Our Centre Based Care Educational Programs

What makes our education different

• Play based learning
  We believe that learning in young children is a dynamic play based process. Children learn by doing hands on experiences in their own time and doing them as often as they wish to develop mastery and understanding. The more the child is interested in their experiences – the more they learn. A broad range of play experiences supported by staff skilled in expanding and supporting the play, is sufficient to allow children to learn all they need in their first five years.
• Supporting child choices
  To ensure the learning experiences are interesting to each child, the educational program is based on child choice. We know that children learn best when doing things they like to do. Therefore rather than our staff deciding in advance what learning activities will be set out for children each day, we allow the children to decide and each child can ask for the learning experience they want to do. This approach supports children’s self confidence and capacity to make appropriate choices.
• Mixed age grouping
  The educational program is also based on mixed age grouping of children. In mixed age grouping, children across a range of ages interact and play together throughout the day, especially during routines such as lunch and arrival and departure. There are also times when particular learning experiences are provided just for one age group of children. Children learn to be confident, to assist and support other children and adults and to follow the lead of other children and adults as and when appropriate.
• Child focused meals and routines
  Meals and routines follow the same pattern of child choice. Morning tea, lunch, rest time are available to children over an extended period. A child may want to eat lunch at 11.30am when it is first available or may choose to wait till 12.45pm, because they are busy doing something else. This process gives each child some chance to have meaningful control over part of their day and helps them to learn to make choices and to accept the outcome of their choices.
• Natural challenging playground
  The Rainbow centre has a large natural playground featuring plants, trees, sand, shade, grass, dirt, bushes, soft and hard surfaces and is a wonderful play environment. We use the outdoors as a vital part of our learning environment and stress the natural environment and sustainability in our programs.
• Varied staff team
  Our staff include a broad range of people, – of different age, gender, cultural backgrounds and disposition. Children can make choices about which staff person they wish to work and play with and who they feel most comfortable being around. This helps each child to feel comfortable from day to day – although of course over time most children learn to feel at ease with all our team members.