School readiness is a strong predictor of academic achievement. Kindergarten programs are foundational in helping children develop the skills and dispositions they need to be ready for school.
At Smartie Pants, our government subsidised Kindergarten Program is delivered by a Bachelor trained early childhood teacher and supported by two early childhood educators. Whilst most Kindergarten programs may offer similar teaching structures, not all Kindergarten Programs are the same.
At Smartie Pants, one of our core objectives is to help children develop the confidence and sense of self and agency they need to succeed in all aspects of life. We recognise that each child is unique in personality, their stage of development, culture, customs, values and abilities. We embrace this individuality and use it to create a learning environment that encourages children to capitalise on the individual strengths they bring to their learning.
School readiness is another core objective of our Kindergarten Program. School Readiness is about preparing children for a successful transition to a more focused school-based environment. The quality of children’s learning experiences and their relationships with their families and early childhood educators matters to their future learning. Our Kindergarten Program strives to provide rich learning experiences that build on children’s current knowledge and culture in a nurturing and responsive environment to help children become both school ready as well as world ready.
Our programs are informed by research and theory. For example, research identifies maths, reading and attention-related skills as the strongest predictors of academic success. Our kindergarten program places a strong emphasis on helping children develop the pre-number concepts that are foundational for maths success, the pre-reading concepts required for literacy success, as well as skills such as persistence and self-regulation, that are necessary for children’s developing attention.
We also use theory and research to inform our practices. For example, we use the Abecedarian Approach (Abecedarian Approach Australia) as one of many teaching strategies. This approach was founded in the United States and modified by the University of Melbourne to be Australia-specific. Through a study that has followed participants over their lifespan, the approach has proven to have had profound benefit for their long term social and academic success. With a language and responsive teaching focus, the approach uses the three key teaching strategies of Enriched Caregiving, Conversational Reading and specific Learning Games to enhance learning. You can find more information about this approach under Group Programs.
The impact of children not being ready for school has far reaching consequences beyond that of the first few years of school. We understand the importance of giving every child the benefit of a great head-start and we are driven by this understanding. We are passionate about our children and we look forward to helping them put their best foot forward for their educational journey