Ringwood Uniting Kindergarten

Our Kindergarten is an uplifting and welcoming space both indoors and out.

• Natural light in each inviting playroom
• We use soft furnishings in calming colours in our rooms and fairy lights to create inviting but soothing learning spaces
• Each room has a beautifully created indoor tree to captivate the imagination of the children and to bring the calming touch of an outdoor environment
• Our outdoor play spaces are tucked away behind the Church, with wrap-around verandahs, a dry/wet creek bed and native plants creating a beautiful, peaceful space in which to learn and explore
• We have a grassed area perfect for running and playing ball games on
• We have a range of outdoor equipment and loose parts to promote creative thinking, gross motor skills and interesting play opportunities
• Trees and large shade sails provide ample shade and the children help with the planting and caring for our garden beds
• A recently added Indigenous art mural overlooking one of our sandpit areas
• There are 2 swings sets and 4 sandpits
• We are securely enclosed, away from the noise of the traffic, whilst being conveniently located opposite the Ringwood railway station and in close proximity to local primary schools, Great Ryrie and Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
• We incorporate Auslan into our daily program

Both our indoor and outdoor experiences are planned with intentional teaching goals. We respond to the individual interests and learning needs of the children and these form the basis of our program. Flexibility and responsiveness to the children during sessions are highly valued by our educators to meet the immediate and changing needs of the children.

• Incursions are planned each year to enrich our programs, such as The Responsible Pet program, dentist talk and check- ups, drama experiences, chicken hatching, rabbit sitting and African drumming. Incursions may vary from year to year
• Interactions and learning opportunities are encouraged between the different age groups and is well responded to by children and parents
• We acknowledge our Indigenous heritage throughout our centre and in experiences provided
• We are proud of our cultural diversity which enriches our learning programs with the involvement of families sharing their culture
• Literacy and numeracy are all embedded in the programs across all groups through play experiences, intentional focus groups, stories, songs, puzzles, games and other resources
• Visual supports are highly used in our programs to support all children to understand routines and expectations
• Library book borrowing
• Sustainable practices and projects are undertaken to teach the importance of our world and our part in maintaining it
• We may gather together for learning, songs and stories or we may conduct these experiences in smaller groups.

Our service receives significant funding from the Department of Education. These funds enable us to employ an additional educator which gives us higher than standard child to educator ratios in every group

We also receive 30 allied health sessions to support families and educators

Book gifting program for all children to build literacy skills and positive engagement with books.

Additional training for our teachers and co-educators such as:

• Play Move Improve- mentoring in using physical activity to enhance children’s self-regulation wellbeing
• Attachment and Trauma training - developing educators knowledge base and providing practical strategies for children and families.

There is strong emphasis on this from the very first day your child commences. Without a healthy body and mind, learning cannot be at its optimal level.

• Smiles for Miles program is embedded in our program and service. We are proud of the many awards we have achieved with this program
• Healthy eating and cooking experiences are frequent in our programs. Parents are welcomed to cook with us also as a way of sharing their culture with us. Cooking teaches children maths, life skills as well as the value in healthy food choices
• Dental and hearing assessments are conducted annually within sessions
• Meditation and relaxation are incorporated into our sessions
• Active play is undertaken every day even in the cooler months. This helps maintain physical health, resilience and mental health
• We have educators who have undertaken training in trauma-informed practices, mental health first aid and special education.

We believe partnerships with families are paramount to achieving best outcomes for children. This is reflected in our philosophy and our practice. We highly value establishing positive communication with and contributions from families. We:

• Invite regular sharing of information through informal chats, formal meetings, emails and phone calls
• Support culturally and linguistically diverse families who may require the support of an interpreter or other community services
• Our parent group meetings are informal and supported with interpreters to include as many of our language groups as possible. Children are welcome to attend with families
• Go for pre-planned walks with the children with parental consent
• Participate in community projects with our children and families
• Work closely with our local schools to support the kindergarten to school transition
• Organise parent morning or afternoon teas and working bees to promote social connection with the service.

Families who have English as a second language are supported with translated materials, learning kits to use at home with their children, access to interpreters in person or over the phone.

Visual aides to support language and understanding are used daily in our programs with all children.

We also have an Auslan prgram once a week with a certified Auslan teacher.

4-year-old kindergarten

$466 per term

3-year-old kindergarten

$465 per term for 4 hour session

$592 per term for 8 hour session

* Fees do not apply to families with a HCC or Refugee visa