At Mandurah Baptist College, we have been blessed with a state of the art, purpose built Early Learning Centre. However, it is not only the learning environment that lends itself to the quality we strive for – it is in the programs that we offer. Our Early Childhood team consider the roles of the child as learner and their family as partners in education and endeavour to reflect these founding principles in our programs. So what does quality Early Childhood Education actually look like at MBC?
You would see play. We value play as a method; a way for children to pursue interests, extend their thinking, build social relationships and is considered to be an integral part of our teaching and learning programs.
You would see clusters of children. We structure programs to allow children to learn, and to demonstrate their learning, engaging with peers in co-constructing ideas. These social learning experiences, empower children to adopt roles that enable them to lead, discover and build problem solving skills.
You would see investigators at work. Our programs are inclusive and responsive to children’s needs and interests and promote inquiry-based learning that encourages thirst for life-long learning.
You would see teaching. We focus on developing early Literacy and Numeracy skills through rich learning experiences, explicit teaching and guided practice. We are conscious of purposeful teaching moments that aim to challenge and extend children’s thinking through inquiry, questioning and knowledge building experiences.
You would see the child. We provide opportunities for children to develop physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually at their own pace through our programs. We set clear and consistent boundaries to allow all children to feel safe and secure.
You would see evidence of sustainability. We embed sustainable practices into our programs and practices as we support our students to become environmentally responsible individuals, who will positively impact their wider communities.
You would see our College families. We provide regular opportunities for our families to be involved in a range of learning activities with their children, which strengthens our MBC community.
You would see Christ. Our staff are dedicated in their daily walk with God and aim to reflect Christ’s love and grace in our relationships with the students, families, staff and the programs we offer at MBC.
Written by Heather Dreckow, Early Childhood Education Team Leader
