September arrives - fresh faces, great expectations, and a brisk season of starting anew.
Our biggest and best buddies are aging out, off to kindergarten. Our summer students head home, to China, and Port Hardy. And when the waitlist calls come, our home-grown heroes and 3 - 5 year olds leave Big Kids Club to go to "preschool".
But wait!
Doesn't Buddings offer "preschool"?
What is "preschool," anyway?
In 2012, when we contacted the Childcare licensing office about launching our own preschool, they pointed us to the regs. "Preschool" was a regulated word, and only "preschools" could use it.
LOCCOPP was available, if we wanted an acronym...
As a Licensed Occasional Child Care, all we could do was Offer a Preschool-type Program...
But I've always hated acronyms, and the term "Preschool-type Program" reminds me of "non-dairy desserts," and "I can't believe it's not butter" campaigns - raising more questions than they answer...
What's really in there?
Big Kids Club is the Cool Whip of preschooler programs!
Now, I haven't eaten the edible oil product in eons, but as a marketing model, I LOVE their positioning strategy. It's not about a lack of lactose, or alternatives for intolerants.
They didn't call it "dairy-free," they called it "cool," and defined a genre.
Big Kids Club is a program for preschoolers that covers all the bases, and since it's a Buddings program, it's also flexible!
Big Kids Club
- Educational programming, focused on social skill development
- Consistent structured format of guided play and learning
- Activities, fieldtrips, snacks, and creative expression, led by trained professionals
- Lowest-in-town ratio of 1:4
- No age restrictions - open to everyone... who doesn't nap
- No ability restrictions - open to EVERYONE and completely inclusive
- Flexible monthly attendance, 12 months a year, especially when the "preschools" close down!
Licensed Preschool
- Educational programming, focused on... whatever they choose
- Consistent structured format... depending on the program
- Activities led by licensed educators, of varying ability/experience
- Up to 10 children per teacher/assistant
- Waitlists for limited spots, especially for 2 year olds
- Extra support for diagnosed/labeled handicaps
- Annual commitment that follows the school schedule, including PD days and March Break
Knowing is half the battle...
We don't want to dwell on what the competition is offering. And we don't have to!
Our Facebook followers, and google reviewers give Buddings perfect scores for flexibility and care. The program blog has the highlights, and our fieldtrips go beyond the conventional (did you see that Ayumi and the kids rode the Stanley Park train last summer??), because our talented teachers actually love presenting our programs. No wonder! They get to create it from their own passions.
September is here and the new Big Kids Club season has begun: Falling in Love runs until Nov. 30!
It's not too late to join! ... it's never too late to join Big Kids Club!
One more thing that makes us special 🙂