Davis Creek Primary School Kindergarten

Our programs

We acknowledge that each child’s journey is different and therefore aim to provide children with diverse learning opportunities and environments that support, enhance and challenge them to thrive. Our play-based programs and curriculum are developed in-line with the National Quality Framework and the Victorian Early Years Learning Framework principles.

Our close relationship with Davis Creek Primary School will provide opportunities for seamless transitions to primary school. With shared resources, co-curriculum planning and regular shared activities across the site, the kindergarten will provide all children with access to rich social experiences.

Our relationship with you

We welcome all members of the community, and recognise that parents are the first and most important teachers in the lives of their children. Working in partnership with families and community and getting to know about children’s family histories, cultures, values, celebrations and rituals are key to the development of our early learning programs.

Through our Early Years Manager, Sparkways, we also provide families with access to our Family Support Facilitators that are employed in our early learning programs to provide families with additional support, referral to other services or just for a chat.

Our service is equipped with 2 large kindergarten rooms, a large light filled kitchen and foyer and an open natural outdoor environment which opens onto a second outdoor sensory space. Our service is co-located with Davis Creek Primary School, with access to the school from a shared gate.

In our service there is an emphasis on developing collaborative learning relationships, our educators fill the roles of partner, nurturer, guide, and fellow researcher.

It is through listening, negotiation, discussion and exploration of divergent viewpoints that knowledge is gained. Participation by children, teachers and families in a community context allows all participants to connect and learn by interacting with one another and their environment. Parents are invited contribute to project work by contributing to the building of resources and becoming a part of the learning conversation. We use Storypark as a way to communicate with families, document children’s learning and share that learning with the children and families.

Our programs are based on our kindergarten philosophy, the early year's frameworks, developmental domains and the Reggio Emilia curriculum approach.

The Reggio Emilia curriculum approach is an educational philosophy and pedagogy focused on preschool and primary education. This approach is a student-centered and constructivist self-guided curriculum that uses self-directed, experiential learning in relationship-driven environments.

Resilience, responsibility, self-confidence, teamwork, problem-solving skills as well as creative and scientific thinking are just some of the benefits of this approach which, from its early beginnings in post-war Italy has grown to become a recognised global leader in innovative and highly effective childhood teaching.

The single biggest point of difference of a Reggio Emilia kindergarten is that the child has rights when it comes to their learning. They are recognised as active participants in constructing their own knowledge and they have substantial control over the direction that their learning takes.

The curriculum is adaptive and is driven by the child, with the emphasis on exploration, creative expression and active learning in a nurturing and relaxed environment.

It’s an engaging and thoughtful philosophy which places high value on respect, community involvement and responsibility. It promotes active learning and encourages the child’s social and emotional growth though hands-on activities and experiences that are meaningful to them.

The educational approach benefits children because it respects them. It takes them seriously. It sees them as strong, capable and resilient, rich with wonder, knowledge and potential. It breeds greater self-awareness and self-confidence. Children learn about collaboration, teamwork and community. They’re encouraged to be researchers and scientific thinkers, questioning the world around them.

The Davis Creek Primary School Kindergarten environment inspires children. It’s fun, stimulating, exciting, nurturing and safe and it’s always carefully curated to encourage creative thinking and expression.

The benefits to children are many and varied, but perhaps the most valuable advantage of our early learning approach is that it does what all educational models strive for but don’t always achieve – it ignites a love of learning.

• Natural play spaces
• Incursions
• Community walks
• Positive and thorough transition to school
• Working in partnership with local primary schools

The Davis Creek Primary School Kindergarten team are an experienced team with many years of knowledge and early years education practice. The team consists of both three and four year old early childhood teachers and Diploma qualified staff.

Our team is diverse and all have special interests in a range of areas, such as STEM, positive education, cooking, the arts and language. We are a community focused service with strong partnerships with local Primary schools Davis Creek Primary School (in which we are co-located) and the Islamic College of Melbourne. It is our vision to continue to grow with our Tarneit community and become an integral part of our children’s and families lives.

The Victorian Government provides funding to support children to access a high quality kindergarten program in the two years before they start school. This helps to ensure all Victorian children get the best start in life.

From 2023, the Victorian Government is making kindergarten programs free for three and four-year-old children – saving you and your family up to $2,500 per year for their program. Free Kinder is a critical component of the Victorian Government’s Best Start, Best Life reform.