Resources and equipment are at children’s level where they can choose to work independently to gain self-help and self care skills. The programme allows opportunities for children to work in groups or independently to develop confidence, self-esteem, perseverance and imagination.
Walks around The Botanic Gardens, Nathan Homestead and Totara Park are a unique feature of our Hill Road and Charles Prevost centres. These wonderful destinations are within minutes from us. They are so rich in opportunities for learning that we take full advantage of visiting them often! Doing this is not only something our children LOVE! but it also ensures our children have opportunities to explore and extend their knowledge of the natural environment around them. It is a great for the children to have the opportunity to get out and about in the community and to keep active and moving.
Personal profiles /portfolios are a valued tool within our programme for both parents and children. They are used to display learning outcomes in each curriculum area, explaining how children extend their skills through interest. They are used for collecting samples of work, photographs and observations, learning stories and to show a continuation of development over time. Portfolios are used to assess and plan for the development of each child and are always available for parents to discuss and view with their child and staff.
Introduction to school is an integral part of our program for our older four year old children. We have the priveledge of being in association with our local primary schools and have developed a 'transition to school' program for each of our centres. During this time, our children have the opportunity to visit the local primary school, meet children already attending, and spend some time in the new entrant class where they get a glimpse of what they might expect when they too go to primary school. Please talk to us in more depth about our transition to school program as it varies slightly for each centre. We see this program as a wonderful opportunity, and a chance for our children to gain valueable tools and knowledge for their big move to primary school!