LEARNING & CARE
Underpinned by research that shows play-based programs for young children can provide a strong basis for later success at school.
Our inquiry-based approach to learning is supported through nurturing interactions between childcare educators and children, interactions that are not only warm and responsive to children’s need for comfort and security but also stretch their thinking to higher levels.
The way we organise the play environment, select resources and interact with the children is designed to support children’s thinking skills to solve problems, inspire imagination and creativity, to explore, experiment and ask questions.
We teach children how to think, not what to think.
With careful guidance and encouragement, children are supported in developing social skills such as cooperation, sharing and responding to ideas, negotiating, and resolving conflicts. Our goal is to ensure every child leaves Imagine Early Learning Centre as a happy, confident and enthusiastic learner who is ready to embrace the next chapter in their learning journey at school.
We use the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) to guide our program planning. The EYLF, developed by the Council of Australian Governments, has an overall goal “to extend and enrich children’s learning from birth to five years so that all children have the best start in life to create a better future for themselves and for the nation.”
The Early Years Learning 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 in the 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 the learning and development that young children experience.
Children start to form their sense of identity from an early age, which shapes the type of adult they will become.
