chevron_right Why Preschool Is Important For Your Child

Why Preschool Is Important For Your Child

Preschool is an exciting adventure for children and their families.

It’s a huge opportunity for your child to play, learn, and socialize in a safe environment with their peers, while also building on all of the important skills you’ve already taught them at home.

Did you know that what your child learns in preschool will carry on with them well into university or TAFE?

To help you navigate this important milestone in your child’s life, we’ve put together this comprehensive guide to show you everything you need to know about preschool programs in your area, what your child will be learning, and how to choose a program that fits your family’s individual needs.

To learn more about the high-quality preschool programs at Guardian, call us today at 1300 765 560.

 

WHAT IS PRESCHOOL

The play-based framework

Preschool is an early education program in Australia that takes place prior to your child entering full-time primary school. Preschool is taught by qualified early education teachers who specialize in working with kids in this age group.

Fortunately, the Australian government places great value on providing high-quality and accessible preschool programs to all children throughout the country. So, they have developed subsidies and programs to assist parents in paying for preschool programs for their children. 

And to ensure that all Australian children ages 0-5 are taught a consistent, high-quality curriculum, the Australian government has developed the Early Years Learning Framework.

Preschools throughout Australia use this framework to plan, implement, and evaluate a high-quality preschool curriculum so that all young Australians become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens.

The 5 learning outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework include:

  • Children have a strong sense of identity  
  • Children are connected with and contribute to their world  
  • Children have a strong sense of wellbeing  
  • Children are confident and involved learners  
  • Children are effective communicators

And because preschool programs are found in independent schools, primary schools, and childcare centres in Australia, you have many options available to choose from. 

To find the right fit for your family, it’s recommended that you tour several preschools in your area, ask questions, and build rapport with their staff. 

Call us today at 1300 765 560 to book a tour of a Guardian childcare centre near you.


THE PURPOSE OF PRESCHOOL

Why you should send your child to preschool

Research shows that the many benefits received from an early childhood education program are long-lasting, and they prepare your child for academic success for years to come.

The long-term benefits of sending your child to preschool include:

  • Learning academic skills that carry over to higher grades
  • Building social and emotional skills in a safe environment
  • Developing communication, language, and numeracy skills
  • Becoming a life-long learner

And children who attend a preschool program:

  • Graduate from secondary school in higher numbers
  • Often earn a higher wage 
  • Are less likely to fail a grade
  • Are identified as having special needs less often

Preschool programs also help your child build self-confidence and independence. So your child will feel capable and intelligent while also being able to handle the transition more easily when it’s time to separate from family during school hours.

Since all children in Australia have access to quality preschool, it’s also a great opportunity for your child to play with peers from all backgrounds, celebrate diversity, and learn fascinating facts about different cultures.

Plus, enrolling your child in preschool frees you up to return to work, run errands, complete household chores, or care for other family members in the home.

Learn more about Guardian’s unique and innovative preschool programs.


CURRICULUM

What your child will learn in preschool

Your child has already learned an incredible amount of information since birth. So, their preschool teacher will meet them where they’re at and guide them in building upon the knowledge and skills your child has already mastered.

With a focus on academic, emotional, and social skill-building, preschool programs are a holistic approach to educating the whole child through play-based activities. Because play is fun, and it’s how kids learn. 

Many of the activities your child will learn through play are:

  • Sorting
  • Counting
  • Measuring
  • Identifying shapes
  • Cutting
  • Gluing
  • Identifying colours
  • Drawing
  • Painting
  • Colouring
  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Listening
  • Pretending
  • Climbing
  • Jumping
  • Running

With a play-based curriculum in your child’s preschool, you can expect them to develop fine motor skills, communication skills, and critical thinking and problem-solving skills too.

Learn more about how your child can learn through play.


SELECTING A PRESCHOOL

How to choose the right preschool program

While getting recommendations and reading reviews is an important part of finding any business to work with, it’s really important to tour preschools in your area in person. An in-person tour tells you a lot about a preschool that you simply can’t find online. 

When you walk in the door, how are you greeted? Are the staff members welcoming and inviting? Does the space inspire your child to be creative and to explore? How do the teachers engage with your child and your whole family while you’re there? Do they value their partnership with you as the parents?

It’s important to visit each preschool with a written list of questions so that you don’t forget to ask anything. Be sure to get details on the enrollment process, health and safety policies and procedures, cost, and the preschool curriculum they offer.

And don’t forget preschools can fill up really quickly. Some preschools even have waiting lists, so it’s best to start looking for preschools way ahead of time if at all possible.

Did you know that 94% of Guardian centres meet or exceed the National Quality Standard?

 

PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS

The preschool programs at Guardian

At Guardian, our relationships with both children and families matter. That’s why we encourage all families in the surrounding areas to come into a centre and see for themselves what our innovative preschool programs are made of and how we partner with families to ensure the best education for each child we serve.

From passionate educators guiding student learning with the help of a high-quality, play-based curriculum to our sensory-rich indoor and outdoor spaces, our on-site vegetable and herb gardens, our mindfulness and movement programs, and our cultural programs, we’re confident you’ll see just how much effort our Guardian team puts into our holistic approach to education.

With two age-based preschool programs to choose from, your child can experience the many benefits that come along with one or both years of instruction. And they’ll build self-confidence as they think, create, innovate, and explore with their peers.

Both our Moving On Up To Preschool and Moving On Up To School programs are intentionally designed to prepare your child for primary school and beyond. 

Based on the Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Standard for early childhood education, our programs are carefully aligned to meet and exceed all of the requirements set forth by the Australian government.

And our educators are highly-skilled in adapting this curriculum to meet your child’s individual learning needs—putting them at the centre of their own learning journey.

 

MOVING ON UP TO PRESCHOOL

Our preschool program for three-year-olds

All of our teachers and staff at Guardian are educated and skilled experts in the early childhood education field. They understand what takes place in each of the developmental stages, so they know exactly how to help your child build on their current knowledge and abilities.

Our play-based curriculum was intentionally created to meet and exceed the standards from the Early Years Learning Framework, the National Quality Framework, and the Australian School Curriculum, so it focuses on:

  • Helping your child build social and emotional skills
  • Encouraging curiosity, investigation, and problem-solving through play
  • Building language, numeracy, and listening skills 
  • Developing self-confidence and independence 
  • Promoting your child’s physical and emotional wellbeing
  • Demonstrating creative and expressive concepts and skills

At age three, literacy looks like creating symbols to communicate meaning, reading every day, and exploring a range of texts to understand words and how they’re used. And numeracy looks like understanding numbers, measurement, geometry, and time. It’s incredible how much three-year-olds can learn through play.

And because of our commitment to building relationships with families, we developed a unique Visible Learning Program. This Visible Learning Program is a way for us to share with you what your child has learned every day during pickup.

And since our preschool program is located within our childcare centre, your family can also take advantage of the longer care hours available to you. This provides a lot of flexibility for parents with busy schedules.

So, schedule a tour and see our teachers, staff, and Moving On Up To Preschool students in action for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.  

Book your tour of our Moving On Up To Preschool program today by calling us at 1300 765 560.

MOVING ON UP TO SCHOOL

Our preschool program for four-year-olds

Based firmly on contemporary early years learning research and practice, our Moving On Up To School Program is perfectly designed for our four-year-old learners.

Our Moving on up to School Program includes open-ended, play-based activities that:

  • Teach basic numeracy and literacy skills
  • Embed valuable social and emotional skills 
  • Have clear learning outcomes to prepare your child for formal education

All of our play-based activities also help your child:

  • Understand new concepts
  • Learn to believe in themselves
  • Get curious about the world around them
  • Build practical life skills
  • Explore new ideas
  • Make predictions and experiment
  • Discover exciting resources
  • Solve problems and collaborate

And just like our Moving On Up To Preschool Program, our Moving On Up To School Program comes with the added benefit of the extended care hours we offer for busy families. So, there’s no need to adjust your busy work schedule for every pickup and dropoff.

Our preschool educators work hard every day to make sure your child will be fully prepared for success in both primary and secondary school and beyond. And they do this by supporting your child as they think things through, look for answers, and solve problems all on their own.

Developing these important skills instils a love for lifelong learning because, at Guardian, we feel that learning is a journey that never ends.

Here are some of the things you can expect when you enrol your child in our Moving On Up To School Program:

  • Social and emotional learning including how to make friends, how to respect others, how to cooperate, and how to contribute in both small and large group settings
  • Language and literacy including how to communicate effectively, how to develop a love for reading, how to recognize rhythm and rhyme patterns, and how to pretend
  • Early mathematic concepts including investigating numbers, patterns, and measurements
  • Healthy and physical learning including making healthy choices, staying active, and refining gross and fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination
  • Science and technology including investigation and critical thinking, making plans, designs, and predictions, and comparing and evaluating
  • Creative arts and expression including expressing yourself through play, dance, storytelling, and music

Our centres also provide your child with gardening, cooking, and sandpit experiences as well as community excursions that help them make real-world connections with everything around them.

At Guardian, our preschool educators demonstrate what it means to:

  • Be part of a group
  • Take responsibility, practice independence, be confident learners, and become self-aware
  • Make contributions, help others, share peacefully, and take care of things

By the end of their preschool year, your child will become confident in their:

  • Counting skills
  • Reading skills
  • Writing skills
  • Problem-solving skills

In essence, a Guardian preschool student is an active participant in their own learning. They explore their environment and community through real-world experiences, both large and small group collaboration with their peers, and play-based activities that help them think and grow.

We’re happy to schedule a time for your family to come into your local Guardian childcare centre and explore our preschool programs in person.

Call us today at 1300 765 560 to set up your tour.