Our Philosophy

HELLO AND WELCOME TO MILDURA SOUTH KINDERGARTEN

Mildura South Kindergarten has been established since 1971.

Mildura South Kindergarten  is owned by Mildura Rural City Council and managed by Shine Bright EYM. We are situated behind the Mildura South Maternal Health Centre and near Mildura South Primary School.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF MILDURA SOUTH KINDERGARTEN INC.

Our vision is to provide high quality education in a nurturing environment where pre-schoolers can grow and learn.

The philosophy behind our Early Years Learning Framework is that young children learn best by exploration! Learning requires active thinking and experimenting to find out how things work and learn first hand about the world we live in. Learning is most enjoyable when it includes, options, choices and individual preferences.

An Early Years Learning Framework inclusive of individual’s interests, sense of identity, community, wellbeing, communication, learning and cultural background. If children feel free to make choices, explore, reflect, be independent and be valued, they will have a desire to learn.

Mildura South Kindergarten adheres to the ‘Belonging, Being and Becoming’ Philosophy. A preschool education that is inclusive of both child-initiated and adult-led learning in a flexible, welcoming, enlightening, caring environment is the perfect link in the education chain. Successful school transition is achieved when the child is ‘ready’ for this transitional step, information is relayed from family and kindergarten to the primary school and a positive approach is taken by all. In their early years, children explore the world around them by using all their senses (touching, tasting, listening, smelling and looking).

In using real materials such as blocks and trying out their ideas, children learn about sizes, shape, colours and they notice relationships between things.

Play provokes the foundation for academic or “school” leaning. It is the preparation children need before they learn highly abstract symbols such as letters (which are symbols for sounds) and numbers (which are symbols for number concepts). Play enables us to achieve the key goals of our Early Years Learning Framework. Learning through play is what preschoolers do best.

We believe children need to:

• feel safe, secure, respected, valued, cared for, happy, encouraged and reassured.
• have a good sense of identity.
• know about themselves, others, the environment, routines and limits, a sense of belonging and community.
• acquire “living” skills including: – social, language, physical, wellbeing and respect for people and things.

The staff’s role in the Early Years Learning Framework is to provide a nurturing, stimulating, responsive environment and to interact with children in a way that promotes learning and individuality. An environment in which the children feel valued and freely able to express themselves through words and actions.

We believe children learn through play. Children’s play takes a variety of from:

• modelling / imitating (adults and other children) / adult-led
• observing
• experiencing
• discovering / exploring / child initiated
• experimenting
• contemplating / reflective practises

As we plan the experiences and resources that form the basis for our Early Years Learning Framework, of play, children’s developmental skills and their interests form the foundation.

We provide a balance between structed (adult led) and unstructed (child initiated) and adult supported experiences in which children may use a range of equipment and materials, including improvised equipment and natural materials, both indoors and outdoors.

We believe one of the roles of staff members is to guide behaviour by example, support, direction and encouragement.

We provide a quality Early Years Framework that caters for the needs of all children incorporating specialist services recommendations where necessary.

We aim to provide a setting for children to encourage individuality and respect for others within a flexible, yet sensitive environment.

We value gender equality.

We value cultural diversity and equal opportunity for all.

We encourage parent participation and involvement in the development and implantation of our Early Years Learning Framework.

Please feel free to have a look around our website. If you have any questions or would like to call in and see us, please contact us on: (03) 5023 1189 or by email mildurasouth@shinebright.org.au.