Kiama Academy of Early Learning follows the Early Years Learning Framework, a national early learning framework for children from birth to five years. The Early Years framework describes childhood as a time of belonging, being and becoming.
- Belonging is the basis for living a fulfilling life. Children feel they belong because of the relationships they have with their family, community, culture and place.
- Being is about living here and now. Childhood is a special time in life and children need time to just ‘be’ – time to play, try new things and have fun.
- Becoming is about learning and development that young children experience. Children start to form a sense of identity from an early age, which shapes the type of adult they will become.
Kiama Academy of Early Learning promotes balance between programmed activities and spontaneous activities. We allow children to explore the environment and feel capable and resourceful by choosing their own activities and play materials. Children's interests and ideas are closely monitored and followed up to provide challenging yet fun experiences. The room is set up into learning centres where each child is free to come and go as they please. The learning centres provide high quality materials that can be explored and discovered. We have found these learning centres allow children to work together, extending on many social skills, while feeling important and resourceful in their play.
Each child has their own learning portfolio which is a collection of learning stories gathered from observations of their experiences across the entire year. We also run a fitness program (Munch and Move) for all children to be involved in.
School Readiness
Implementing a school readiness program at our service enables the children to develop their developmental skills in key learning areas such as literacy, numeracy and self help skills. By developing these skills, we will be assisting each individual child's short and long term success at school. We recognise it is a crucial stage to build positive relationships with each child as this is essential in developing their self esteem which will assist each child to make effective transitions from a childcare setting to school environments.
Kiama Academy of Early Learning firmly believes in the positive effects of a carefully implemented School Readiness Program in preparing children for entering the NSW education system. In order for this to occur we recognise that a School Readiness Program needs to link closely to the syllabi children will engage with in the primary school setting. Therefore School Readiness at Kiama Academy of Early Learning is directly informed by key content from the Board of Studies NSW K-6 English and Mathematics Syllabus' Early Stage 1. One of the renowned resources we use is ABC Reading Eggs which makes learning fun while keeping the children motivated in their learning.
Going to big school is an exciting time for your child’s life. Together with Kiama Academy of Early Learning you can make the transition from preschool to “big school” easy and exciting.