Kids College celebrating each developmental stage

by | Jan 13, 2022 | QA 1 Educational Program and practice | 0 comments

Kids College celebrating each developmental stage

Every parent wants the very best for their child and early childhood education provides the base from which all future learning is built upon. Every child grows and develops differently, doing things at their own pace and it is important to celebrate these stages and ensure your child gets the full benefit of those experiences. There are developmental stages that show what children are generally doing at each age. Understanding these stages gives us the chance to enhance these learning opportunities, assisting them to develop new skills and helps children to reach their full potential. Each of our programmes are specifically designed to get the best out of our learning opportunities that are specially designed for the stages unique to each age group. There are lots of ways we can all enjoy this learning journey our children go through.

This article includes:-

Early Childhood development in each age group

Kids College educational programs for each age group

Early Childhood education begins from the minute your child is born

In fact, they learn more during their first five years than at any other time in life.

That’s why it’s important your child has opportunities to learn and develop every day. Having a stimulating environment, plus good nutrition and health, will help the brain develop and positively influence your child’s physical, social, emotional, cognitive and language skills.

Remember, all children develop at different rates, each stage is unique to them and is celebrated as we watch them grow and develop over the years.

At Kids College Childcare we have specialized age appropriate educational opportunities developed for each age group.

(0 – 2 year olds) Babies room Discoverers Programme

(2 – 3 year olds) Toddlers room Explorers Programme

(3 – 4 year olds) 3 Year Kindy room Adventurers Programme.

(4 – 5year olds) 4 Year Kindy room Imagineers Programme

Kids College Club for school age children before and after school care and a fun filled school holidays programme

 Jean Piaget views on intellectual development

Jean Piaget was a Swiss psychologist known for his work on child development. Piaget placed great importance on the education of children.

Piaget argued that intelligence develops in a series of stages that are related to age and are progressive because one stage must be accomplished before the next can occur. For each stage of development the child forms a view of reality for that age period. At the next stage, the child must keep up with earlier level of mental abilities to reconstruct concepts. Piaget conceived intellectual development as an upward expanding spiral in which children must constantly reconstruct the ideas formed at earlier levels with new, higher order concepts acquired at the next level.

Because Piaget’s theory is based upon biological maturation and stages, the notion of readiness is important. Readiness concerns when certain information or concepts should be taught

We have tapped into Piaget’s notion that children learn in different ways at different stages of their lives and this helps us to design and assess learning in a meaningful way celebrating each stage of learning.

Our curriculum is developed from the Early Years Learning Framework and is underpinned by our own unique Kids College program of learning. Children learn in patterns and are considered little researchers who learn by exploration.

Kids College Babies room Discoverers Programme (0 – 2 year olds)

The Babies (0-2 year olds) is a very special room. We have the great privilege in being trusted with a very special time in the children’s development. The first 6 years of a child’s life are known as the most important time for optimal learning and setting up attitudes and aptitudes for future learning. Even within this, below the age of two is when children experience the optimal brain development and rapidity of learning.

We value the importance of, bonding and attachment and our role in creating trusting relationships with our children, allowing them to feel secure to move forward with confidence and experience the freedom to explore. A good bond and attachment between carer and child fires the neurons in the child’s brain to develop synapses and physically enhances the children ‘s brain growth. We are quite literally building children’s brains. In especially this room, we are focusing on creating an environment of trust and value our growing relationships with the children.

We include our babies in our art and craft programme to bring our learning to life. We believe in the importance of allowing our babies the freedom and experience of textures and creativity of learning through art. Our creative arts include the very important and very messy sensory play components.

Gross motor development is of particular importance and relevance to Babies age group. Anyone who has watched a child learning to crawl or walk knows the particular dedication it takes for a child to finally achieve these monumental feats. We provide opportunity and experiences designed to enhance children’s ability’s and strengthen their muscles.

At this age communication skills are developing at a rapid rate and we aim to focus on enhancing our children’s verbal and nonverbal communication skills. The particular art of understanding a young child, is in the ability to know the child well, constant observation and not to mention a healthy dose of good luck. We all know children understand more (receptive language) and we enhance their listening skills whilst improving and empowering children to communicate (expressive language).

One of our favourite tools is Sign Language. It is a recognised official language that was developed with AUSLAN to enhance communication skills in young children. It is a powerful tool that teaches children to develop on natural gestures and known song gestures to empower the children to actually tell us what they wish to say. We are also aiming to setting the foundations for a future avid reader with the wonderful learning opportunities that include the special magic and whimsy of learning nursery rhymes.

What does your baby learn at Kids College from birth to 4 months old?

From the day your baby is born their brain is growing and developing. They learn by connecting with people so it’s important for parents and carers to provide them with as many learning opportunities as possible to encourage their development.

How can you encourage your baby’s learning?

  • Display delight, encouragement and enthusiasm for their achievements
  • Make and play with sounds together
  • Get into a routine – eat, sleep, play, repeat
  • Make positive eye contact as often as possible
  • Talk and sing to them
  • Play simple games e.g. peek-a-boo
  • Smile back when he or she smiles at you

What are some of the different developmental milestones you can observe?

Physical

  • moves whole body
  • squirms, waves arms, moves legs up and down
  • the emergence of eating and sleeping patterns
  • responds to being placed on a flat surface
  • reacts to sudden loud noises
  • head turns to side when cheek touched
  • sucking motions with mouth (seeking nipple)
  • responds to gentle touching, cuddling, rocking
  • shuts eyes tight in bright sunlight
  • able to lift head and chest when laying on stomach
  • begins to roll from side to side
  • starts reaching to swipe at dangling objects
  • able to grasp object that is put into hands

Social

  • smiles and laughs
  • makes eye contact when held about 20cm from face of adult looking at them
  • may sleep most of the time
  • alert and preoccupied with faces
  • moves head to sound of voices

Emotional

  • bonding
  • cries (peaks at about six to eight weeks and levels off at about 12-14 weeks)
  • cries when hungry or uncomfortable and usually stops when held
  • shows excitement as parent prepares for feeding

Cognitive

  • smiles and laughs
  • looks toward direction of sound
  • eyes track slow moving targets for brief periods e.g. follows your finger
  • looks at edges, patterns with light/dark contrast and faces
  • mimics adult tongue movements when being held and talked to
  • learns through sensory experiences
  • repeats actions but unaware of ability to cause actions

Language

  • cries
  • when content makes small throaty noises e.g. coos and gurgles (makes ‘goo’ and ‘gah’ sounds)
  • soothed by sound of voice or by low rhythmic sounds
  • mimics adult tongue movements when being held and talked to
  • may start to copy sounds
  • expresses needs i.e. by making sounds or actions

What does your baby learn at Kids College from 4 months to 6 months old?

By the time your baby is four months old he or she has already developed their own personality. They know when you call their name and can be soothed by the sound of your voice. Over the next few months you’ll see your baby becoming more curious of their surroundings and starting to play and communicate with other babies and toddlers.

How can you encourage your baby’s learning?

  • Mimic their sounds and actions e.g. clapping, waving
  • Encourage their motor skills e.g. place a toy out of reach and urge them to crawl towards it
  • Play games e.g. peek-a-boo, splash time in the bath, go to the mirror and show their reflection
  • Play together on the floor to encourage your baby to stretch, wriggle and roll
  • Tickle and laugh with your baby
  • Read them books with simple, bright pictures

What are some of the different developmental milestones you can observe

Physical

  • plays with feet and toes
  • makes an effort to sit alone, but needs hand support
  • raises head and chest when lying on stomach
  • tries to crawl when lying on stomach
  • rolls from back to stomach
  • reaches for and grasp objects, using one hand to grasp
  • crawls using both hands and feet
  • eyes smoothly follow an object or person
  • able to take weight on feet when standing
  • watches activities across room and eyes move in unison
  • turns head to sound of voices

Social

  • reacts when approaching or around another baby or toddler
  • responds to own name
  • smiles often and shows excitement when seeing food being made or at bath time
  • recognises familiar people and stretches arms to be picked up

Emotional

  • is becoming more settled in eating and sleeping patterns
  • laughs, especially in social interactions
  • may soothe self when tired or upset by sucking thumb or dummy
  • begins to show wariness of strangers
  • may fret when parent leaves the room
  • happy to see faces they know

Cognitive

  • swipes at dangling objects
  • shakes and stares at toy placed in hand
  • becomes bored if left alone for long periods of time
  • repeats accidentally caused actions that are interesting
  • enjoys games such as peek-a-boo or pat-a-cake
  • will search for partly hidden objects
  • enjoys toys, banging objects, scrunching paper
  • explores objects by looking at and mouthing them
  • develops preferences for foods

Language

  • enjoys games such as peek-a-boo or pat-a-cake
  • babbles and repeat sounds
  • makes talking sounds in response to others talking
  • copies sounds
  • smiles and babbles at own image in mirror
  • responds to own name

What does your baby learn at Kids College from 8 months to a year old?

At 8 – 12 months your baby is on the move and getting into everything, developing skills like problem solving, investigating and experimenting. He or she is becoming more excited and curious about the world. They’re learning how to point and make sounds at the things they want and are beginning to understand how they affect the people around them

How can you encourage your baby’s learning?

  • Provide opportunities that challenge, intrigue and surprise them
  • Encourage them when they try to explore e.g. try to crawl to get something
  • Share their achievements with family and people around them
  • Look at books together, naming and pointing to the pictures
  • Talk to your baby in simple language
  • Take turns in playing simple games e.g. clapping, blowing bubbles or finger and toe songs and games
  • Sing nursery rhymes with actions e.g. round and round the garden
  • Place a toy out of reach and encourage them to crawl or walk to it
  • Give them finger foods, using different tastes and textures
  • Give them space to crawl and pull themselves up on furniture
  • Encourage them to mimic you using simple sounds and words
  • Always let them know you or another family member is there with them

What are some of the different developmental milestones you can observe?

Physical

  • pulls self to standing position when hands held
  • raises self to sitting position
  • sits without support
  • stands by pulling themselves up using furniture
  • steps around furniture
  • successfully reaches out and grasps toy
  • transfers objects from hand to hand
  • picks up and pokes small objects with thumb and finger
  • picks up and throws small objects
  • holds simple, familiar objects, such as biscuit or bottle
  • crawls quickly and fluently
  • may stand alone momentarily
  • may attempt to crawl up stairs
  • grasps spoon in palm, but poor aim of food to mouth
  • uses hands to feed self
  • has alert peripheral vision
  • rolls ball and crawls to retrieve it

Social

  • shows definite anxiety or wariness at appearance of strangers

Emotional

  • actively seeks to be near parent or primary caregiver
  • shows signs of anxiety or stress if parent goes away
  • offers toy to adult but does not release it
  • shows signs of empathy to distress of others (but often soothes self)
  • actively explores and plays when parent present, returning now and then for assurance and interaction

Cognitive

  • moves obstacle to get at desired toy
  • bangs two objects held in hands together
  • responds to own name
  • makes gestures to communicate and to symbolize objects, e.g. points to something they want
  • seems to understand some things parent or familiar adults say to them
  • drops toys to be retrieved; when handed back, drops again and looks in direction of dropped toy
  • smiles at image in mirror
  • likes playing with water
  • shows an interest in picture books
  • understands gestures/responds to ‘bye, bye’
  • listens with pleasure to sound-making toys and music
  • notices differences and shows surprise

Language

  • responds to own name being called
  • responds to family names and familiar objects
  • babbles tunefully
  • says words like ‘dada’ or ‘mama’
  • waves goodbye
  • imitates hand clapping
  • imitates actions and sounds
  • enjoys finger-rhymes
  • shouts to attract attention
  • vocalises loudly using most vowels and consonants – beginning to sound like conversation

What does your baby learn at Kids College from 1 -2 years old?

Your child is now a toddler, they like to do things in their own way, in their own time so it’s important they have a safe environment to learn, play and explore in. Their concentration is better so they are better listeners and will happily play for longer. Day by day they’re open to new challenges and can seem more independent, but don’t be fooled – you can’t take your eyes off them for a second!

How can you encourage your toddler’s learning?

  • Encourage your toddler to ask questions and face new challenges e.g. what’s the right way to go down the stairs – walk through each problem with them
  • Help your toddler to experiment with everyday things e.g. show and explain why some things float in the bath and others sink
  • Do simple experiments together like making play dough, blowing bubbles and looking at insects
  • Talk with them about the technology and objects we use each day and how it helps us to live e.g. cups, pencils, TVs and computers
  • Explore the outdoors together and talk about how things change during the day or over the year e.g. the weather or the seasons
  • Pull things apart and put them back together again (e.g. a toy) and discuss what each part does

What are some of the different developmental milestones you can observe?

Physical

  • walks, climbs and runs
  • takes two to three steps without support, legs wide and hands up for balance
  • crawls up steps
  • dances in place to music
  • climbs on to a chair
  • kicks and throws a ball
  • feeds themselves
  • begins to run (hurried walk)
  • scribbles with pencil or crayon held in fist
  • turns pages of book, two or three pages at a time
  • rolls large ball, using both hands and arms
  • finger feeds efficiently
  • begins to walk alone in a ‘tottering way’, with frequent falls
  • squats to pick up an object
  • reverts to crawling if in a hurry
  • can drink from a cup
  • tries to use spoon/fork

Social

  • begins to cooperate with others when playing
  • may play alongside other toddlers, doing what they do but without seeming to interact (parallel play)
  • curious and energetic, but depends on adult presence for reassurance

Emotional

  • may show anxiety when separated from significant people in their lives
  • seeks comfort when upset or afraid
  • takes cue from parent or primary carer regarding attitude to strangers
  • may become upset easily if tired or frustrated
  • assists others in distress by patting, making sympathetic noises or offering material objects

Cognitive

  • repeats actions that lead to interesting/ predictable results, e.g. bangs spoon on saucepan
  • points to objects when named
  • knows some body parts and points to body parts in a game
  • recognises self in photo or mirror
  • mimics household activities, e.g. bathing baby, sweeping floor
  • may signal when she/he has finished using the toilet
  • spends a lot of time exploring and manipulating objects, putting them in mouth, shaking and banging them
  • stacks and knocks over items
  • selects games and puts them away
  • calls self by name, uses ‘I’, ‘mine’, ‘I do it myself’
  • will search for hidden toys

Language

  • comprehends and follows simple questions/commands
  • says first name
  • says many words (mostly naming objects)
  • begins to use one to two word sentences e.g. ”want milk”
  • reciprocal imitation of another toddler: will imitate each other’s actions
  • enjoys rhymes and songs

Kids College Toddlers room Explorers Programme (2 – 3 year olds)

In our Toddlers (2-3 year olds) Explorers room we are privileged to be the link between them growing out of the baby phase and entering the exciting time of being a big Kindy kid. Our children are in a wonderful stage. We are helping them literally find their feet and learn how to be themselves.

We introduce a rhythm to the day with different activities within the development areas during activity times and run mat sessions incorporating the learning goals and objectives for our room. The use of our visual timetable and the mat session guidelines provide a base from which the children are able to explore throughout the day. The introduction of concept work is an important addition to their progress. We explore the world of introductory scientific concepts, such as sink and float, Mathematical thinking such as counting and number recognition, Literacy and Phonemic awareness such as distinguishing sounds and incidental symbol recognition (the joy of children who recognise the Mac Donald’s symbol).

We are focusing on self-help skills and independence skills such as, packing away, looking after our belongings and, of course, toilet training. All these kinds of things really help at home. Our Healthy living component is designed not only to teach children about the different aspects of healthy living, but to empower them to make good choices for themselves.

A big focus with our toddlers is our social emotional program. This involves the intricate skills of taking turns, sharing, playing together, managing frustration and even saying hello. It is especially important for our toddlers to practice their skills with making friends and even learning how to say hello, enter and leave a game and how to share need constant refining.

One of our favourite tools is sign language. This is a recognised official language that was developed to enhance communication skills in young children. It is a powerful tool that teaches children to develop on natural gestures and known song gestures to empower the children to actually tell us what they wish to say. The sign language programme is so powerful we use it throughout the centre in each age group.

We value and enjoy our time together with our little toddlers and we are enjoying their journey in getting ready to enter the world as a big Kindy kid with all the skills and enthusiasm they need to create successful happy learners.

What does your child learn at Kids College from 2-3 years old?

Your child is now starting to test boundaries and can throw temper tantrums so it’s important you find ways for them to have a break to recharge their batteries. Their memory is developing fast and they can now talk about people who are not with them at the time. This is a time where your child’s imagination is soaring. They enjoy doing things outside the home, so it’s a great time to visit parks and playgrounds. Play time becomes a game of make-believe, where they practice skills and mimic situations they see around them. Use this time to talk to your child about respecting others so they learn how to play fair.

How can you encourage your child’s learning?

  • Give them more experiences by going to different places e.g. park, beach, public swimming pool, shops
  • Sing songs, listen to music and dance together
  • Describe things they can see and hear in their environment e.g. hot, cold, big, loud, green
  • Ask them to solve everyday problems e.g. It’s raining, what do we need to take when we go outside?
  • Try to start toilet training. Start with ‘wees’ first
  • Give them boxes and blocks for building things e.g. pretend houses and bridges
  • Help them develop their motor skills and understand concepts such as ‘under’ and ‘over’ by creating obstacle courses in the home e.g. going ‘over’ pillows, ‘through’ the tunnel, ‘under’ the chair
  • Encourage your child to use their imagination and develop the muscles in their hands by using crayons, paints or chalk

What are some of the different developmental milestones you can observe?

Physical

  • walks, runs, climbs, kicks and jumps easily
  • uses steps one at a time
  • squats to play and rises without using hands for support
  • catches ball rolled to him/her
  • walks towards a ball to kick it
  • jumps from a low step or over low objects
  • attempts to balance on one foot
  • avoids obstacles
  • able to open doors
  • stops readily
  • moves to music
  • turns pages one at a time
  • holds crayon with fingers
  • uses a pencil to draw or scribble in circles and lines; may still be held in fist
  • gets dressed with help
  • self-feeds using utensils and a cup

Social

  • plays with other children
  • takes part in simple make-believe play
  • may prefer same sex playmates and toys
  • unlikely to share toys without protest

Emotional

  • shows strong attachment to a parent (or main family carer)
  • shows distress and protest when a parent or other caregiver leaves and wants that person to do things for them
  • begins to show guilt or remorse for misdeeds
  • may be less likely to willingly share toys with peers
  • may demand adult attention

Cognitive

  • builds a tower of five to seven objects
  • lines up objects in ‘train’ fashion
  • recognises and identifies common objects and pictures by pointing
  • enjoys playing with sand, water, dough; explores what these materials feel like, rather than making things with them
  • uses symbolic play, e.g. uses a block as a car
  • shows knowledge of gender-role stereotypes
  • identifies a child in a picture as a boy or girl
  • engages in make-believe and pretend play
  • begins to count with numbers
  • recognises similarities and differences
  • imitates rhythms and animal movements
  • is becoming aware of space through physical activity
  • can follow two or more directions

Language

  • uses two or three words together, e.g. “go potty now”
  • ‘explosion’ of vocabulary and use of some correct grammatical forms of language
  • refers to self by name and often says ‘mine’
  • asks lots of questions
  • uses pronouns and prepositions, simple sentences and phrases
  • labels own gender
  • copies words and actions
  • makes music, sings and dances
  • likes listening to stories and books

Kids College 3 Year Kindy room Adventurers Programme (3 – 4 year olds)

Our focus for our 3 year Kindy kids is to foster their school readiness journey and send them into full time school ready and eager for their learning. The basis of a great educational journey begins with a solid base. Children will only really learn if they feel safe and are inspired to take the journey. We run an early education program that promotes discovery and curiosity. In short we are trying to teach children that school is fun!

We build on the structure of their day, with different activities within the development areas during activity times and run mat sessions incorporating the learning goals and objectives for Kindy room. The use of our visual timetable and the mat session guidelines provide a base from which the children are able to explore throughout the day.

We provide an early Literacy programme with the early introduction to the sounds and the names of letters. We programme opportunities to enhance children’s listening skills and enable them to identify the different sounds accurately. This is the base from which we introduce the idea of word formation and reading.

Our STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) is based in experimentation and learning through discovery. The important concepts of science are best learnt by play-based learning, with the freedom to sift sand, spill water and squash goop comes the intricate learning that is needed to form scientific thinking with cognitive thinking patterns particular for problem solving.

The refinement of auditory skills through music precedes reading and writing activities. This journey through the fun of music is actually preparing our children to read and write!

Our Healthy living component is designed not only to teach children about the different aspects of healthy living but to empower them to make good choices for themselves. We are encouraging independence skills and self-help skills.

What does your child learn at Kids College from 3 to 5 years old?

Your child is now a preschooler, who is fascinated by the world around them. They can speak in longer sentences and will start asking lots of ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’ and ‘why’ questions as they try to understand more about the world.  They enjoy playing with other kids, learning rules and taking turns. And you’ll see them start to form real friendships as they begin to develop their social skills.

How can you encourage your child’s learning?

  • Encourage them to play outdoors
  • Open them up to more experiences by taking them to different places e.g. wildlife park, museum, playgroup, aquarium, library
  • Be creative in setting up play activities e.g. painting, music, arts and craft
  • Build their self-esteem by involving them in your everyday activities and giving them simple helping tasks e.g. help setting the table for dinner
  • Be interested in their questions and take the time to reply
  • Show enjoyment in their success e.g. when they read a word correctly

What are some of the different developmental milestones you can observe?

Physical

  • dresses and undresses with little help
  • hops, jumps and runs with ease
  • climbs steps with alternating feet
  • gallops and skips by leading with one foot
  • transfers weight forward to throw ball
  • attempts to catch ball with hands
  • climbs playground equipment with increasing agility
  • holds crayon/pencil etc. between thumb and first two fingers
  • exhibits hand preference
  • imitates a variety of shapes when drawing, e.g. circles
  • independently cuts paper with scissors
  • can use the toilet themselves
  • feeds self with minimum spills
  • walks and runs more smoothly
  • enjoys learning simple rhythm and movement routines
  • develops ability to toilet train at night

Social

  • enjoys playing with other children
  • may have a particular friend
  • shares, smiles and cooperates with peers
  • jointly manipulates objects with one or two other peers
  • developing independence and social skills they use for learning and getting on with others at pre school and school

Emotional

  • understands when someone is hurt and comforts them
  • attains gender stability (sure she/he is a girl/boy)
  • may show stronger preference for same-sex playmates
  • may enforce gender-role norms with peers
  • may show bouts of aggression with peers
  • likes to give and receive affection from parents
  • may praise themselves and be boastful

Cognitive

  • understands opposites (e.g. big/little) and positional words (middle, end)
  • uses objects and materials to build or construct things, e.g. block tower, puzzle, clay, sand and water
  • builds tower eight to 10 blocks
  • answers simple questions
  • counts five to 10 things
  • has a longer attention span
  • talks to self during play – to help guide what he/she does
  • follows simple instructions
  • follows simple rules and enjoys helping others
  • may write some numbers and letters
  • engages in dramatic play, taking on pretend character roles
  • recalls events correctly
  • counts by rote, having memorised numbers
  • touches objects to count – starting to understand relationship between numbers and objects
  • can recount a recent story
  • copies letters and may write some unprompted
  • can match and name some colours

Language

  • speaks in sentences and uses many different words
  • answers simple questions
  • asks many questions
  • tells stories
  • talks constantly
  • enjoys talking and may like to experiment with new words
  • uses adult forms of speech
  • takes part in conversations
  • enjoys jokes, rhymes and stories
  • will assert self with words

Kids College 4 Year Kindy room Imagineers Programme (4 – 5year olds) 

In our 4 year Kindy programme we focus on that last step towards school readiness. We work in conjunction with other Kindys and stand-alone if the child attends only our Kids College Imagineers Kindy. Our aim is not to rush children through their stages but to build really age appropriate opportunities to embed that knowledge and learning.

We are continuing to build on their school readiness and use visual timetables and mat session guidelines and resources to enhance our messages.

We have a strong focus on Literacy awareness. One of the wonderful learning tools we have in our 4 year Kindy is our Reading Eggs programme. The ABC Reading Eggs program focuses on a core reading curriculum of phonics and sight words using skills and strategies essential for sustained reading success. It completely supports what children learn at school and will help to improve your child’s results at school.

Our STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) is based in experimentation and learning through discovery and is a further step from the 3 year Kindy group. The important concepts of science are best learnt by play based learning and are taken to the next level of discovery prompting the children to learn through imagination and exploration of STEM.

The refinement of auditory skills through music precedes reading and writing activities. This journey through the fun of music is actually preparing our children to read and write!

Our Healthy living component is designed not only to teach children about the different aspects of healthy living, but to empower them to make good choices for themselves. This is especially important as independence is a much-needed skills to be learnt before they start school. We are encouraging independence skills and self-help skills

Social skills and emotional intelligence form a very valuable base to our structure, and we aim to embed these concepts clearly to assist the children into their schooling years. We help the children through all ten stages of social skills from how to say hello, all the way to managing frustration

The ability to be away from mum, be part of a group, and make friends are some essential components of our Kindy programme. These skills are actually quite hard to learn and we guide our children through the steps ensuring they get the very best out of their days with us.

It is our aim to consolidate the goals we have covered through all their years at Kids College and send our children off to begin their journey into big school as confident happy learners who enjoy their time at school.

Kids College Club for school age children before and after school care and a fun filled school holidays programme

At Kids College we love 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

We value our place in your child’s life. We aim to provide a fun yet education place for them to enjoy their time and expand their learning journey.

School holidays at Kids College

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.

This articles information is taken from the Kids College Curriculum, Early Years learning Framework and the starting blocks website.

Quote from Kids College Philosophy

‘We run a play-based program to provide the best environment for learning and providing the most stimulus for brain development. We aim to enhance the children’s understanding of the world around them through a developmentally appropriate program of activities rich with opportunities and information to spark a child’s imagination and curiosity.’

‘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.’

National Quality Standards

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.

1.2.1 Intentional teaching. Educators are deliberate, purposeful, and thoughtful in their decisions and actions

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.

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. Join our Kids College family community and share in our vision of creating the very best childcare where children experience love, laughter and learning every day. You can reach us on Jennifer@kidscollege.com.au

With love, laugher and learning from your friends 
in the ‘village it takes to raise a child’
Teacher Jen and the Kids College Childcare family

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