At North Shore Childcare Centre, we know that putting your child first matters!
As parents are becoming more concerned about every aspect of their child’s life, the demand for child-centred education and care has increased.
A child-centred curriculum offers children the opportunity to make choices about what and how they want to play, as well as whom they want to play with. This approach enables children to initiate and direct their own play with the support of interested and responsive adults. In the early childhood education curriculum, children construct their own knowledge from their experiences and interactions with the world around them. Educators foster children’s growth and development by building on children’s interests, needs and strengths within a safe and caring environment.
Our educators take on many roles in play with children and use a range of strategies to support learning. They engage in sustained shared conversations with children to extend their thinking. Educators provide a balance between child led, child initiated, and educator supported learning. They create learning environments that encourage children to explore, solve problems, create and construct. They also interact with children to develop healthy attachment.
Child-centred education and care inspires children by giving them the steering wheel to explore what they are most curious about. Children direct their own learning; fostering a curiosity that will stick with them for life and help them grow to their fullest potential.
Parents who are attracted to child-centred education and care, see it as an easier transition into the childcare environment. Parents have also found this type of care to be a better fit when their child isn’t socially or emotionally ready for a large traditional day-care centre.
Our educators believe children should guide their own courses of learning and play. Activities should focus on what they are interested in. This interest maintains their attention to ensure they’re always learning.
The ideas behind child-centred education date back to the 19th century. Back then, kindergarten was believed to be “a garden for children” where kids could learn at their own pace. Children-centred education emphasises the importance of group work. This is done through encouraging children to collaborate on activities that broaden their minds. This approach considers the act of play as a type of work or lesson. When children play, they consistently learn. They discover how to plan, ask questions, and experiment.
