Our Programs

Hughesdale Kindergarten is funded by the Victorian Government to provide programs that comply with the National Quality Framework and government guidelines, that are planned and led by degree-qualified early childhood teachers. The programs are aimed at meeting each child's individual needs. Every child deserves the opportunity to have the best start and from 2023, the Victorian State Government funds both Three and Four-Year-Old Kindergarten statewide. This means access to learning, playing and making friends for all children!

The Kindergarten programs aim to encourage active involvement in the learning process by experiencing a variety of developmentally appropriate activities and materials. The Educators utilise the Early Years Learning Framework to guide program development and is reflected in all our programs.

Our programs aim to foster positive self-esteem, develop social skills, encourage children to think/reason/question and experiment, encourage language development, enhance physical development/skills, encourage/demonstrate sound health/safety and nutritional practices and encourage creative expression within a safe and nurturing environment.

Joeys

3-year-old kindergarten can be a child's first experience in being separated from mum, dad and other primary care-givers. It is often the first time children are learning how to play with other children, handle play negotiations and social interactions. Given this, we strive to create a very nurturing and supportive environment in which children can thrive socially and emotionally, alongside learning and developing new skills: examining the world around them, solving problems, exploring basic science and numeracy concepts through play, while their language and confidence as communicators flourish in a collaborative and supportive environment.

We strongly focus on a safe and supportive environment that empowers children to learn and grow in their own time, and in their own way by:

Building secure attachments with familiar and consistent educators who are interested, invested and care deeply
Using play to investigate, imagine and explore ideas
Creating a community where children are encouraged to learn with and alongside others

Sessions will typically involve:

Outdoor play where they are free to explore the natural environment and playground
Free indoor play activities
Enjoying music and dance/movement
Eating morning/afternoon tea with their peers
A story at the end of the session

Possums & Lorikeets

The 4-year-old program offers a secure and encouraging environment for children to develop autonomy, focus on respectful relationships and understand social courtesies while preparing them for school readiness. We aim to build a strong connection with the children and their families that gives them a real sense of belonging. We focus on helping children understand and deal with their emotions, to be able to initiate friendships and develop self-confidence and self-esteem.

We support ALL children's:

Learning and development
Social skills
Emotional skills
Language, literacy and numeracy skills
Self-awareness and respect for others
Ability to make new friends and exposes them to new ideas and concepts.

All activities are designed to be flexible and are focused on the learning experience rather than the academic outcome, while literacy and numeracy is introduced naturally through everyday experiences. The structure of 4-year-old sessions reflects that of the 3-year-old program, with the addition of Healthy Time lunch where they also sit and eat with their peers. Our daily 4-Year-Old programs consist of multiple modes of learning which include:

Inquiry based learning where the child initiates the learning/play, explores, experiments and analyses, and is supported by the teachers
Intentional teaching which is teacher-led and is a dynamic process of decision-making, involving both planned experiences and spontaneous responses to children’s emerging inquiries
Skill based learning where children’s skill development can be accurately planned for and evaluated

We believe children at this age are naturally curious and love to explore, question, predict, imagine, research, problem solve, and co-construct ideas and knowledge. Every day is different when you work with Possums and Lorikeets – which is amazing.

Please see our comprehensive FAQ page for common questions. If you think your child might be ready for kinder, please see our Enrolments section. You may also Contact Us for any further questions, or for general kindergarten information, please visit www.vic.gov.au/kinder.

Outcomes

In terms of learning outcomes, we want:

Children to have a strong sense of identity - Outcome 1

Children feel safe, secure and supported
Children develop their emerging autonomy, inter-dependence, resilience and sense of agency
Children develop knowledge and confident self identities
Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy and respect

Children to be connected with and contribute to their world - Outcome 2

Children develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities and an understanding of the reciprocal rights and responsibilities necessary for active community participation
Children respond to diversity with respect
Children become aware of fairness
Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment

Children to have a strong sense of wellbeing - Outcome 3

Children become strong in their social and emotional wellbeing
Children take increasing responsibility for their own health and physical wellbeing

Children to be confident and involved learners - Outcome 4

Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity
Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, enquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating
Children transfer and adapt what they have learned from one context to another
Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies and natural and processed materials

Children to be effective communicators - Outcome 5

Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes
Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts
Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media
Children begin to understand how symbols and pattern systems work
Children use information and communication technologies to access information, investigate ideas and represent their thinking

Transition Statements

In 2009, the Victorian Government introduced a compulsory end of year transition statement that must be completed for every child starting school. These Transition Learning and Development Statements consist of a part for the families to complete and a section for the Early Childhood Educator to complete.

The Statement will:

Summarise the strengths of your child as they enter school
Identify their individual appraches to learning and interests
Indicate how your child can be supported to continue learning