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Our Timetable
We run sessions according to the Victorian school term dates and do not operate on public holidays.
The 2024 Term Dates:Term 1 - 29th January to 28th MarchTerm 2 - 15th April to 28th JuneTerm 3 - 15th July to 20th SeptemberTerm 4 - 7th October to 20th December
2024 Timetable
3 Year Old Kindergarten Gumnuts Group - 9 hours per week Tuesday 9:30am – 2.00pm 4.5 hoursFriday 9:30am – 2.00pm 4.5 hours
4 Year Old Kindergarten Koalas Group - 15 hours per weekMonday 9:30am – 2.30pm 5 hoursWednesday 9:30am – 2.30pm 5 hoursThursday 9:30am – 2:30pm 5 hours
Please note: the first four weeks of the year utilise a different timetable to allow for settling in. Further details are provided upon enrolment confirmation.
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Our Philosophy
We are committed to providing a high quality preschool program that facilitates learning through play for children.We believe learning is a lifelong process and our learning environment promotes development, growth and promotion of life-skills through a play-based curriculum.We believe it is essential to collaborate with families, recognising that families know and understand their children best. Building reciprocal relationships with families and children, and creating a strong sense of community and belonging are the cornerstones of our learning environment.We acknowledge it is important for children to have the opportunity to explore, invent, discover and solve problems in an environment that engages, stimulates, nurtures and challenges them.Children are provided with learning opportunities where they can engage and learn with their peers comfortably and be recognised as being a unique individual.Our curriculum reflects the professional guidance and expectations of the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) and the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF). The EYLF describes childhood as a time of belonging, being and becoming.The educating team aim to scaffold learning by focusing on making learning visible to children so they can build and scaffold on learning experiences. Learning and participation is shared in ways that aim to meet the communication needs of all families.We promote our belief in strong professional reflection by ensuring the educating team actively participate in networking, reflective practice meetings and professional development opportunities.The educating team and the committee of management ensure they work closely with each other in contemplating on the future direction of the kindergarten and continuous improvement programs.
Our Goals
- To ensure the emotional wellbeing and physical health of children by providing a responsive, caring and supportive environment and by constructing opportunities for children to make and trial their own choices and decisions.
- To promote and encourage sustainability and environmental education through daily routines and program experiences
- To promote a spirit of equality and inclusion for all, including children, families, visitors and educators of the education and care service; by creating opportunities for children to see strong role modeling and giving children opportunities to build and further develop their understanding and respect for the decisions and ideas of others.
- To develop a sense of identity and belonging in children by providing opportunities for children to communicate ideas, build on their interests and life skills, by ensuring educators support and value children’s unique contributions.
- To build curriculum in collaboration with children recognizing the value of freedom of choice and supporting ideas and plans, by providing various methods for children to express themselves in appropriate ways.
- To nurture strong and open relationships with families respectful of and sensitive to culture, child rearing practices and values ensuring opportunities for shared communication are always available.
- To continue to develop relationships in local community networks to be able to further understand the care requirements of and to communicate any availability of vacancies to local families.
- To support active participation by educators in regular professional development, by facilitating reflective training opportunities ensuring continuous improvement of the program and industry currency and professionalism for educators.
Our Programs
Keon Park Kindergarten programs are developed and based on the Early Years Learning Framework and Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework.
There are five outcomes for children in the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework:
Identity - a strong sense of identityCommunity - connections with their worldWell-being - a strong sense of well-beingLearning - confidence and involvement in learningCommunication - effective communicating skills
Our sessions are guided by emergent curriculum, also known as play-based learning. Educators observe the children at play to find out what engages their interest and imagination. They then use these interests and ideas to develop programs.
At Keon Park Kindergarten, children learn about their part in the big world, and we encourage them to make their own choices and decisions.
We are proud to have great educators who love what they do, and are devoted to the children and their well-being.
Our well-equipped learning environment is designed to engage children with a variety of sensory and imaginative play experiences, and embraces environmental sustainability principles with gardens and pets for the children to collectively care for, both indoors and out.
Keon Park Kindergarten brings together families of a vast spectrum of cultural backgrounds, and takes pride in how this community provides a unique and diverse early learning experience for our children.