Many of our practices are taken from German early childhood curriculums but our work is mainly based on the early years learning framework for Australia (EYLF) “Belonging, Being & Becoming” which is part of the National Quality Framework (NQF).
We also use the NSW Curriculum Framework/Practice of Relationships as this document recognises the importance of the child as being protagonists and central to the development of the program. It also recognises the importance of relationships that children develop with each other, with staff and the importance of relationships between the centre and families.
References are also made to the educational project of Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy within this document, and as this project is a respected model of early childhood education throughout the world much of our work explores practices used there. These include documenting the children’s learning and using this documentation to drive and develop the program forward, recognising the contribution that the environment makes to children’s learning and the importance of the child both as an individual and group learner.
The daily program is relatively flexible and is shaped around a combination of opportunities to play freely, to participate in guided activities including small group activities, circle times, mealtimes and quiet times. The children’s ideas and needs take priority over planned programs and we consider their needs to be of primary importance in forming the day.
Questions and inquiries of the children are grasped and used as a means of developing projects (Inquiry based projects). The length and depth in which these projects are explored as well as the direction and shape that they take varies and is dependent upon the children’s interests and needs. Everyone working within the preschool setting makes contributions to the documentation of these projects and an important component of the documentation is then to consider which parts of various projects should be documented in children’s individual portfolios.
The sharing of ideas among the staff and time for reflection are important parts of our pedagogical work and occur on a daily basis through the exchange of dialogue as well as within team meetings. In these ways we can ensure that the program offered and the learning environment remains relevant to the needs of the children and also offers opportunities for changing the direction of a project back on course or for developing projects further.
Attendance
We recommend that children attend five days per week but it is also possible to enrol children for three days (Mondays to Wednesdays) or two days (Thursdays and Fridays) only.
Opening hours are from 8.30am to 3.30pm.