Our Administrative team...

In Spanish El Nido means “The Nest”. This name was chosen for our youngest children, ages 1 – 2 years, to reflect the warm, nurturing environment in which children will begin their time with us at ICFC. 

In El Nido, children are provided opportunities for hands-on exploration and sensory play in a nurturing and safe environment as well as daily gross motor experiences in the gym and outdoor playground.

Parents and staff chose the name Salaam for the room for our children ages 2-3 years. Salaam means “Peace” or “Welcome” in Arabic, Tigrinya and Amharic. We named this room Salaam to honour the initiative and vision of ICFC’s founding members.

The Salaam playroom provides opportunities for creativity and exploration through open-ended play materials and loose parts. Our older toddlers’ growing independence is fostered by offering choices and age-appropriate opportunities for decision making inside the room, the gym, and outdoors. 

Our educators see children ages 3-4 years old as explorers who continually make sense of the world around them through their play. In Cree, Natonam means “one who seeks or searches” and we think this describes these children well.

The Natonam playroom provides a selection of open-ended, natural materials to inspire children’s curiosity and engagement. There are many opportunities for children to play, discover, and learn in this well-planned and interesting room environment. Time in the gym and in the playground provides regular opportunity for gross motor play.

In Tagalog, Kapatiran means fraternity or a feeling of community. 

The concept of brotherhood or sisterhood captures the essence of what we envision for our 4-6 year old children.

The Kapatiran playroom provides a place for our oldest children to explore, investigate, and relax while taking responsibility and having input in decision making and programming. We encourage children in Kapatiran to work and play independently as well as collaborate together on projects.

We see food as one of the many cultural connections we build with our families. The aromatic smells that come from the kitchen give the children and families a sense of belonging and familiarity as we work to provide culturally responsive and well balanced meals using fresh ingredients that follow the Canada Food Guide. Our experienced cooks provide a breakfast snack, hot lunch and afternoon snack to fuel the children throughout the day while meeting their nutritional needs.