Our Lady Star of the Sea – Early Learning Centre, Terrigal
Our Lady Star of the Sea – Early Learning Centre, Terrigal
Early Learning What does it really mean?
I often wonder how parents and families feel when they begin their search for care and education for their young children. Recently it feels like education for 0 – 5 year olds has become a hotly contested marketplace with promises of free iPads, reading programs, fire pits, yoga rooms, bush kinder, take home meals, outings every day, language and music programs … and the list goes on and on.
I’ m not saying these don’ t have a place in early childhood education, we just need to be mindful that the focus remains on early learning and that one part of the program isn’ t highlighted at the deficit of others. As parents and educators, we should ask ourselves,“ What is it we value about early education’, and“ How do young children learn best?”
As the Co-ordinator of the Early Learning Centre at Our Lady Star of the Sea I am grateful to work with a team of educators who all share the same philosophy around education and early learning. We value a play based curriculum and have developed a strong program that focuses on the importance of play. This program draws on the National Early Years Learning Framework, contemporary theories and best practices to provide children with high quality care and education that exceeds the national standard.
Current research and theory tells us that children learn best through play and we strongly advocate for a child’ s right to play. Play provides opportunities for children to learn as they discover, create, improvise and imagine. It allows children to think critically, hypothesize, challenge theories, make mistakes and represent their ideas. At a time when it feels that expectations on children are greater than ever, we stand firm and defend a child’ s right to play. If you cannot play when you are 3, 4 and 5 years old, when do you get to?
Our program is carefully considered and embedded into daily practices and routines. The children are given opportunities to explore a variety of learning spaces, provocations and meaningful experiences. Our program promotes physical, cognitive and social skills as well as the creative arts. It provides children with numerous opportunities to engage with literacy, mathematics and science in a multitude of ways. We strive to include the voices the children, families and educators. These elements are not extras, these are the foundations of our curriculum.
We take great care and place importance in creating indoor and outdoor learning spaces that are engaging, inspiring and flexible. These spaces allow children to actively guide their own learning and make decisions. We see children as capable and competent and provide authentic, real materials such as hammers and
30 KIDZ ON THE COAST