Kids College Schoolies Vacation care, Before and After school care Programme of Learning
Kids College is particularly proud of our unique educational curriculum. With specialized age-appropriate educational opportunities specially developed for each age group to align with smooth seamless transition to school. Each child moves up an age group when they are ready for the next step.
This article discusses everything you need to know as your child begins our schoolies program.
We believe in preserving the magic and wonder of childhood spending our days filled with colour, fun, noise, mudpies and glitter.
It is our aim to send children off to big school ready for the next phase of their lives being confident learners in their adventures.
Support for not just your child, but for you as a family. It is such a privilege to be part of families lives for so long and during such precious time, we really do feel part of the ‘village it takes to raise a child’ as we all grow up together. As always, thank you for welcoming us into your lives.
Kids College Early Childhood Education
Quality Early Childhood Education with a team of highly skilled and qualified Early Childhood Education professionals in an established exceeding rated service.
At Kids College our educational program is embedded into our play-based learning ensuring each child has experienced love, laughter and learning every day.
We teach through the Early Years Learning Framework and our unique Kids College curriculum of early learning.
With our long-term relationships, we know each child for the unique person they are, and we are able to tailor each child’s learning specifically to them.
We collate an individual portfolio for each child twice a year celebrating their own learning journey as they grow up with us and collect these mementos over the years tracking your child’s development.
We create Individual Statements of Achievements reports to highlight and celebrate your child’s strengths, interests and achievements during their time with us.
We focus on all the important areas of early childhood education and care and we specialise in social emotional development in early childhood.
Follow our Kids College Childcare facebook page and check out our website www.kidscollege.com.au Our facebook community is open to everyone so please feel free to look us up and share ideas. On our page you will find information from a trusted source, a sense of fun and laughter that you need with children and some good old-fashioned love and support for everyone in our Kids College family.
What does your child’s day look like at Kids College Childcare?
Please see our programmes displayed for more info on what we have enjoyed together.
7:15 am We all arrive excited to start our day. It is heart-warming to see our children so excited to see us and we come in excited about all the wonderful opportunities we are planning for the day. Nappy change and toileting time
8:30am Time for school drop off.
9am Our chef brings us some yummy morning tea to fuel us for a big day ahead.
9:30am We then get into the amazing activities that children love and learn from. Our days revolve around play-based learning that is child led. That simply means we ensure they take enjoyment and learn from each part of their day. Nappy change and toileting time.
In lovely weather we enjoy outside time in our amazing playground running around, playing games, making mud pies, pretending in cubby houses, dashing around on trikes, even enjoying art in our art atelier.
10:45am When our little people start getting tired, we enjoy a calming mat session of stories, songs, yoga, sign language, puppet shows, rhymes.
11:00am Our chefs provide a wholesome and delicious freshly cooked lunch.
11:30am Then we go into peaceful mode settling our little ones to sleep or helping them, just rest and take a moment of quiet. Nappy change and toileting time.
1:30pm We enjoy a mat session full of fun, games, puppet shows, rhymes, songs and dance.
2pm Then it’s back into activities times as they surface from their rest ready for more in our action-packed day either inside or outside. Enjoying playdough, art, craft, games, obstacle courses, goop, cutting, gluing, pretty much anything you can think of. Nappy change and toileting time.
3pm Before long it is time for a quick afternoon tea top up to revive us for the afternoon of even more amazing activities. Nappy change and toileting time.Time for school pick up
5pm It is superb watching them in the afternoons playing with such energy, enjoying magical worlds of their imaginations. A lively shared story time brings our day to an end at 6pm. we all head home having had a fun filled and busy day looking forward to tomorrow’s adventures.
Welcome to the Schoolies Vacation care, Before and After school care
Congratulations on being part of the very best early childhood education centre. We are honoured to be welcomed into your family and join you in the village it takes to raise a child.
All your questions answered
What to bring every day
LABELLED in your child’s bag each day please have:
- Drink bottle containing water only
- Spare clothing (sunsafe please) at least two full sets, don’t forget underwear and socks
- extra underwear if they are toilet training
- Comfort item (teddy), dummy, blanket, if needed
- Sun safe hat, broad brimmed or legionnaire style please
- Jumpers in colder weather
- Any medications your child needs, please hand directly to a staff member and fill out the necessary medication administration form,
Parking
Please avoid parking on the verge outside as per council rules and this also ensures our children are kept safe as line of vision is kept clear down the road.
Top Tip: Parking for longer vehicles or cars with trailers is at the parallel park bays at Springfield school.
Entrance foyer
You will need your blue fob to exit/enter, just swipe it over red light and it will turn green and unlock. Please close door gently behind you.
Ring the outside bell if you need us. Please use the hand sanitiser provided.
Please sign your children in at the iPad in the entrance foyer. You will only need your phone number and to remember your chosen four-digit pin code. Click on sign in and save button on right of screen. If you have forgotten to sign in/out on a previous day, the screen will prompt you to authorise what we have signed in for you.
Please look in the entrance foyer for our menu for the day – Morning Tea at 9am, Lunch at 11am & Afternoon Tea at 3pm.
Top tip. Your child may only need a light dinner at night, as they get such good food during the day. It is ok to do a simple meal for dinner.
Please look in the entrance foyer for what staffing team is in your room. We have people on permanent days and a large job share team who fulfill our relief needs, so you will know everyone here every day.
Top tip. Check our website for articles and a full introduction of our staffing team.
Go straight through to the 3 year Kindy room
Top Tip: If you have a baby in arms or in carry cot, Cathy and Jen in the office are happy to babysit them to free you up to greet/drop off your older child and make a fuss of them. We love the cuddles and when little siblings start care when they are old enough, they know us already.
Cubby set up
Set up for the day of your child’s belongings, ensures both your child and us can find what we need.
Set up for day of your child’s belongings, ensures both your child and us can find what we need. Everything goes into the 3-year Kindy classroom. Your child will take what they need at 9:30 into the 4 year room and bring it back once they are finished with it at 3pm.
Each child has a designated cubby for the day, cubby may change every now and again. They have a name tag with a photo in their cubby. If you can’t find it, please take an open cubby and let us know where their things are.
Pop bag to rear of cubby. Take out of their bag the water bottle, comfort items and sleep items and put loose at the front of your child’s cubby as well as any LABELLED nappies/sleep nappies, creams and wipes.
Top tip If you child has a comfort item, go get another few. Then cycle through using them with your child. This wears them more evenly and all of them feel and smell the same. It also gives you a chance to wash it and the safety net of having another if the original item gets lost.
We use water bottles during mealtimes. While we are playing outside, we help children use the water fountains, which are much more fun and are a source of endless cool water in a hygienic manner.
We do at least 4/5 scheduled toileting stops to ensure no child goes without a reminder for any portion of the day. We also, of course, keep an ear and nose out for any toileting situations throughout the entire day.
Top tip. If you child wants to bring in toys let them come and show their teacher and then you take it home with you safe and sound. Or you can always take a photo of what they want to show us. This avoids distress if their toys and taken and played with, keeps them safe and sound at home.
Classrooms and playground drop off
Every grouping starts in big Kindy room or outside together
In the morning, please say “Hi!” and let us know any messages. There will always be a Kindy staff member in the building.
Top tip. For an easy happy transition in morning, say a decisive goodbye and let us ease your child into the day with some snuggles. Once you have gone, they easily settle and get distracted into the fun of the day. We will call you if we need you. Keeping the routine of drop off is important to your child and helps them feel safe and loved with us.
You don’t need to wrestle with any communication apps, just come chat with us – this personal touch is important to us.
If you child needs medicine, please let staff know, hand medicine to staff member and fill in the medication authorisation form. We need the medicine in its original packaging and labelled with child’s name and dosage.
Top tip. Decant your medicine at home into another container, and label it yourself. When you come to childcare we need the original packaging but if it gets forgotten at childcare you will have the backup decanted medicine at home so your child’s doesn’t miss a dose.
Please ensure your child has sunscreen on in the morning and has their hat on if we are playing outside. We reapply sunscreen as needed during days. We use cancer council approved sunscreen which we provide.
If you need to reach us during the day, please call on 08 9401 0100 and we can answer your questions and let you know how your child’s day is going.
If someone is fetching your child who is on the emergency list, please let us know via phone call or email.
End of Day
You will need your blue fob to exit/enter, just swipe it over red light and it will turn green and unlock. Please close door gently behind you.
Top Tip: If you have a baby in arms or in carry cot, Cathy and Jen in the office are happy to babysit them to free you up to greet/drop off your older child and make a fuss of them. We love the cuddles and when little siblings start care when they are old enough, they know us already.
Top Tip: Sign your child out, take belongings to your car first and then have a look at the info regarding your child and then come get your child and chat with their teacher. This just makes the juggle a bit easier for you!
Please sign out your children out at the iPad in the entrance foyer. You will only need your phone number and to remember your chosen four-digit pin code. Click on sign out and save button on right of screen. If you have forgotten to sign in/out on a previous day, the screen will prompt you to authorise what we have signed in for you.
Please take all your child’s belongings home each night please. Your child’s belongings will be in their cubby or on them themselves. If we take off shoes/jumpers they will be in the buckets. This gives us easy access to them as we need them and makes it easy for all of us to find them at the end of the day.
If your child is a learner potty trainer and has an accident, we will help them out and tie a bag with their soiled clothes on the outside of their bags, so it is easy for you to find and keeps everything in bags nice and clean.
Top Tip – Take a quick photo of day summary sheets so you can use these as prompts to chat with your child about the fun they had that day.
The 4 Year Kindy Imagineers room where they spent part of their day is cleaned and closed by 3:45pm but you are more than welcome to stick your head in to see what we have been up to.
In the afternoon when you pick up, we will let you know how your child’s day has been. We have a day sheet displayed on the front door of the room detailing our activities for the day. We also have a day summary on display on top of the Kindy lockers which gives you the logistics of the day such as toileting, eating, sunscreen and messages. You can also see our program of activities in the rooms. And, you will have a day sheet emailed to you for each session.
If your child has had a bump or scrape you will be notified and as ask you to sign the incident report.
Remember to take home any medicine they have needed that day.
If your child needed to borrow a hat or water bottle from us please hand it to a member of staff so we can clean it and pop it back in the borrowing box.
Every grouping ends the day together in the big kindy room or the playground. Whether we are indoors or outdoors is weather dependant and we love to have picnics so if we are not in the room, check our outside playground.
Blue fob keys are programmed for each person. Should you lose your fob please let the office know.
Check our website and our Kids College Childcare Facebook page for more info or come chat with Cathy and Jen in the office.
With love, laughter and learning from your friends in the ‘village it takes to raise a child’ Teacher Jen, Jade in the 4 year Kindy , Vera in 3 Kindy and Zali in 3 Kindy and the Kids College Childcare family
Jade is full time room head teacher in 4 Kindy Imagineers
Vera is full time room head in 3 Kindy Adventurers
Zali is full time room head in 3 Kindy Adventurers
What are the Schoolies learning and enjoying
(Children will have turned at least 4 by the 30 June 2023)
At Kids College we value our older children who join us in morning and afternoon for some fun. We do realise they have a long day of school ahead, or behind them, so our focus remains on having some relaxed fun. In our afternoon sessions we have some time for afternoon tea, a run around with some friends and they are encouraged to complete some homework should they choose to.
We plan an educational curriculum around all our children and the activities our schoolies are involved in have a strong base in education and fun. The activities and programme are chosen through intentional teaching goals to complement children’s educational outcomes and goals.
We also value the children’s input and take our activity ideas directly from the topics that interest our children. Each child‘s learning journey is valued and we ask them what they want to explore during their time with us. It is well known that children learn best when that learning is embedded into ideas that interest them.
We have had some fabulous ideas, Wacky animals (which allowed us to focus on the unique aspects and crazy tendencies of creatures) Ocean life (focussing on the unusual characteristics of life under the sea) Science Experimentation (with great opportunities to experiment and explore some zany science ideas) to name but a few.
Our term cycle of learning is complemented by our school holiday programme. During each school holiday we build a curriculum of educational yet fun ideas and activities that complement their learning.
For instance, if we were exploring ocean life and creatures we may take a trip to Aqua to experience all the sights and sounds of the ocean first hand. We have had many fun days inside the centre exploring box construction, texture painting, bouncy castles, grass heads, treasure hunts, movie and popcorn days, paint your own t-shirt and lots more crazy fun ideas.
We like children to have time to relax at the centre and spend some time with their siblings. It is school holidays so the emphasis must fall on relaxing and having fun. Another really big bonus on incursions in the holidays is that we try to include the whole centre and not just the schoolies. Some of the most fun days we have had involve the younger children enjoying the activity with us.
The children always love our time together and with their friends. They do enjoy their outings but they all especially love their journey in the Kids College school bus fully fitted out with child safety seats. Sometimes the bus ride is almost as much fun as the outing! We have visited Sci-Tech, Aqua, Chipmunks play centre, Whitfords Movies, Museum, the Beach House playcentre and many more great places.
Our educational curriculum of learning is underpinned by the Government’s My Time Our Place Framework for School Aged Care. It acknowledges children engage in a range of play and leisure experiences that allow them to feel happy, safe and relaxed; interact with friends and practice social skill; solve problems; try new activities and learn life skills.
We value our place in your child’s life. We aim to provide a fun yet educational place for them to enjoy their time and expand their learning journey.
Kids College Philosophy
“Our unique Kids College curriculum and the Early Years Learning Framework builds on each child’s current knowledge, strengths, ideas, culture, abilities and interests to ensure all aspects of our program maximize learning opportunities for each child.”
“We celebrate not just the end goals to learning but we celebrate the enjoyment and ‘distance’ travelled in getting there, making the most of those precious teachable moments.”
“We enjoy moments together, making memories and setting down the groundwork for a lifelong love and passion for learning.”
National Quality Standard
1.1.1 Approved learning framework Curriculum decision making contributes to each child’s learning and development outcomes in relation to their identity, connection with community, wellbeing, confidence as learners and effectiveness as communicators.
1.3.1 Assessment and planning cycle. Each child’s learning and development is assessed or evaluated as part of an ongoing cycle of observation, analysing learning, documentation, planning, implementation and reflection.
6.1.1 Engagement with the service. Families are supported from enrolment to be involved in the service and contribute to service decisions.
6.1.3 Families are supported. Current information is available to families about the service and relevant community services and resources to support parenting and family wellbeing.
6.2.1 Transitions. Continuity of learning and transitions for each child are supported by sharing information and clarifying responsibilities.
6.2.2 Access and participation. Effective partnerships support children’s access, inclusion and participation in the program
Kids College family
At Kids College we work each day embedding our values and philosophy into each facet of what we do. We continually improve our practices by critically reflecting and engaging in meaningful relationships with our community and for this we need your support and input. Make sure to follow Kids College Childcare on facebook, watch for our regular emails and keep an eye on our Kids College website. Share in our vision of creating the very best childcare where children experience love, laughter and learning every day.
written by Jenifer Scafidas
With love, laughter and learning from your friends in the
‘village it takes to raise a child’
the Kids College Childcare family
