4 Year Old Kinder
Geelong West Kinder offers three kindergarten programs. All three programs offer 15 hours of funded kindergarten per week and are run with a university qualified early childhood teacher & diploma trained co-workers. The kinder classes offer three different timetables allowing flexibility but none longer than a school day. All classes run over three days to promote consistency and continuity of learning.
A strong and unwavering commitment to play-based learning underpins our teaching philosophy and programming. Why? Children are intrinsically drawn to play in every culture. Play stimulates children’s drive to explore, discover and gain mastery of their environment and develop positive attitudes to learning.
Our flexible and diverse learning environments are rich in possibilities and invite children to actively explore and engage in inquiry-based learning opportunities that support the development of executive functioning, which includes skills in problem solving, following direction, working memory, focus and attention, impulse control and planning and setting of intentions.
Building strong and respectful connections with children and their families is crucial as we build trust to become positive and supportive partners in each child’s learning journey. Children are given freedom and time to choose the direction of their play and follow their interests, the natural outcome of this is sustained engagement and focus on learning.
Our role as educators is to support and reflect on the learning that has taken place, then facilitate future learning through scaffolding and expanding on these interests so that children learn to consider new approaches, are introduced to new skills or concepts and continue to be motivated learners.
Our play-based programs lay the foundations for each child to develop into socially competent and dynamic learners who will have positive attitudes to learning, and become flexible and high level thinkers equipped with the necessary skills to meet the challenges of a learner in the 21st century.
