Waterford West Education and Care Centre would like to acknowledge the Custodians of the land, the Yugambeh Nation. The Yugambeh Indigenous community have strong, spiritual, cultural and economic affiliations with the land.
Waterford West Education and Care Centre is committed to teaching ALL Children holistically, through engagement of hands-on learning alongside nature to develop the whole learner, cognitively, socially and physically.
Our Centre practices are guided by the National Quality Framework, The Early Years Learning Framework, the Queensland Government Kindergarten Program, My Time, Our Place and the Conventional Rights of the Child, in addition to family and team input
The Educators at Waterford West Education and Care Centre are committed to providing an Abecedarian focused early childhood educational program, that recognises that language is a priority, and are committed to making every experience for children an opportunity for talking, listening and learning language. We use learning games, conversational reading and enriched caregiving daily to build strong relationships and learning.
Our curriculum empowers the children to learn in a play based environment, using enriched learning environments both indoor and outdoor that maximise learning opportunities, and are guided by Piaget's view that “play is integral to the development of intelligence in children”. We aim to use different loose parts in these environments to further children’s play, which ultimately extends cognitive and language development.
At Waterford West Education and Care Centre we aim to build a strong rapport with not only the children in our care but also their families to extend continuity of care and learning between the home and environment, communication is the key and we recognise families as the children’s primary carers.
We build strong connections with our community and use these to help support our families by sharing knowledge and working in partnership. We value and recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, heritage and their connection to the earth, within our community and recognise we are a proud part of a shared identity. Our commitment to our cultural growth and development is evident in our Reconciliation Plan.
We foster a diverse range of staff working with children to embrace the cultures of children within our service, and develop teaching approaches that incorporates inquiry-based learning. We believe in the longevity of staff and as such work together to ensure that our staff are supported to provide experiences for children that inspire curiosity and wonder.
We believe that it takes a “village to raise a child”, and that Waterford West Education and Care Centre is part of that village
CURRICULUM
Overview Our qualified educators plan experiences which develop children’s skills in all developmental areas and display the weekly program in your child’s room. We believe the value of play is of utmost importance to children as it is their way of learning about their world. While children are playing they are able to express their creative ability, release emotions, and can share their feelings. Play activities allow children to naturally develop and gives them the opportunity to guide their own learning. Your connection to your child’s learning is made visible by the curriculum plan, their portfolios, newsletters and project displays. Activity outcomes and individual observations on your child are documented on our OWNA app for you to see your child’s learning journey.
We aim to guide your child in becoming an effective learner by creating an environment that is challenging and stimulating. Our educators see your child as being full of potential, competent and capable of building their own theories with support and guidance. We aim to provide a holistic approach to education and create enriched learning environments that promote curiosity, inquiry and a sense of wonder.
Play based
Children learn so much through play. It allows them to explore, imagine, discover, negotiate, take risks, create meaning and solve problems – all the important foundations for developing language, literacy, numeracy and social and problem solving skills.
Play based learning is central to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) where it is described as “a context for learning through which children organise and make sense of their social worlds, as they actively engage with people, objects and representations”
At Waterford West Education and Care Centre, our experienced Educators utilise the children’s natural inquiry to introduce or extend upon children’s learning, development and interests.
Australian Abecedarian Approach (3a)
At Waterford West Education and Care Centre, we strongly believe that language is the core of early learning. An enriched caregiving environment and language creates the best learning and developmental opportunities for our children. The Abecedarian Approach Australia (3a) aligns with our philosophy and values, and our belief that language and enrich caregiving is the foundation to a child’s learning. The Abecedarian Approach Australia (3a approach) is a research-validated, birth to age five program created by Joseph Sparling and Craig Ramey. It is based on the theory that educators use teaching and learning strategies that are proven to maximise children’s learning outcomes. The approach consists of four elements, each of which specifically promote intentional and meaningful adult-child interactions:
Language Priority – Where educators and parents use every experience as an opportunity for talking, listening, and learning language.
Enriched Caregiving – Where each routine or activity has a CARE component, an EMOTIONAL component, and an EDUCATIONAL component.
Conversational Reading – Where Educators engage in individual and pair reading, that emphasises back and forth (serve and return) communication.
Learning Games 200 – Where our Educators engage daily in experiences or games with one child or a small group of children.
Waterford West Education and Care Centre is committed to embedding the Abecedarian Approach Australia (3a). Our educators are fully trained 3a Practitioners who engage in continual learning to ensure they have current research knowledge. Our team is supported by our own Qualified Trainer and Coach, who is on hand to support the knowledge and further develop the resources required for the our educators to practice 3a daily.
When using the Abecedarian Approach, “stretching” the child’s knowledge and learning is always at the forefront of our teaching practices. If you would like more information about the 3a approach and how it works, feel free to come and talk to us.
School Readiness program
Waterford West Education and care Centre offers an extensive School Readiness program for children aged three-six years based on the National Early Years Learning Framework and Queensland kindergarten Learning Guide. In supporting each individual child to develop skills they need for school, our Educators collaborate with families to determine each child has an opportunity to become better learners and are ready for school.
Our school readiness program is developed to ensure our children become confident learners and to set the foundation for lifelong learning. Our fully qualified teachers use the 3a Approach to ensure your child is given the best learning experiences to build a foundation of strong literacy and numeracy, ready for when they get to school.
Online Learning
Collaboration between Families and our centre is at the heart of our philosophy, and we understand the importance of engagement between parent & Educators. With our online Owna app, learning is visible so when everyone is on the same page, the outcomes for the children can only be positive.
Some of the app features include:
Real-time updates - Know if your children have eaten, slept, nappy changed or even how much milk / water they’ve consumed.
Communicate with educators - Interact with educators via the secure social network, with comments, photos, messaging & videos.
Keep up-to-date - With all events & activities at the centre.
Track Learning & Development - monthly observations and daily reflections
Parent Input - Notify the centre that your child will be absent, book a casual day, message Educators or complete a medication permission.