Baulkham Hills Preschool Kindergarten’s indoor and outdoor learning environments are engaging, stimulating and responsive to children’s ideas, interests, strengths, culture and abilities. We connect with each child’s potential, creativity and uniqueness.
Highly qualified, skilled and experienced early childhood professionals provide a rich and dynamic learning program with a comprehensive and varied curriculum. Our program is based on the philosophy that play is one of the best contexts for learning. Through play, young children explore and learn to understand the world around them as they come to communicate, discover, imagine and create.
Play is one of the key foundations of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). This Framework’s vision is for all children to experience play-based learning that is engaging and builds success for life. Each child is assessed individually using the Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Standard, within the context of the physical and social environment. Evidence of learning goals are gathered by educators through observations as well as discussions with the child, families and community.
All children are seen as strong, capable and resilient; rich with wonder and knowledge, bringing with them deep curiosity and potential. Our flexible program supports each child to engage with and explore their uniqueness and diverse perspectives. Children possess agency and are provided with the ability to initiate and lead their own learning, viewed as active participants and decision makers in matters that affect them. There is a strong focus on social collaboration, working in groups, where each child is an equal participant, having their thoughts and questions valued. Children’s social, cultural, family and linguistic diversity is valued and supported through equitable access to resources and participation within the program.
The daily curriculum includes many experiences and opportunities throughout the preschool day. This includes play, group-times, conversations, interactions, mealtimes, relaxation, as well as transitions and other routine times. Children are intentionally and spontaneously provided with meaningful opportunities to learn, practice and develop their skills across the five main learning domains.
Positive behaviour management approaches support children to self regulate and develop relationships and skills, enabling self advocacy and a safe and secure environment to ‘be’. Effective approaches for building resilience are supported by active and positive partnerships with children, parents and community.
Our school readiness and transition programs are embedded into everyday practices.
The Early Years Learning Framework
The EYLF describes childhood as a time of Belonging, Being and Becoming. In summary this means:
Belonging
– is the basis for living a fulfilling life. Children feel they belong because of the relationships they have with their family, community, culture and place.
Being
– is about living here and now. Childhood is a special time in life and children need time to just “be” – time to play, try new things and have fun.
Becoming
– is about the learning and development that young children experience. Children start from an early age, which shapes the type of adult they will become.
Each child’s learning and development is assessed as part of an ongoing cycle of planning, documenting and evaluation.