Making a Difference Childcare at Beacon Hill

2 years - 3 years

The toddler space is all about growing independence and autonomy. The educators have created a space where ‘doing things myself’ is encouraged, no matter how much mess that means. This program is built around each child’s own interests, family culture and input about each child’s growth needs. Educators build on many skills, including emotional regulation, verbal and non-verbal communication, exploration, curiosity and self confidence. The children are developing their own natural sense of inquiry and self-directed learning. The team encourages collaborative learning through play, introducing more group projects and classroom wide programs for this age group as appropriate.

Making a DIfference at Beacon Hill has a wonderful preschool curriculum and school readiness program. The bachelor qualified Early Childood teacher delivers the Early Years Learning Framework to the children through a range of teaching methods. Lavinia, the teacher, also has a background in fine arts and is always incorporating many mediums of expression into her program. Children’s development is monitored under these 5 key curriculum areas. 

• Children have a strong sense of identity.
• Children are connected with and contribute to their world.
• Children have a strong sense of wellbeing.
• Children are confident and involved learners.
• Children are effective communicators.

These key learning areas cover everything from literacy and numeracy, using technology, stong key values, working together and understanding the world around us. The Early Years Learning Framework enables childcare professionals, educators and early childhood teachers within an early childhood setting to extend and enrich children's learning, provide opportunities for children to develop a foundation for learning and for children to become successful learners.

Harper is 2.5 years old, and really loves playing outside with the big trucks in the sand pit. When she arrives as 8:30am, her class is already outside in the playground and she goes straight over to find her best friend Jack. Jack and Harper spend almost an hour together racing around the playground, until they have a big appetite for the morning fruit platter with raisin toast. 

The class goes inside for morning tea, and after a story and a game on the carpet, Harper goes to the table top activities and spends some time completing a difficult puzzle, she is really proud and shows her teacher, who takes a photo of it and posts it on Storypark for her Mum and Dad to see. 

After her puzzle, Harper goes to the building corner, and works with some other children to build a tall tower. Their educator watches as they problem solve and fix the wobbly bits, they decide to leave it standing when they pack up for lunch, so they can show their mums and dads in the afternoon.  

After lunch Harper clears away her own plate and cutlery into the washing up bowl and goes to make her bed for a rest. 

After listening to some calming music and having a rest, it’s time to get up. The class works together to pack away their beds and head back outside for some physical activity and their afternoon tea, today it's fruit muffins and cheese and biscuits, and soon it's time to go home.

Sophie is 4 years old, and lately she has been very interested in cooking. Her teacher has made some plans to incorporate cooking into the daily program for her today. In the playground, there is a mud kitchen, equipped with pots and pans, water, some herbs picked from the garden, lots of muffin tins and spoons. Sophie spots it right away and takes her mum over to see it. She starts to whip up a batch of muffins and Mum gives her a kiss goodbye. 

After morning tea, Sophie's teacher reads a book about baking, and has set up an activity inside for the children to make a shopping list. They are going to walk to the shopping centre to buy the ingredients to make muffins for afternoon tea. 

Sophie’s teacher helps them write the words for flour, butter, sugar and eggs. Some of the children draw pictures instead, and some of the children write the numbers of each ingredient too.

As soon as they are done with their lists, they get their hats on and their shopping bags, and walk around the block to the shops. They gather their ingredients, and talk to the lady at the checkout and head back to Preschool. By the time they get back, its time for eating lunch and a having a rest. 

Sophie has a small, quiet rest, but doesn’t fall asleep today, she gets up and while waiting for her friends to wake up, they do some puzzles at the table and help their classmates pack up their sheets and beds ready for the afternoon.  

The class makes their muffins and then sits on the carpet to have their French lesson while they wait for them to bake. They decide to have a picnic afternoon tea and take their muffins out onto the grass in the shade. Sophie and her friends practice making muffins in the sandpit again in the afternoon, reciting the ingredients and going shopping at the play shop for everything they need. 

Dad collects Sophie at 5pm, and is greeted with a saved muffin made by Sophie for afternoon tea.