At First Steps Early Education our curriculum is guided by the National Quality Framework (NQF), which along with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) guides the educators programming and planning for the children using the fundamental elements of Belonging, Being and Becoming. These three guiding elements form the basis for all learning experiences at the pre-school and educators work with the children and families daily to ensure that these experiences are meeting the child’s individual learning and development needs.
Educators use Kindyhub to capture your child's achievements throughout the day with photos, notes and stories across our five key curriculum areas. As a parent, you (and your chosen family members) will have a secure login to access a snapshot of what your child does throughout the day via the Kindyhub parent app (available for iPhone, iPad or Android) or alternatively by email. Learn more about Kindyhub by clicking here.
Head Start
As children begin the journey through the first 5 years of their life, we aim to support and foster their major brain development and acquisition of knowledge through our challenging and stimulating school readiness program. At First Steps Early Education we believe that the journey of transitioning to school beings from infancy, therefore we prepare children for their lifelong learning journey from their first day of attendance.
We deliver our Head Start program through group times, collaborative projects, interest-based learning experiences, creative arts, science and technology, pre-writing activities, pre-reading and phonetic awareness, mathematics, physical health and wellbeing, and culture and community. Each of these elements is embedded in our curriculum and reflects the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the Australian Curriculum, allowing educators to target each child’s individual developmental stage.
Through this journey of learning children at First Step Early Education are successful at developing a sense of belonging, being active participants and becoming confident and resilient learners that allows for long-term success through schooling and adult life.
Inspire
Our Inspire program encourages children to explore the world around them and express their thoughts through creative arts. At First Steps Early Education we offer all the four forms of creative arts which are dance, drama, visual arts and music. These build upon children’s sense of wonder, cultural connections and artistic expression. Children’s imagination is nurtured through creative play experiences and their continued exploration with nature and sustainability. Children draw inspiration from all aspects of life and it is this inspiration that underpins our curriculum and helps build a child’s love of learning.
Belong
Our Belong program focuses on building children’s ability to develop relationships with their peers, educators and the wider community. At First Steps Early Education we value the importance of social interactions, these developed connections lay the foundation for children’s learning to occur and continue to flourish. The program holds a strong emphasis on teaching children about compassion, kindness and honouring diversity. This core focus builds upon children’s sense of social responsibility and respect towards the community and the environment.
We strive to build a strong sense of community by involving children, educators, families and community members wherever possible in the daily curriculum, our practices and regular events. As children grow and continue to take part in this program, their awareness of the wider community and its stakeholders will help strengthen and support their transition to primary school.
Wellness
Our Wellness program introduces children to the concept of whole living, with an emphasis on children learning to make healthy choices for their overall well-being. We believe in educating children about nutrition and the importance of making healthy choices to develop healthy eating habits.
At First Steps Early Education we have partnered with Kids Gourmet Food (KGF), a specialised catering company devoted exclusively to the service of food for children in child care centres, kindergartens and pre-schools. As a specialist in children's catering KGF has not only undertaken training and compliance by the NSW Food Authority and Gowrie NSW, but has had their menu recognised by NSW Health as providing 50% of a child's recommended daily intake of nutrients.
As part of our Wellness program, children take an active role in growing their own organic fruits, vegetables and herbs. This produce is then harvested by the children and used during our regular cooking classes, and often sent home for families to enjoy. Our gardening lessons provide children with responsibility as they build a love and respect for nature within the environment.
Staying active is essential to supporting children’s growth and our Wellness program does just that. Our purpose built indoor and outdoor environment and equipment provides children of all ages the opportunity to enhance and challenge their physical abilities. Children take part in our yoga classes, music and movement classes and our munch and move program.
Additionally, we offer extracurricular activities in the form of multi-sport classes conducted by GoGo Healthy Kids. The Junior GoGo program is a specially developed 10-week program where children learn fundamental movement skills i.e. running, jumping, ball skills, throwing and catching, balancing, rolling, coordination and teamwork. They will also learn the basics of many different sports like Soccer, Tennis, Basketball, T-ball, Volleyball, Frisbee, Cricket, Hockey, Gymnastics and Athletics. New sports are added every year and teachers bring along a music box each week, adding to the excitement! With active experiences applied to our curriculum each day, children have the opportunity to increase their physical fitness and experience a whole living approach.
Click to enrol in the Junior GoGo program
Ignite
Our Ignite program has been developed for children to explore and discover ways of thinking and doing through the integration of science, mathematics and technology. At First Steps Early Education we provide this through inquiry and project-based learning experiences, which allows for children to gain, apply and challenge their understanding and develop creative and critical thinking skills.
Our educators encourage children to acquire new knowledge and challenge their understanding through hands on learning experiences that allow children to problem solve, enquire, experiment, hypothesise, research and investigate. Children learn using different methods, in varied surroundings and at their individual pace, as such we have created a diverse environment intended to encourage the articulating of children’s understanding in the areas of mathematics, science and technology, allowing each child to explore and learn at their own pace.
The introduction of our Interactive Touch Panel, Bee-Bot Robots and STEM Wall into our curriculum offer children a new medium to collaboratively problem solve and engage using cutting-edge learning technology alongside their peers and educators. The virtual learning experience offers endless opportunities to develop a high order of thinking and understanding of the world around them through a hands-on and interactive approach. The children are guided in the use of learning software applications, which are regularly updated, to help support their transition to school and the technology-based learning environment that awaits.
Kindyhub
As part of our commitment to providing your child with the best early learning experience, we're proud to announce that we use Kindyhub here at First Steps Early Education.
Using Kindyhub, our educators capture your child's achievements throughout the day with photos, notes and stories. As a parent, you (and your chosen family members) will have a secure login to access a snapshot of what your child does throughout the day via the Kindyhub parent app (available for iPhone, iPad or Android) or alternatively by email. Kindyhub is a complementary form of communication, with face-to-face feedback seen as the most important aspect in maintaining great relationships between our centre and it's families.
Some of Kindyhub’s features include:
- Receiving photos of your child learning, playing, and interacting
- Reading about your child’s day and keeping up-to-date with learning milestones
- Quickly and easily communicating with your child’s educators
- Collaborating to improve your child’s learning journey
- Receiving a daily summary of your child’s routine e.g. meals, sleep times and nappy change information
For further information regarding Kindyhub, please speak with one of our educators, download the Kindyhub Info Sheet or visit the Kindyhub website.
