Literacy
As educators interact with children, their oral language develops rapidly. Children listen and respond, with early vocalizations, developing these into complex conversations through opportunities to practice. Development of oral language is a key determinant of future literacy success and therefore our educators are trained to model language use, add new vocabulary, ask open-ended questions and provide language feedback during conversations to enhance language acquisition.
Regular daily interactions, including reading, storytelling and singing, promote enjoyment and love of language while also developing phonological awareness and concepts of print. As children engage with drawing, painting and mark-making they are developing their emergent writing skills and begin to recognize symbols convey meaning. Our literacy-rich environments include writing implements, books, signs, labels and posters for children to recognize print has differing purposes and to encourage children to both interpret and construct various forms of print.
Mathematic
Mathematics concepts are developed from birth as children are listening to the mathematical language in everyday interactions as well as using a range of resources and materials to explore numerical concepts. Informal units of measurement, volume and capacity, patterns, sequencing and counting are often explored through sand and water play, loose parts play and construction. Books, songs, games and conversations offer further opportunities for children to learn about a range of number concepts.
Our program also incorporates authentic activities such as cooking. While cooking, children count, measure and gain awareness of temperature, volume and capacity and fractions as they learn life skills and create a meal for all to enjoy.
The arts
Our arts experiences offer children an expressive and creative outlet to communicate their own ideas in an aesthetic and enjoyable manner. Visual arts, music, dance, drama and media arts allow children to learn about each art form, engage in creative processes and utilize them as a tool for inquiry. Visual art offers children opportunities to learn about artists in addition to providing a platform to develop their own skills and techniques in art-making through a range of mediums.
Music
From an early age, children are innately responsive to music, whether it be a soft lullaby to soothe or tapping and beating to create melodies. Music is experienced through a combination of both spontaneous and planned experiences, providing children with opportunities to have freedom when making and responding to music and musical concepts such as pitch, beat, dynamics, tone and tempo.
The joy of music is often expressed through dance and movement, with children using their bodies both creatively and actively. Our educators encourage children to explore elements of dance to enhance their movement potential and promote dance as a medium for expression and communication. Drama occurs through experiences where children role-play based on both real and fictional scenes, offering another channel for children to be imaginative and to make sense of their world.
Our experienced educators implement a high-quality early childhood education and care program to ensure all children feel a sense of belonging, enjoy being active in their own learning and become confident, creative and successful learners.