KU Children’s Services, one of the largest not-for-profit providers of quality early childhood education and care and the most experienced provider in Australia, recently announced that in addition to the high quality well-rounded play-based learning programs and educational experiences they provide, KU will now also deliver an area of interest, focus or specialisation in each of their centres.
Each KU centre will now provide richer educationally interactive experiences for children, exploring an area of specialisation that brings the community together and enhances the space where children are supported to be their own, unique selves, growing and developing a sense of belonging and empowerment.
These areas of specialisation are diverse and include everything from visual arts and technology, to music, block building and construction, cultural appreciation and environmental sustainability.
“Children build their skills and knowledge by engaging in experiences based on their interests and needs across all areas of development,” says KU CEO Christine Legg.
“Providing an area of interest, focus or specialisation contributes to their development and supports the principles of the of the National Quality Framework, introduced to ensure consistent, high quality early childhood education for all children. This innovation also showcases the highly skilled teachers and educators in our centres and their professional commitment to providing a love of lifelong learning and inquiry to the children in their care.”
At KU Mayfield, their specialisation is STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – underpinning their commitment to play-based learning as children are enabled to question and actively investigate the world around them.
KU Mayfield incorporates this into their program through learning experiences that are child-led and inquiry-based, including science experiments, project work, cooking and constructions, helping them develop lifelong learning skills and dispositions. KU Mayfield has proudly been awarded as a ‘Little Scientist House’ through FROEBEL Australia because of the quality of their educational program.
The children at KU Ourimbah have access to ‘Our Forest Preschool’, a specialisation that enables immersion in nature as a starting point to understanding the wider world. Natural outdoor settings have been found to influence children’s emotional well-being and mental health.
Children benefit from this specialisation because it is an opportunity for them to connect with the natural world, solve problems in a landscape that is not uniform and offers challenges, inspiration, beauty, unpredictability and interest.
KU Wickham specialises in incorporating a Culture of Outdoor Learning by operating an indoor/outdoor program providing opportunities for children to choose where to explore, create and learn. As a result, children feel more confident and capable, are better able to self-regulate, are more co-operative, have higher self-esteem and acquire skills and knowledge that stand them in good stead as future conservation leaders.
KU believes that children learn about their world through experiences provided in a nurturing and supportive environment. “It’s the wide range of active and meaningful experiences that KU’s highly experienced teachers and educators provide that helps children’s learning go further,” Ms Legg said.
For further information visit www.ku.com.au.
