Our Philosophy

Welcoming and Inclusive environment

At Kennington Kindergarten we believe that it is essential to establish respectful and caring relationships with children and families and see parents, careers and their wider family as the primary influence on their child’s learning development.

Children learn best when we as professionals respect their personal, family and cultural histories and provide them with support, opportunities and experiences that shape their learning and development, by including a variety of cultural traditions and celebrations in our programs.

Positive and Respectful Relationships

We advocate the rights of every child. We respect the views and feelings of children and endeavour to develop warm, trusting and reciprocal relationships with each child at our service. Warm and trusting relationships with educators assist and support children as they develop new skills, build social and emotional relationships and become confident in their exploration of their environment and risk taking.

Educational Program

As early childhood professionals we know that play is essential for its ability to stimulate and engage children in intellectual, physical, social and creative development. Our role is to actively observe or become involved in children’s play in order to extend and support their learning and to enjoy shared and sustained conversations with each child in our service. We value sustainable practices and acknowledge the environment as a third teacher. Our programs reflect the integration of child-directed play and learning, guided play and learning and intentional teaching.

We believe that every child has the ability to learn and develop in our service and that by having high expectations we will achieve better outcomes for every child. We acknowledge that every child is unique and will require different opportunities and levels of support to learn and develop to their full potential. Our programs are strongly linked to the Victorian Early years learning and development framework.

Bush Time

What we believe makes our kindergarten unique is our amazing surrounds. We have deepened our connection to our landscape by introducing nature play to our Kindergarten. Children will venture outside the boundaries of the kindergarten and explore the beautiful nature we have at our door step. We provide a safe and stimulating environment both inside and outside our kindergarten to build on children’s culture, strengths, interests and knowledge.

Work Collaboratively as a Team and With Other Professionals

As professionals, we work collaboratively with other teachers and educators to ensure we provide support to families. Transitions to other services and schools can be an exciting time for parents and children; we play an active role in preparing families for these events. In order to be highly effective early childhood professionals, we acknowledge that we need to continually develop our professional knowledge and skills, as well as critically reflect on the program and service we provide to our families and their children.