Early childhood education for 2-6 year olds on the Thames Coast
Contact us to enrol: tcckindy@gmail.com
Thames Coast
Community Kindergarten
OUR CURRICULUM
Our curriculum is based on Te Whaariki* and our intended outcome is to develop competent and confident learners by meeting the needs of individual children, in an environment where each child feels that they are safe, valued, respected and have a place where they have a real sense of belonging. We believe that happy children are busy learning children.
We focus on providing positive and practical social experiences for all children in the kindergarten with the aim that they will gain independence in self-care skills, recognise manage and care for their own belongings, and be able to make their own decisions and choices. We believe that the confidence young children gain from knowing they are capable of understanding, working things out and doing things for themselves results in them approaching new learning with enthusiasm and interest.
We aim to provide learning experiences that will pique children's natural curiosity, as well as trigger other experiences, encouraging the children to develop their own working theories of the world around them. If children know their environment really well, they feel comfortable and are able to make choices and know that the teachers are there to help and provide them with what they need.
Our unique natural local environment (beach, creek, domain) provide great resource for children to explore and learn about the natural environment as well as using these resources for creative purposes.
* Click the link below and it will take you directly to the
Ministry of Education site for the Te Whāriki documents and information.
For older children, we have a 'transition to school' group that takes place 3 times a week. Usually tamariki participate in the group once they turn 4 and a half, so very creatively we call it the "4 and a halfies" group! These are special sessions led by a teacher doing fun activities to help them get ready for school.
The activities/games are aimed at building numeracy and literacy skills, comprehension skills, manipulative work and physical activities. The main aim of this group is to provide our older children the opportunity to learn alongside other children of similar age in an environment where they are able to work together, stay on task and follow instruction. We find the children really look forward to joining this group, they engage in and show enthusiasm towards their learning.
We have a strong relationship with Te Puru School, especially the new entrant teacher and her class. Our transition group visits the school once a term. The new entrant teacher and her class visit the kindergarten too. This helps the children become familiar with the teacher and the school children before joining the school. We have always had very positive feedback from our local school as to how well our children transition.