 months to 3 years (pages 29-36).

PRESCHOOL/KINDERGARTEN DEVELOPMENT CLICK HERE to access more information on Preschool Development from 2.5 to 6 years (page 37-54).

SCHOOL AGE DEVELOPMENT CLICK HERE to access more information on School Age Development from 5-8 years old (pages 55-64)

Accessing Community Resources to Support Children’s Development

West Oakville Preschool Centre works in partnership with other organizations in the community that work with children and families to support overall healthy development. Often, our community partners visit the centre to work with children and families on their caseload, and support our team in learning new skills and approaches to support and enhance the development of children in our programs.

· Halton Region – Children with Differing Abilities

· The Halton Resource Connection (THRC) – Centralized Intake Line

· ErinoakKids

· Reach Out Centre for Kids (ROCK)

To start the inquiry process or have questions/concerns about your child’s development, follow these simple steps:

1. Dial 3-1-1 to speak to an Intake Representative.

2. Describe your situation/question/concern (in some detail).

3. You will be redirected to the right source, resources, services and supports.