Amandine Falette-Galiussi: Playing and learning in nature

Transcription – Amandine Falette-Galiussi, 2019 Prime Minister's Award recipient

[Black screen fades up to a white background, with the following words appearing, line by line: Prime Minister's Awards. Music playing. Fade to black and then up white and grey screen with medium shot of woman, smiling, on the left side of the screen, with the following words appearing, line by line, on the right and voice over: Amandine Falette-Galiussi, La Garderie Plein Soleil, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.]

[Fade to black and then up to photos with voice over. Photos: A group of children in coats with backpacks and toques walking on a path in the forest; A child bending over looking at his snowshoes; A group of children in coats in a circle playing in the dirt; a group of children in coats with backpacks and toques bending over as if they were all looking at something on the ground; children dressed in snowsuits in a line snowshoeing through the forest in the snow; a child in a snowsuit moving between blocks of ice; children from behind, sitting in the snow, looking at a vast landscape.]

Amandine Falette-Galiussi firmly believes in the value of outdoor physical activity to promote optimal childhood development ... even in Canada's North! She organizes many outdoor activities to teach young kids about mutual support, patience, self-confidence and respect for others and for nature. She never hesitates to use community resources to arrange visits to farms or festival sites, to see sick children, or to connect with Aboriginal Elders. With Amandine, Yellowknife children learn what's right early on!

[Fade to black and then up white and grey screen with medium shot of woman, smiling, on the left side of the screen, with the following words appearing, line by line, on the right: Amandine Falette-Galiussi, La Garderie Plein Soleil, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Voice over: Amandine Falette-Galiussi.]

[Fade to white, with the Government of Canada FIP and then the Canada Wordmark appearing in black.]

Year: 2019 — Territory: Northwest Territories
Certificate of Excellence Recipient

Amandine Falette-Galiussi

Daycare Plein Soleil
Daycare (10 months to 4 years)
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

"Her methods and her philosophy should be shared widely across Canada."
— Parent

After leaving France to discover the Canadian North, Amandine Falette quickly put her tireless energy to work for the Yellowknife community. Her innovative ideas, her commitment, her insatiable interest in early childhood, her leadership and her love of the outdoors make her an exceptional educator.

Philosophy of care

Amandine understands that an active child is a child who is more attentive and more open to learning. Physical activity in nature is the cornerstone of her work. She also favours a learning-through-practical problem-solving -style approach to develop the children's motor, intellectual, emotional and social skills.

Support of child development

  • Takes the children out on quasi-daily walks in the woods to give them a taste for physical activity, the outdoors and respect for nature, while teaching them about mutual support, patience and respect for others and promoting controlled risk-taking and self-confidence.
  • Develops age-appropriate themes based on the seasons or daily life, providing the children with interactive learning games related to each theme.
  • Shows initiative and creativity in organizing activities that affect many aspects of the children's lives: visiting farms, visiting sick children in the hospital, participating in cultural activities with Aboriginal Elders, etc.

Involvement with parents, families and the community

  • Includes parent-child activities in the program for the year, such as building bird feeders from recycled materials at home and then installing them in the woods near the daycare.
  • Got the parents and the community involved in collecting toys for children in the paediatric wing of the hospital in Yellowknife to teach young children about sharing.
  • Often uses parent volunteers to accompany her group on extracurricular activities so parents can feel committed and see their children interact within the group.
Transcription – Amandine Falette-Galiussi - 2019 Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Early Childhood Education

[Black screen fades up to medium shot of woman in interview setting against a white background. Music playing.]

"Have fun. Get messy. Get messy with the kids. Ride in the mud with the kids. Jump in the puddles with the children. Have fun with them."

[Fade to black and then up to white with close-up shot of woman, smiling, on the right side of the screen, with the following words appearing, line by line, on the left: Amandine Falette-Galiussi, La Garderie Plein Soleil, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Voice over for a few words.]

"Always guide the children. Always show them that ..."

[La photo se transforme en vidéo d'Amandine en situation d'entrevue.]

"…we are there for them, that they are not alone—that, whatever their life, easy or difficult, we are there for them and we will always be."

[Fade to black and then back to Amandine in the interview setting.]

"Go off the beaten track. Don't stay in the yard. Go beyond it to explore the forest and the environment. In Yellowknife, we are very lucky to have such a beautiful and natural environment."

[Fade to black and then back to Amandine in the interview setting.]

"Always have this passion, because working with children requires passion. It's like a lot of work. This job, we do it with love."

[Fade to black and then back to close-up of Amandine in the interview setting.]

"Just to see all the reference letters ..."

[Fade to black and then up to photos with voice over. Photos: Amandine with Paul Thompson, Associate Deputy Minister, Innovation, Science and Economic Development, having received her Prime Minister's Award pin; Amandine pointing to something in a picture on screen during her presentation to fellow recipients on best practices in her centre; Amandine and two other recipients looking at drawings on a large piece of paper during a best practices session; Amandine and two other recipients looking at a book; Amandine posing with the other recipients of the Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Early Childhood Education and a Mountie on Parliament Hill.]

"I was lucky to see all the letters of reference that the parents wrote. And it is the most beautiful recognition. Just to see all those beautiful words ... these things they thought about me that I did not know. It is a gift to me ... beautiful, beautiful."

[Fade to black and then back to Amandine in the interview setting.]

"I have always wanted to work with children. Always."

[Fade to black and then up to photos with voice over. Photos: A group of children in coats with backpacks and toques in a circle bending over as if they were all looking at something on the ground; children from behind, sitting in the snow, looking at a vast landscape; a child in a snowsuit moving between blocks of ice.]

"I think the child is 100% pure, 100% innocent. It's love in its pure state. And ... I think that's why I wanted to be an educator ..."

[Fade to black and then back to medium shot of Amandine in the interview setting.]

"…and grow with children. Because, even if you are an adult, you grow with children. Children teach you so much about yourself, even things you might not be aware of ..."

[Fade to black and then back to Amandine in the interview setting.]

"Continue the adventure. Keep jumping in the puddles, even when you're in school. Keep laughing. Continue to respect the forest. Keep being who you are."

[Fade to black, with the Government of Canada FIP and then the Canada Wordmark appearing in white.]

Get in touch!

Garderie Plein Soleil
48 Taylor Road
Yellowknife, NT X1A 3X2

867-873-9570
garderiepleinsoleil@gmail.com
Facebook: @Garderie Plein Soleil