6-9 Year-old Group
We are proud to announce that we will be opening our doors one day per week to 6-9-year-olds, on Thursdays for the fall semester. This day will be based on the same principles and the same operation as the rest of the week.
Children will therefore be able to take advantage of our democratic assemblies to make decisions about what happens during these days. As such, they will have the opportunity to learn how to make decisions, practice problem-solving and conflict-resolution strategies, and think critically.
At Mont-Libre, they will be able to be the authors of their own development. Indeed, they will benefit from a freedom that ends where others’ begins, giving them opportunities to ask themselves what they like, what they feel, what they need, what they want to learn, etc., which, in the long run, can be very beneficial in terms of taking initiatives.
Thus, the activities offered by our facilitators will be based on the youth’s consent. We make this pedagogical choice in order to model for young people how to navigate consent (how to share their no and disagreement, how to respond to someone else’s no, how to facilitate informed consent, etc.).
One of our most important tools with our youth is the emphasis we place on our relationship with them. In our experience, focusing on this relationship, particularly by ensuring we spend positive time with each child during the day, often opens several doors for these young people, whether it be from the perspective of emotional well-being, or in terms of group dynamics and inclusion efforts, but also in terms of developing curiosity.
Finally, one of our other important principles is multi-age. Indeed, by attending Mont-Libre, your child will benefit from a multi-age space where, sometimes, they will be the oldest, sometimes the youngest, and sometimes, they will find themselves somewhere in between. In doing so, they will have the opportunity to learn from older children, but also to learn how to support younger children, as they may often have to do in society, as well as how to become creative in accommodating the needs of others while listening to their own.
Please note that if your child is 9 years old, we ask that they attend the center for a second day each week to ensure continuity in our community for everyone’s needs and to offer more opportunities to enhance our relationship with them.