Dec21271 Best Community & Youth Development Organisation - Alberta Initially established as a passion project by its founder, Leslie Topp, TOPP KIDS Care Center was designed to be a before and after school program. Currently accredited as Alberta’s Best Community and Youth Development Organization, TOPP KIDS uses a unique approach to provide engaging programs for children that are accessible for all families – building connections within the community through a Play, Grow, Laugh and Learnmodel. Working within the Early Learning and Childcare sector for over 25 years, Leslie witnessed first-hand the effects of academic exposure through the power of imagination and natural exploration in young children. Thus, in 2010, TOPP KIDS Care Center was launched. At TOPP KIDS, Leslie developed an approach to childcare that enabled children to experiment with the environment and feed their innate desire to explore, play and learn through natural curiosity. However, shortly after establishing the centre, Leslie was diagnosed with Lupus. Henceforth, her valiant son Cody has stepped in to continue her dream and aid the community with her values and ethos set as the foundation for the future. Throughout his leadership, Cody focused on growth and development, encouraging the team to lead in innovation and allowing the passion and desire of the initial brand to become the driving force behind the organisation. With Cody pushing for the development of systems, high standards and reputable status, TOPP KIDS exceeded goals exponentially. With the expansion of numerous locations and increasing the programs provided, the centre built involvement with the community and became a nationally recognised care provider. ELCC and Community Development is designed to be a hub of resources for families, early childhood educators, and childcare programs; therefore, TOPP KIDS ensures its ability to provide the best quality care and up to date resources for those in Calgary and its surrounding areas. At TOPP KIDS, its priority is to provide a play-based curriculum built around educational and developmental sectors. The combination of the two allows children of all ages to benefit from the centre while offering safe, affordable, accessibly and high-quality care to all community members. “We aim to help educators grow. Our focus is to provide opportunities for growth and education for professionals and children sector-wide. Therefore, we host professional development and seminars presented by community partners, agencies and industry professionals as well as source and build custom professional development events,” explains CEO Cody Topp. Currently, new trends in the educational sector include learning theories and approaches – specifically concepts that influence program design. TOPP KIDS utilises a significant range of ideas from around the globe to create a network of experts in several industry areas to implement a collaboration of ideas and disciplines into its growing organisation. The constant update to curriculum and leadership structures ensures that TOPP KIDS can keep up with the leading practice measures and requirements, all whilst ensuring innovation and community satisfaction is constantly being targeted and exceeded. TOPP KIDS has expanded its innovations within the last two years by growing its STEM, STEAM and STREAM aspects. These sections include the expansion of social-emotional literacy approaches, life skills programming, outdoor play and nature exploration and in-program literacy For TOPP KIDS, the goal is to encourage children and people within the community to recognise the importance of play and build a sense of community and leadership within young children through these programs. Moreover, TOPP KIDS has developed specialised training on trauma informed care over the past year due to the number of children and families that were impacted during the lockdowns during Covid-19. As a result, the centre has become a beacon of light and support for those families – heavily relied on for resources and guidance during these testing times. As a young, growing company, the vision for the centre is to continue leading its sector as individual professionals and a collective group of like-minded people. To do so, the organisation has developed diverse goals over a five-year plan with steps to ensure it keeps up with the growing trends and the industry as a whole. “Our five-year plan involves expanding our services in the Calgary area by at least double and focusing on social and community projects with our junior leadership program. Currently, we are building a new innovative school-age care curriculum framework that focuses on life skills, providing skill-building opportunities, leadership, citizenship, and social-emotional literacy. Additionally, we are working towards building competency in STEAM programming, an approach that fuses science, technology, engineering, arts, and math,” explains Cody. Ultimately, TOPP KIDS aims to provide no-cost care to remove all barriers to families and children needing quality care programs. With passion, care and innovation driving its source of success, its needless to say that the families within the Calgary area are being well taken care of by TOPP KIDS Company Name: TOPP KIDS Out Of School Clubs/Elcc And Community Development Contact Name: Cody Topp Web Address: Http://www.Toppkids.Com Contact Email: [email protected] Canadian Business Awards 2022 19
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUyMDQwMA==