Out Of School Care
The Stellar Program (Out-Of-School Care)
noun | stell • ar | age: 5y to 12y | kindergarten – grade 6
The Stellar Program is for young, school-aged leaders who have reached basic development milestones and wish to discover more of the real world around them. At Kepler Academy, out-of-school care children are offered a variety of activities as well as an opportunity to relax and have fun before or after school.
A Day in the Life
Before and after school, children have the opportunity to either take part in scheduled activities like cooperative games, create a club, do crafts, play outside, take part in science experiments, robotics, or simply to enjoy the materials we have at the centre. They are free to read or do their homework. For PD days and other non-instructional days, we schedule exciting instructors based on children’s interests and the seasons, like martial arts, dance/movement, yoga, music, photography, languages, and more.
Our Educators
Our Out-of-School Care Educators are passionate child care professionals who encourage school-age children to discover new heights and have fun before and after class. They maintain communication with parents via our Kepler Academy mobile app and provide updates on children’s daily experiences and progress.
Our Philosophy
At Kepler Academy, we achieve excellence through our rigorously researched and scientifically backed Exploratory Education approach which focuses on an intentional mix of learning-through-play and an educational curriculum that promotes exploration and discovery.
What’s Included
The Stellar Program includes care for your child in the morning as well as after school, Monday through Friday, starting at 6:30am and closing at 6:00pm. This includes early dismissal days and PD days, unless otherwise noted. Children have the opportunity to either take part in scheduled activities like robotics, cooking, outdoor play, and cooperative games, or they can simply enjoy the various materials we have at the centre.
The Evolving World includes STEM activities, problem solving, pre-coding and complex thinking, and encouraging exploration of the world around us. We have fun with science experiments, building structures like engineers, practicing our math skills with games and numbers, and discover tech toys that are available.
Children will learn the skills required for basic cooking and baking all while having fun. What a wonderful way to learn hands-on! They will have opportunities to make predictions and observations and use what they've learned in practice. Cooking skills will be essential for their future - and we ensure they have fun.
Within our centres, we set up comfortable centres for children to retreat with a book. It is important to encourage strong early literacy and surround children with various reading materials, just like at home or in school.
An essential part of our after-school activities is outdoor play. At Kepler, we have beautiful nature-inspired play spaces that are engaging on an entirely new level, unlike most other playgrounds children will explore. With large tree trunks, outdoor musical instruments, planting beds and tree stumps, there is no end to the possibilities.
We incorporate fun games into our program, to foster teamwork and encourage friendships. These cooperative games help children to collaborate, take turns, think critically, and plan ahead. We keep many different types of games - from Harry Potter, Pickle Penguins, to Code Master (programming logic game) and Brainiac.
Our philosophy is that we are all born explorers - so naturally, we love to explore Edmonton. Our skilled educators are keen on getting your child out of their everyday environment and out into the real world. By introducing your child to community experiences, we help foster a sense of open-mindedness and belonging.
Children love science experiments and being able to touch, explore, create and manipulate different objects, liquids, and solids. We integrate fun science experiments into our out-of-school care schedule, which includes a very broad range of activities. As Leonardo DaVinci said, "Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else."
A core element of our after-school activities are clubs. At Kepler, children are encouraged to envision and create clubs that spark their interests, like science club, sewing, math, sports and gardening. They are supplied with materials to bring their club to life, like loose parts, crafting materials and games. In groups, kids will explore topics related to their club, and display their learning.
Children love dramatic play and are encouraged to imagine the possibilities through art and expression. From creating a play script, to putting on their own concert, improv or theatre production, the possibilities are limitless. Kids are encouraged to bring characters and stories to life. We supply fun items like singing machines, dress-up clothes, and more.