Your child’s Educators and carers are qualified to support and facilitate this vital period in your child’s learning and development, with each room designed for the specific needs of each age group. All learning programs will be developed using the Early Years Learning Framework ‘Belonging, Being and Becoming’, the national Early Childhood Education and Care ‘curriculum’.
Babies Birth-2
Our Pippies and Pebbles rooms are for the youngest children in the Centre. These rooms are appropriately provisioned with equipment and materials for very young babies to 2 year old toddlers. We believe that the essential component in the care of very young children is the provision of a secure, nurturing and calm environment whilst supporting their explorations and discoveries. Daily communication with you about your child at this stage is crucial as so many changes are occurring on a minute to minute basis.
During their first year of life significant development occurs with babies learning more and growing faster than they will at any other time in life.
Whilst milestones are approximate times when certain abilities are observable, babies are very flexible with every child growing and adjusting to the world at his or her own pace.
As babies move into their exciting second year their developing personality emerges. They are moving from babyhood into childhood, growing fast and learning lots! It is a time full of learning new skills (such as feeding themselves, learning to walk, learning to talk), being able to do more things independently but not always aware of the consequences of their actions, and a time of curious investigations of everything around them.
The Educators’ responsive care reflects the vital role they play in your young child’s development, and they work to build relationships and make connections with your baby, and become attuned to your baby’s cues. This ensures your baby’s physical needs are met, but also and very importantly, their social, emotional, and communicative needs.
A typical day includes:
Play time inside and outside focusing on sensory-motor stimulation, play for the under 2’s together as well as some time in their own room dedicated to more age appropriate activity – floor and tummy time for the babies and time for pretend play, exploring craft materials and natural elements, starting to problem solve with puzzles, and of course, singing and dancing for the 1 to 2’s.
In between all of that activity, time needs to be given to responsive care giving in relation to the children’s personal care – feeding, eating and bathrooming.
The day will focus on your child’s own individual daily rhythm and pattern.
