Kid City Kindergarten
A special place where early childhood is filled with fun, learning and LOVE
Philosophy
Evidence tells us that a person’s roots developed in early childhood impact their life successes, health and emotional wellbeing. Both past and modern educators confirm that the pre-school stage of a child’s life plays a vital part in their future development, and if we get it right in the early years, we can expect to see children thrive throughout school and their adult lives.
We believe there is no second chance at childhood. It comes and goes too quickly. Growing children cannot wait until they are older for the things they need now. Later is too late. If children do not have chances early in life for the normal development of their mind, body and relationships with others, we cannot make it up to them later. The years of their life when they are most impressionable, when they are most eager and ready to learn, will have been lost beyond recall.
We see children as unique and capable individuals with their own interests, talents, skills, and ideas. Our qualified staff are passionate, value respect and appreciate uniqueness. We feel children have a right to be active participants in their own learning and must be empowered to express their views and ideas. Children’s opinions are valid to their perspective; their autonomy and initiatives will be respected. We work alongside children to actively promote their learning through challenging experiences and interactions that foster high-level thinking skills.
On this exciting kindergarten adventure, children will form many new and lasting friendships. Staff and families will form a partnership from which children can gain a sense of belonging through shared goals and visions. In a relaxed and carefree atmosphere, children will start upon their necessary acquisition of knowledge and adjustments to group responsibilities. We regard the development of independence in decisions and actions as being a necessary life skill. We will strive to help all children build confidence, positive self-concepts, empathy and co-operation skills through an active role in decision-making.
We believe in the value of quality early childhood education and care. Through a safe, home like environment, we aim to make children’s first experience of life outside their home a happy, absorbing and rewarding one. We will protect and cherish the innocence of children by providing a child safe and secure environment. We provide a rich and aesthetically beautiful learning environment with a blend of natural and manmade materials that respect children’s learning. We know that children inherit connections to the natural world and understand that children often develop their ideas and understandings of the world around them from the information presented to them by the significant people in their lives. We at Kid City are some of these significant people and have a responsibility to present a positive approach to the environment.
We embrace and honour the richness of our Australian society and believe children develop attitudes of acceptance and respect when exposed to social and physical environments that reflect and value inclusion. Our embedded inclusive practices inspire a developing sense of appreciation and wonder as we view all children as unique, capable and valuable contributors. Our curriculum and practices draw upon the diversity within our service and community as a resource to inform policy and practice.
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All learning environments are welcoming spaces that reflect and enrich the lives and identities of children and families and respond to their interests and needs through socially constructed learning. We cater for different capacities and learning styles and invite children and families to contribute ideas, interests and questions.
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​Language in its many forms is encouraged to be the primary source of communication. Self-expression and creative exploration through language is vital in developing a positive self, as there is no better play material in the world than words. We encourage families to maintain their home language.
Current research indicates that the family is the most important influence in the development of children, and the significance of this cannot be underestimated. We support the individual needs of families based upon authentic relationships to develop a cohesive partnership. We welcome and invite family involvement into every aspect of our day. In partnership, we provide children with socially just programs that are contextual, challenging, stimulating and educationally sound. At any time, families are welcome to comment and raise issues regarding our philosophy or any aspect of our service delivery.
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​At the heart of our work at Kid City is professional love. As we openly express professional love towards our children, families, staff, and the community we are building necessary foundations for the development of identity. Through open expressions of professional love, trusting relationships are developed that encourage exploration of complex emotions such as sympathy and empathy. We believe the potential of our future generation is modelled by the way in which we love and learn together.
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We believe that all children should be given the right to enjoy and develop through care and education. Our programs are meaningful, and integrated, and we use the Early Years Learning Framework as our guide. With ninety per cent of a child’s brain development occurring during the early childhood years, our focus is to assist the development of new skills and to explore new learning. We have an image of children who are strong and powerful, rich in potential, endowed with rights, desirous of relationships, and co-constructors of knowledge.
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Play is recognised as an important source of learning, together with the pedagogical skills and understandings of staff in all areas of children’s development. Our approach to teaching is based upon a balanced combination of children’s interests and needs. It is child centred as well as educator planned and directed, with experiences that intentionally support children’s developmental milestones and learning through social contexts and language. We believe our program acts as a pathway for children’s successful transition into formal schooling..
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We value play as a medium for all aspects of development and learning and believe that children’s play should be integrated across all developmental domains and curriculum areas. As well as play-based experiences, we place equal importance on unrushed, caring routine-based experiences that foster valuable educational outcomes for children. We acknowledge that children are unique individuals, who develop at their own rate. By providing enriching, meaningful and realistic opportunities through spontaneous child-initiated play and planned experiences, children will explore, create, discover, and imagine. We ensure where possible, that programs are available for children with additional needs and they are integrated into our service by providing the least restrictive environment possible.
We believe experience, training and qualifications of staff are amongst the most powerful predictors of good outcomes for children. Our staff and management are advocates for children and are committed to the early childhood profession by continuously updating their knowledge of practices through ongoing professional development. Through self-reflection, we successfully identify our values, beliefs, strengths and any weaknesses as both a group and individually for future attention and professional development. We strongly believe teamwork between staff contributes to a positive atmosphere. We learn from each other’s experiences and professional qualities and mould them into each day. Management recognises staff as a precious resource and aims to provide a safe and pleasant working environment for them.
Kid City strives towards excellence within our community. We value community involvement in all aspects of our program. We place high importance on developing relationships with organisations outside of Kid City so children can connect with the wider community around them and develop an understanding of how society works together. We are a community resource that operates to effectively enhance the growth and development of children, families and staff. are a community resource that operates to effectively enhance the growth and development of children, families and staff.