Get Set for School
Insight Early Learning offers preschool-aged children a comprehensive and holistic Transition to School program, essential to each child's learning journey and supports children's future schooling success.
Insight Kinder Program is developed based on the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) with reference to the Australian Curriculum. These are embedded into the weekly curriculum and everyday practices.
Our team of University qualified teachers and Diploma qualified educators are responsible for integrating the foundations of the Early Years Learning Framework into our learning contexts. This ensures that your child's learning outcomes are met, and their strengths, capabilities, culture, interest and current skills and knowledge are respected. In addition, our teams undergo regular professional and teaching development programs to ensure that practices are consistent with industry best practices.
At the very heart of our Insight Kinder Program is the view that early childhood is a time for exploring notions of "being", "belonging", and "becoming". These are essential to developing inquirers, knowledgeable thinkers, communicators, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, and balanced and reflective learners.
Our Insight Kinder Program utilises a play-based learning context that encourages a range of positive developmental skills such as cognitive skills, social and emotional skills, communication skills, self-management skills and research skills.
"Play-based learning is a context for learning through which children organise and make sense of their social worlds, as they actively engage with people, objects and representations" (EYLF, 2009, p.46)
Our program acknowledges the primary and critical influence families have in their children's lives and understand that effective relationships between educators and families are fundamental to achieving quality outcomes for preschool children. To support this relationship, we will provide regular information about our Insight Kinder Program and provide your family with ongoing opportunities to contribute to our curriculum. Our educators will discuss your child's readiness to starting school and support you to help develop their Transition to School skills at home. We will also host Learning and Development Meetings with your family.
The transitioning to 'Big School' is an exciting time in your child's life. Together, we can make the transition from preschool to "big school" smooth and exciting. Our goal is to ensure your child is fully prepared in every way possible to successfully transition to the school environment and have the foundations for becoming a lifelong learner.
LEARNING EXPERIENCES
Literacy - Literacy experiences help create confident communicators, imaginative thinkers and informed citizens. It is through Literacy experiences that children learn to analyse, understand, communicate and build relationships with others and with the world around them. Literacy experiences also play a vital role in developing pre-reading and writing skills.
Some examples of Literacy experiences Insight Early Learning offer include:
Create a print-rich learning environment
Celebrate literacy every day
Expose children to various forms of the written language. Jointly construct writing and ensure the process is modelled using large paper or whiteboards. Celebrate children's attempts at writing as a way to convey meaning.
Assist children in recognising their name in various print- name cards, locker, identifying their name on clothing, or even signing on books each morning.
Provide a library within Insight Early Learning for children and families to borrow quality texts regularly.
Expose children to quality texts through shared reading experiences where children learn to listen to the author's voice and engage in discussions about the text.
Develop print awareness- the understanding of how books work. Model how to read a book drawing their attention to print within the book.
Create writing centres for children to experiment with various materials to help develop fine motor skills. Consider larger pencils and crayons, chalk and use different types of paper.
STEM - STEM refers to the integrative exploration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. These are essential areas that foster children's knowledge, understanding and problem-solving skills needed to influence scientific and technological developments through innovation, helping to prepare them to participate in a rapidly changing world.
Creative Arts - Creative Arts has the capacity to inspire, engage and enrich all children's learning by exciting the imagination and encouraging them to reach their creative and expressive potential. Creative Arts experiences encourage children to explore how to create, design, represent, communicate and share their imagined and conceptual ideas, emotions, observations and experiences.
Physical Development – Physical development is the acquisition of movement skills, concepts and strategies that allow children to participate in a range of physical activities confidently and competently. Children develop the knowledge, understanding, and skills to support them in being resilient, creating a strong sense of self, and making health-enhancing decisions about their health and wellbeing. We are committed to supporting the Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years (birth to 5 years): An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour into our curriculum.
Social and Emotional – The development of Social and Emotional skills helps to support children's emerging capacity to experience, regulate and express a range of emotions, build close relationships with other children and adults, and provide them with the confidence to explore their environment and learning.
We incorporate a social skills program across all curriculum areas to teach the children about greeting others, turn-taking, sharing, dealing with feelings and solving problems.
PRESCHOOL VS PRESCHOOL PROGRAM IN A LONG DAYCARE CENTRE
There is a misconception that Preschools offer a different transition to school Program to a preschool room at a Long Day Care Centre. In fact, Insight Early learning follows the same mandatory Early Years Learning Framework curriculum as most Preschools. We are also governed by the same Laws and Regulations and need to meet the same national standards, including the requirement to follow the national mandatory educational framework and meet mandatory educator to child ratios.
Our Insight Kinder Program offers your child a unique opportunity to attend a comprehensive Transition to school program within a flexible environment. This flexible environment caters to our families' diverse needs by offering extended hours and including meals as part of the daily fees; this allows families to have more time to work and study and know that their children's needs are being met.
Our extended hours also mean that the number of hours of quality early education that your child is exposed is extended. This is one of the most important keys to unlocking your child's full potential and making a difference in their developmental outcomes. In addition, our program runs throughout the calendar year, including school holidays, whereas some preschool services correlate to school terms with limited, shorter set hours during the school holidays.
You will also have the additional benefit of your children being able to attend our centre from a younger age. This enables us to work together with your family over an extended period resulting in our educators' sound understanding of your child's strengths, development, interests and supporting your child's sense of belonging.
INSIGHT KINDER FAMILY INFORMATION SESSION
We aim to ensure all families in Insight Early Learning receive the same information about transitioning to school. An informal parent information session will be held annually, which provides an opportunity for families to discuss any concerns with other parents and develop relationships with other families at the centre. This provides an opportunity for Insight Early Learning to share relevant information about our philosophies, current educational trends in transition, and how Insight Early Learning supports each child's transition to school.
PARTNERSHIPS WITH SCHOOLS
Early childhood educators and families can make valuable contributions to collecting information about children's learning and development. To ensure continuity of learning and development, we believe sharing information about each child with their future teachers is essential. Your child's educator will have a sound understanding of your child's long-term learning and have a deep knowledge of what support needs to be provided to promote further progress.
Each state has different regulations and requirements for sharing information between services. Insight Early Learning is aware of the various types of transition documents and the process of sharing information. Any information shared will require permission from you.
The Transition to School document is completed toward the end of the year in collaboration with educators, yourself and the child. An informal meeting with each family will be planned and communicated clearly to help prepare this document.
In addition to the Transition to School document, our educators liaise with local school teachers and incorporate their feedback and expectations into our Set for School program. We also invite these teachers to visit the centre and learn about our program. In return, children are invited to visit the local school and participate in some of their events. This allows children to experience the school environment.
One of the most rewarding experiences we offer is inviting past children to come and talk to the children about their kindergarten experiences. This is an excellent opportunity for children to ask questions and gain a firsthand account of the transition experience.
