Kindergarten in long day care settings is helping children get ready for school, supports learning, and helps families manage their busy lives.
Families don’t run on a 9am-3pm schedule - between work commitments, sport, dance, swimming lessons, pets, family time, and everything in between, they are busy! Of course children do not stop operating after those hours either - they can be learning at any time of the day.
When children are in kindergarten, high-quality early learning and flexible hours are important for families, and it’s important for children too.
That’s why Goodstart’s kindergarten program combines the flexibility of long day care with structured, high-quality, play-based learning programs designed by Bachelor-qualified teachers.
Goodstart’s government-approved kindergarten programs support children to learn the language, literacy, cognitive, social, and emotional skills they need to be ready for school.
Goodstart pedagogy and practice general manager Sue Robb OBE said the longer hours also provided more opportunities for educators to support individual learning.
“We’re all about rich, play-based learning that happens across an entire day,” Sue said.
“Of course there’s plenty of time for fun with friends, but we couple that with structure and routines that make the move to school that much easier. Morning tea, using lunchboxes, learning about numbers, and finding out about books and letters are all part of a normal day at kindy.
“Our teachers love the extra hours with the children, as they get to spend more one-on-one time with each child and build stronger relationships, which are critical to nurturing a love of learning.
“In long-day kindergarten there is time to foster a really deep understanding of how to support the children to make them confident and happy learners.”
With a whole day available, teachers can capture the right time for each child to learn - it’s not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. There’s also more time for building friendships and exploring new interests.
It’s one of the reasons parents choose Goodstart - they know their children are getting prepared for school through personalised, approved Kindergarten and play-based learning by qualified teachers all day long.
Plus, families benefit from the flexibility and convenience of our extended hours, and five-day-a-week program, which takes the pressure off drop-offs and pick-ups, and the need for additional child care.