About Us
Our Philosophy
At Hakuna Matata, our primary goal is to provide a safe and nurturing environment that feels like home. We strive to create a welcoming and inclusive space, in which your little one’s needs are highly anticipated and met. We live up to our name HAKUNA MATATA and ensure that your worries end the minute your little one is safely cocooned in our warm and inviting space.
The early years play a very significant role in a child’s development; therefore, we will ensure that your child is given every opportunity to further enhance skills across various developmental domains. We carefully and purposefully plan learning activities based on the children’s interests and inquiries. At Hakuna Matata, we ensure that the children in our care are given every opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and skills to succeed and become competent individuals, as we believe each child has the potential to flourish and succeed in life.
Our Method
As part of our extended family philosophy, we make sure that care is seamless. One of our primary goals for this is clear and consistent communication. We want to establish a partnership with our families so that we can best meet the needs of the children in our care.
Daily communication comes home with each infant and toddler, indicating food consumption, diaper changes, duration of naps and activities implemented, as well as additional notes and information on their day. For our preschoolers and kindergarteners, we encourage your child to share about their day. The teacher will provide periodic updates on activities and performance. It is important to note that we highly prioritize and believe in open lines of communication between staff, parents and children, so we have an open-door policy to ensure that every question, concern or issue is addressed in a timely and professional manner.
In addition, family members are encouraged to be a part of our teaching in every possible way. We want learning to be further reinforced within the home environment, as we firmly believe that parents play a critical role in their child’s development and success. We host special events when parents are encouraged and welcome to drop by and meet with staff. Parents are also encouraged to attend preschool and kindergarten field trips, which our preschoolers and kindergarteners will have an opportunity to experience. Our primary goal is to create an inclusive and welcoming community, where all children and families feel safe and comfortable. This will provide an opportunity for parents and children to create lasting relationships and classroom experiences.
Our Credentials
Hakuna Matata is fully licensed by the Ontario Ministry of Education. The members of our team are either Registered Early Childhood Educators or Early Childhood Assistants.
All staff, volunteers, and students employed at Hakuna Matata must obtain a criminal reference check including a vulnerable sector check and have current training in First-Aid and CPR.
We accept CWELCC
The Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system will support quality, accessibility, affordability, and inclusivity in early learning licensed childcare serving eligible children. Key objectives of this program include lowering childcare fees for eligible children, improving wages and increasing access to quality childcare programs.
CWELCC is a five-year plan that is based on equity and inclusion. All families, including those with a fee subsidy, will have access to CWELCC programs by 2025.
Families at Hakuna Matata Child Care Centre attending care, will see a fee reduction of up to 25% (to a minimum of $12/day) to base fees, retroactive to April 1, 2022. Parents enrolled at the Centre can expect a further reduction to the base fee by the end of December 2022, on average reducing fees by 52.75% on base fee. The next reduction will be implemented in September 2024, and the final reduction to $10/day childcare, on average, in September 2025.
