Exciting educational programs to encourage a child’s development
Our Centre plans and runs exciting educational programs to encourage a child’s development. The program provides a balance between indoor and outdoor play, as well as times for relaxation. The national curriculum framework that is followed is called the Early Years Learning Framework. It was established to ensure that all children in an early childhood setting receive a high quality education program.
Central to this framework is the idea that childhood can be described as a time of Belonging, Being and Becoming.
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Belonging – is the basis for living a fulfilling life. Children feel they belong because of the relationship they have with their family, community, culture and place.
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Being – is about living in the here and now. Childhood is a very special time of life that ends far too quickly. Children need the opportunity to just be – time to play, explore and have fun.
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Becoming – is about the learning and development that take place during this time.
The framework outlines five learning goals and educators will assist children in achieving these goals:
– Children have a strong sense of identity
– Children are connected with and contribute to the world.
– Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
– Children are confident and involved learners
– Children are effective communicators
At Cressy Road Early Learning, our program is deeply rooted in the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). We align our daily practices with the outcomes, principles, and practices of the EYLF to ensure that each child’s learning journey is nurtured and enriched.
Our holistic, play-based program is designed to be responsive to the interests and needs of the children. It draws inspiration from a variety of educational modalities, theorists, and contemporary research, including the latest findings in neuroscience. This approach allows us to create a dynamic learning environment where children can explore, discover, and grow.
Our educators play a pivotal role in guiding and establishing the program. While our Educational Leader oversees the overall program and learning development, it is our educators who bring the program to life each day. They observe the children’s interests and plan play and learning experiences that scaffold and extend these interests, fostering deeper learning.
Documentation of the children’s learning is an integral part of our process. Each week, our educators document the children’s experiences in the form of observations. These observations capture the essence of your child’s development through their engagement in various activities: What did they do? What did they say? What did they learn? What role did the educator play? Was it an individual or group experience?
This information, along with photographs, is carefully documented and uploaded to OWNA on a weekly basis. Educators reflect on the children’s learning, analysing their development, and linking it to the Early Years Learning Framework. The final section of each observation outlines the next steps in your child’s learning journey—how educators plan to extend on the experience and what they hope to achieve.
Over time, these observations build into project documentation that chronicles the ongoing interests and development of the children. These projects, which can span days, weeks, or even months, are available for parents and families to view, offering insight into the learning and growth happening within our centre.
Other specialised programs at Cressy Road Early Learning:
Munch and Move Program
Munch and Move is an initiative from the NSW Health Department and encourages the healthy development of young children through fun and play-based experiences. The six key messages that form the basis of Munch and Move are:
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Encourage and support breastfeeding
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Choose water as a drink
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Eat more fruit and vegetables
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Choose healthier snacks
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Get active each day
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Turn off the screen and get active
The principles are incorporated into our daily routine as well as specialised activities, such as sports and games at the oval at Holy Cross Ryde and our monthly sports days.
Creative Arts Program
Learning and having opportunities to be creative and expressive is an essential part of our program at Cressy Road Early Learning. We believe that child-initiated activities provide the space for children to be creative, and learn to express themselves in creative ways. Art allows children to develop cognitive, language, social and emotional and physical skills and all our educators go on regular in-services so they can support each other in artistic and creative endeavours.
Please feel free to call the centre for further information, or better still, come down and have a look around yourself.
Get in touch
Cressy Road Early Learning is a privately owned, family run centre, with a strong commitment to participative, consultative and collaborative management.