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A refurb grand enough for the Mayor

Cire Children’s Services kicked off the new year with a refurbishment of the kinder room at our Mt Evelyn campus. The refurbished area features individual learning spaces that encourage interactive play and early development of social skills. This valuable space is now a multi-age classroom where children have the room to explore with their friends and create their own adventures.

Kinder grand Opening by Mayor Len CoxOur 4-year-old kindergarten room was officially opened by Cr Len Cox on Wednesday 28th February 2018. We marked the event with a plaque which was unveiled by Cr Cox followed by a special morning tea.

“They’ve done a marvellous job.” Cr Len Cox Mayor of Yarra Ranges

It was an exciting day for everyone involved especially the children and staff of our Pre-school room. The children decided to bake some chocolate chip cookies for the morning tea which provided a great learning experience focusing on literacy, numeracy and science while they read the recipe, measured the ingredients and watched the cookies rise. The children couldn’t wait to sample some of their cookies to ensure they were up to their standards for our guests. Cooking is a simple task that can be transformed into a great learning opportunity for all to enjoy.

The room was beautifully set up with the children’s interests and needs at the forefront. There were displays of the children’s learning journey and lots of activities set up to showcase the learning that happens in Cire kindergarten. The kindergarten children and the team have worked hard to make their room a wonderful educational environment fostering individuality and creativity.

Thank you to everyone that helped with this event, our cook who made scones and prepared morning tea and special thanks to our kindergarten team and the children for all their hard work and for the yummy chocolate cookies. We would also like to thank the Cire maintenance team who managed the refurbishments and to everyone who attended to celebrate with us. Finally, thank you to Cr Len Cox for taking time out of his busy schedule to officiate our Kindergarten Room Opening.

For further information regarding Cire Children’s Services call 1300 835 235.

Connecting Generations

Since July the kindergarten children from Cire have been lucky enough to visit the Estia Health Aged Care Facility. As part of their experience, the children got to complete different activities to engage with the residents. They have painted artwork for the art show, played games, completed puzzles, been hands-on making threaded necklaces, worked together on craft activities, they sang songs, played musical instruments and had a chat. The residents even got to show off their favourite songs and share their memories with the children. Guiding the children through their past times and experiences was a highlight for them with the children eager to learn more.

On one of the excursions to Estia some of the children had made cards for their newly found friends, it was on this day that one of them was having a very special birthday, Elsbeth was turning 94. The children were able to celebrate with her and her friends by singing happy birthday and joining in on the fun. It was a joy to see Elsbeth have so many little friends celebrate her big day.

It’s wonderful to observe the two groups of people becoming more comfortable and open with each other, learning to communicate in different ways. There was even an animal resident that was a big hit with the children, a fat cat called Elle. She meandered her way through the centre collecting hugs and pats as she went. The children learnt that Elle the cat’s role was to make the residents feel calm and make Estia feel like home.

The interactions that have occurred have been simple and easy going, there has been some small talk, discussions of how to play games and what each other enjoys doing; some even mentioning what they had liked when ‘they’ were in kindergarten. One of the residents told me,

“It was so lovely seeing the children when they visited, they bring life back into my heart and I smile so much when they are here”. Resident of Estia Health Aged Care Facility

Through this exchange, the children have had the opportunity to connect, develop and experience what it means to have respect and to care for people of all ages and abilities.

We look forward to further developing our relationships and are excited to be working towards a fun Christmas concert for our new friends, with the possibility for them to attend our end of year graduation ceremony.

Thank you so much to the Estia Health Aged Care Facility for the having our children come and visit.

If you would like to find out more about our Cire Children’s Services kindergarten program or would like to come to the centre for a tour contact 1300 835 235.

 

A fresh approach to learning

Cire Children’s Centre has had the pleasure of having the enthusiastic Jo Gaissl attend to assist educators in implementing the Linking Learning program. The Linking Learning program was developed to improve the learning outcomes for Victorian children from birth to 12 years, using song, stories, language and play. This program presented facts about how language can be impacted by a child’s environment.

Did you know that by the age of three, children born into low-income families heard roughly 3 million fewer words than their more affluent peers. With this knowledge knowing that our children could be missing out on vital learning experiences we can aim to improve their future by utilising the tools used in the Linking Learning Program. Check out the video below to see how this program has been of benefit to our community.

Jo Gaissl spent five weeks mentoring Cire educators across our children’s services. During this time Jo helped the educators gain skills in communication methods and refining teaching practices to include additional language development opportunities for the children.

As part of the Linking Learning Program educators were allocated one on one professional mentoring time to further explore language opportunities. These included stories, song, dance, movement and social opportunities.

“It’s a fantastic program! Having been involved in the pilot has demonstrated the need to focus on language development. At Cire we welcome opportunities to further enhance the child’s experience and learning outcomes because education is the key to every child’s future.” Lysa Smart – Centre director, Yarra Junction Childcare

“This program has really opened my eyes to a new understanding of the way we communicate with children and in the ways in which we can extend this in our every day lives. It has given me more confidence and the tools in which I can use to teach language to children.”Claire Savage – educator, Yarra Junction Childcare

This individual focus time was unique as it was tailored to suit each educator. During this time educators had a chance to show their own strengths, discover language learning processes and learn how to use many unknown day-to-day opportunities in a children’s education setting.

Educators were able to then use these professional mentoring times and reflect on their language and planning, celebrate their achievements and consider further exploration and direction in their professional learning, with the aim to implement these tools on a daily basis.

“I’m getting a lot out of the program; it’s really helped me to have a better understanding of linguistic development” Toula – educator, Yarra Junction Childcare

“Jo has helped me to utilise language in addressing and guiding behavior, she brings lots of fresh ideas!” Rebecca – 4 year old kinder teacher, Yarra Junction Childcare

Programs such as this are a wonderful opportunity to discover new language learning processes for the educators to use in their teaching practices.  We would like to thank Jo Gaissl for her hard work with the Linking Learning Program and for giving Cire the opportunity to participate.

If you would like further information on Cire Children’s Centre or our kindergarten program, click here to learn more, or you can contact us to arrange a tour on 1300 835 235

Fun with Mathematics

Mathematics is a skill that everybody uses in their everyday lives. We use these skills to purchase groceries, cook a cake, and even to work out the right amount of paint when doing some DIY. Whether it is a part of your working life or to complete that everyday task at home, mathematics is definitely something we cannot avoid and is a skill that is best practised and learnt when young.

Lysa Smart, Childcare Director and Rebecca Clark, Preschool Teacher from Cire Children’s Services, Yarra Junction, were lucky enough to be invited to attend the Let’s Count Program, which was offered by The Smith Family who provides training on mathematics in the early years’ education sector. The program supports educators by providing strong mathematics concepts throughout the educational setting. Starting from nursery and leading up to kindergarten, as well as giving the educators tools to assist those families, who may have in the past experienced mathematics as a scary concept and to help to re-introduce the importance of mathematic skills into people’s everyday lives.

Some of the mathematical concept skills used are: counting through games, puzzles, books and songs; such as The Hungry Caterpillar and Ten in the Bed. Another is the exploration of measurement, weight and height. This can be achieved by exploring with blocks to construct a building, making play dough, creating shapes, pattern making, sorting with beads and much more.

“It opened my thinking process about how many mathematical concepts are in our everyday lives. I feel confident that our curriculum can support mathematic concepts in order to provide the children with the tools to succeed in primary school”. – Lysa Smart Family and Children’s Services Director Yarra Junction 

The suggestions and materials supplied by The Smith Family assisted in building new ways of thinking about mathematics and potentially extending the learning opportunities for the children attending childcare.

Here at Cire children are offered opportunities to explore these concepts through a play based learning environment as well as through teaching sessions where educators explore ideas and methods used by the children. We are able to use this fun way of learning to help the child achieve a specific outcome and help to expand their skills in mathematics.

“The Let’s Count program offered great ideas and opened my mind to thinking mathematically. I feel that I am now more prepared to use correct terms with the children and have a better understanding of how to prepare them for school”. Rebecca Clarke Pre-school

In August Cire Children’s Services will be hosting an open evening with the main focus being mathematics. Understanding and learning the processes, aiding families to encourage maths in their home environment and reaffirm the importance it plays in our lives. The evening will be chance for families to meet our educators and take a tour of the facilities.

If you would like further information on Cire Children’s Centre or our kindergarten program, click here to learn more, or you can contact to organise a tour on 1300 835 235.

Funded integrated kindergarten program – the benefits

We all have busy lives to live, whether it is work commitments, family obligations, or even that specialist appointment we often see ourselves as time poor. When it comes to kinder for our little ones, it’s hard to make time work for us. Not every family has the flexibility to attend an everyday sessional kinder program. This is where funded integrated kindergarten programs can help.

Funded integrated kindergarten have been introduced to long day care services to assist families who are unable to attend a sessional kindergarten program.

Some of the benefits include:

  • Flexibility to choose when you drop off and pick up your child
  • Convenient opening and closing times, giving you plenty of time to get through that busy traffic, morning or night. No need to organise drop-off or pick-up times with work, family or friends

Your children also get to experience a full day with a set kinder program. Most sessional kindergartens generally only offer a short day program; whereas children who attend an integrated kindergarten access the program all day long, assisting in better preparing your child for the longer days when they start school.

One question you may have is: Does my child have the same access to qualified teachers as a sessional kinder? And the answer is, yes.

A fully qualified kindergarten teacher is there supporting your child through their learning; and when it’s time for interactive play, your child will continue their journey with the aid of children’s services educators.

Another bonus is having a cook on premises who prepares all meals for the children. Meals are made according to dietary requirements, just in case your child has any food allergies. This means no packing of lunch boxes; which saves you time on those hectic mornings.

We all love receiving those special works of art from the creative minds of our children to keep for future memories. So at the end of each year, your child will receive an individual portfolio of all their learning experiences. This special portfolio gives you the opportunity to see the ins and outs of their daily kinder life. Group activities, incursions/excursions, photographs, and experiences learned are just a few events that are covered in on these keepsakes. Your child will love looking through their portfolios and reflect on what they have learnt and have shared with others in their community,

Opportunities to go on regular excursions happen throughout the year, some of the places include the local library and community garden. In Yarra Junction we have a Bush Kinders which offers a curriculum where children get to learn about the environment and experience the great outdoors on a bush block to encourage imaginative play.

Government endorsed transition statements are completed for your child’s new primary school prep teacher and a school readiness program is also run during term 4 in preparation for the transition into primary school.

The fees for funded kindergarten are incorporated in the service fees, so there is no additional cost to you. You can also claim Child Care Benefit (CCB) and Child Care Rebate (CCR) as the program is integrated into the long day care services.

The government stipulates that a child must attend fifteen hours a week to meet the criteria for funded kindergarten. Cire Children’s Services funded kindergarten programs run for 7.5 hours a day, 4 days a week, with the kindergarten teacher planning the curriculum on the 5th day. To meet the criteria, a child can attend from 2 days to 5 days.

If you would like further information on Cire kinder programs and childcare services, click here to learn more, or you can contact to organise a tour on 1300 835 235.

Journey into nature

Starting in early March, Rebecca and Claire, two Early Childhood Educators with Cire Children’s Services began a 6 session exploration of Nature Pedagogy.

Pedagogy is described as “the study and theory of the methods and principles of teaching” (Collins Dictionary) and Natural Pedagogy is described as “An understanding of our sense of belonging to land, our sense of working with nature. There is a pedagogical shift when you move outside into nature… it’s learning with nature, not just teaching about it.” Claire Warden, Educational Consultant.

The Nature Pedagogy course is run by the knowledgeable and passionate Claire Warden, an International Educational Consultant who has had many years of experience working with children, professionals and in the outdoors. Claire Warden is a recognised author of more than 20 books, has started her own nature kindergarten in Scotland and is involved in many community projects and organisations.

Rebecca, who is the pre-school teacher for the four year old kindergarten group at Yarra Junction campus and Claire the kindergarten assistant, are attending the course to further their ability to implement the natural environment into their curriculum and to learn how to engage children (and themselves) in the beauty, awe and wonder of nature and beyond.

“Nature is a powerful teacher” Claire Warden, Educational Consultant

The first two sessions held in March explored concepts like working with hand tools such as whittling tools, saws, files, sandpaper, hole punches and hammers. Rebecca and  Claire learnt how to make cordage, the art of weaving and how to bind materials together using rope/string. They examined a Risk Benefit Assessment and looked at the advantages of positive risk, and how to encourage children to be responsible for their own safety.

“We learnt that when children are provided with the right level of risk in a supervised environment they are encouraged to learn to assess their own skills and match them to demands of the environment. In turn, children are able to think for themselves and assess risks appropriately, subconsciously or consciously asking themselves “how high can I climb this tree?” “Will this log hold my weight?” “Can I jump that distance” etc. Risk is important in developing these skills and furthermore help children to develop resilience and confidence.” Claire Savage, kindergarten assistant.

Rebecca and Claire engaged in discussions about the need to explore the ‘great beyond’ and move past the indoor environment, in order to further children’s understandings of the natural and constructed world.

“It is important for children to engage in the natural environment as it instils a sense of awe and wonder which cannot be found in the material environment. Sensory elements in the natural environment encourage children to use all of their senses when investigating the world and the benefits of physical play it is well known – which is also stimulated by natural outdoor play. The natural environment helps us to connect to the environment and concepts such as sustainability, environmental awareness and action.” Claire Savage, kindergarten assistant.

Rebecca and Claire also explored concepts such as territories, and looked into the art of cubby building and encouraging children to become hands on and advocates in their learning journeys.

Rebecca and Claire have absorbed and learnt an immense amount from the Nature Pedagogy course in the first two sessions and are very much looking forward to the remaining sessions to be held later in the year. These sessions will cover natural elements including sand, mud, clay, puddles, wind, light and shadow, feathers and flight and demonstrate how these elements can be used in an experiential basis in the kinder room or classroom to encourage and inspire learning.

For further information about Claire Warden, Educational Consultant click here

Cire Children’s Services Yarra Junction 4 year old funded bush kindergarten is now taking enrolments. For further information visit our Children’s Services page and also keep your eye our for the Yarra Ranges Kids magazine (due out end of this month) for a featured article on the benefits of the program.

My country, our country – we all belong

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day (Children’s Day) which is held on the 4th August every year, was celebrated at Cire Children’s Centre in Yarra Junction.

Children’s Day is a day to celebrate the strengths and culture of our indigenous children. It is a day to help these children stand tall and feel proud and connected to their heritage. It is also a day to help all children learn about the importance of community, culture and family.

The theme of this year’s Children’s Day was “My Country, Our Country- We All Belong.” With this in mind, the children, their parents and staff at the Centre were asked 3 questions

  1. What is belonging?
  2. What does belonging mean to you?
  3. What does it feel like to belong?

Some of the responses were:

“We live somewhere” Eleanor, K4
“Eating. I’m happy” Brachan, K3
“Being in a family friendly environment” Adam, indigenous parent
“With my mummy” Alannah, toddler
“Feeling a part of where I am” Michelle, parent
“The kids know me and talk to me” Leah, work placement student
“Staying with family” Aden, K4
“Feels good” Jenny, toddler
“LOVED” Ash, indigenous parent
“Have fun” Amelia, toddler
“Being accepted for who you are, not what you look like” Bec, parent
“Being part of the jigsaw” Demi, staff
“Identity and origins” Tony, staff

Children's Day creations

The Yarra Junction 4 year old kinder group (K4) had a visit from the Mount Evelyn K4 group and together they explored the Bush Kinder area. This is an area of bushland adjacent to the three and four year old kindergarten rooms and, through their time spent exploring, allows the children to engage in outdoor spaces with plants, trees, rocks, mud and water to invite open ended interactions, spontaneity, risk taking and a connection with nature and the land. The uninterrupted time spent engaging with natural materials helps the children explore and make use of the land they learn and play on.

Other activities that were held on Children’s Day included engaging with indigenous puzzles including those from indigenous Australian artists and photos of our native land and also sharing dream time stories together in bush kinder on the yarning mat. The children really enjoyed how the birds got their colours and when the snake bites the sun.

The children were inspired and enthused when they painted outdoors in the bush kinder using earth colours and tones. Educators discussed with the children how they thought people used paints long before there were paint brushes. The children were then encouraged to source their own materials for painting. Many choose bark, leaves and sticks to use in the paint.

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day was a fantastic experience for not only the children who attend Cire Children’s Centres, but also for their parents and educators.

“We would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land in which we learn and play, and recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.”

Related blog article – Kindergarten a child’s garden

For further information about our early childhood education and care services click here.

Kindergarten – a child’s garden

Take a moment to imagine the kindergarten world: letters, numbers, and stories, sharing blocks, puzzles, play, paint and play-dough. Imagination and creativity fills the air. As you talk with your child about their day and celebrate their best effort on the work they do, remember that kindergarten is a “child’s garden.” Many times the process is more important than the product, and learning is accomplished by doing, touching, and experiencing.

Kindergarten has many benefits and plays an important role in your child’s educational journey, these include:

  1. Social skills, like how to play with other children in a calm, sharing and rewarding way
  2. Self-awareness and respect for others
  3. Emotional skills, for example understanding their feelings and considering others
  4. Language, literacy and numeracy skills, such as reading stories and counting objects
  5. Participating in group activities, such as talking, drawing and making things together with other children their own age
  6. Making new friends
  7. being exposed to new ideas and concepts

You can find out more by visiting the Victorian Government Kindergarten Benefits webpage.

Bush Kindergarten 

A Bush kindergarten is a type of preschool education for children held outdoors in the natural environment. In many forms of weather, children are encouraged to take the lead in playing, exploring and learning in a natural environment.

“Imagine a place where the carpet changes every day, the ceiling is a myriad of different colours, light, shadow and movement. The feelings and movement completely surround you, sometimes breezy, sometimes cold, others warm. Unexpected wonders fly by, sometimes full of colour and sometimes full of noise and movement. If we really want children to thrive we need to let their connection to nature nurture them.” Claire Warden Educational Consultant and primary advocate for nature play.

UYCH Bush Kinder program is based on our beliefs of:

  1. Children having uninterrupted time to play in natural environments with open-ended materials allows them to engage in a range of activities that foster their development and learning, encouraging them to become flexible thinkers, develop self-confidence and independence.
  2. Children develop strong connections with nature and sustainable practices, developing a deeper awareness of the impact the environment can have on them and future generations.
  3. Through play in a natural environment, children are able to learn through their own curiosity and willingness to explore their surroundings, becoming involved learners they develop a stronger sense of achievement when completing tasks and making new discoveries. This helps children to have a more positive sense of them, giving a stronger sense of identity and enhances their self-esteem.
  4. Physical skills are enhanced and developed in natural outdoor settings that provide multiple affordances through natural and open-ended materials. This allows for children to increase the coordinated functioning of the central nervous system, aiding in balance, control of body movements, dramatic gains in motor coordination as well as supporting connections between the cerebellum and cerebral cortex which supports thinking, memory, planning and language.
  5. Children are provided with opportunities to develop risk assessment skills through play in the natural environment. Through this play, children are able to engage in challenging experiences that acquire confidence, achievement as well as an awareness of limits and boundaries.
  6. The play is child initiated and is based on their thoughts and ideas. This form of play is used as a platform for intentional teaching by educators and allows for children interests in the natural world to be continually explored and built upon with the children being active participants in their learning and development.
  7. Through the bush kinder program, children are able to develop attitudes and dispositions about the natural world as well as each other. Social development is enhanced through children being provided with opportunities to explore their thoughts and ideas with their peers, developing relationships with others based on respect for individual identity.

The bush kindergarten program scaffolds the children’s understandings of our local history, Australian folklore and Indigenous culture. It enables the children to engage in outdoor spaces with plants, trees, rocks, mud and water to invite open ended interactions, spontaneity, risk taking and a connection with nature.

If you would like to know more about UYCH kindergarten programs click here.

Little green thumbs having loads of fun

During the recent school holidays, our kinder aged children were encouraged to try out their green thumbs at out Mt Evelyn Children’s Centre. With the help of their educators they planted alfalfa seeds on wet paper in little cups, and beans and peas in pots and in our garden. When our kinder teacher came back at the start of term they had already sprouted, and the children were delighted to see the little seedlings get taller each day.

It didn’t stop there, last week they de-seeded the dried sunflower heads that they had grown last summer in preparation to plant. The children enjoyed getting their gloves on and pouring potting mix into the egg cartons that had been collected. Each having a go at planting some of the little seeds. They also planted broad beans a few months ago, and these are now growing beautifully in the tyres in our yard. They are flowering at the moment and the children hope to get some beans from them soon.

Using books, pictures and posters they discussed the life cycle of the sunflower, as well as other plant life-cycles at group time. The children have also enjoyed using these same materials to research, discuss different plants, and eventually they will decide what they will be planting in our plot in the community garden next door.

These activities all have connections to our Early Years Learning Framework, which is our guide in curriculum and programming. The areas this is described as incorporating are:

  • Community – exploring the relationships between living things and notice the changes that occur to them.
  • Learning – making connections between the processes of planting and having enthusiasm and confidence to take part.
  • Communication – contributing their ideas to the discussions. Overall it is getting children in touch with nature, and the joy of seeing and hopefully eating what they’ve grown.

UYCH Early Childhood Education and Care services have proven to be an excellent choice in the valley. Recently our Yarra Junction Children’s Centre received an accreditation of Exceeding by the Department of Education and Training. If you would like to know more about the accreditation and our services click the links below.

UYCH Children’s Centre – exceeds expectations
UYCH Family and Children’s Centre

Never too young to learn about fire safety

The UYCH Yarra Junction Kindergarten children visited the Hillcrest Fire Station last week. They were greeted by the brigade members and each child had their very own turn of squirting water from the hose putting a big smile on all their faces. Our educators Maddie, Sarah and Suzie had a go at well, Sarah knocked the tub over with her hose and everyone thought that was very impressive.

It was extremely exciting when all the children were given a tour of the fire truck and even got to sit in the truck. Then they embarked on a trip inside the station and learnt about making a fire plan and that when there is a fire they need to get down low and go, go, go!

The children were introduced to a member of the brigade who was wearing a breathing apparatus and we listened to the funny sound it made. They learnt not to be scared and that fire fighters help us. They called out “Fire Brigade” and everybody yelled “I’m here”

The children were even made a delicious morning tea and including Milo which was a big hit. Overall a brilliant time was had by all and they gained appreciation for the great work our fire fighters do in order to protect our community. The children had loads to say about the day, here is what some of them said:

“My Favourite part was squirting the hose. I liked it when the tubs fell over”

“I loved going in the fire trucks and hearing the sirens and seeing the lights and I liked the show bag the most”

“I loved squirting the water and seeing the lights”

“We squirted the hose and then we had a look in the fire trucks and we saw the fire car and we dipped a bickie in our Milo”

“We practised what to do in a fire. You have to duck and crawl out to the letterbox. And we did funny jokes like can you hide in the toilet?”

This is our first excursion to a fire station with a kindergarten group and thanks to the Hillcrest Fire Brigade it won’t be our last.  The children had there best time so thank you to all involved, we can’t wait till next year.

Click here for further information on UYCH Family and Children’s Services.