Our Programs
Play Based Learning
Play based learning draws from children’s natural desire to engage in experiences based on their interests, strengths and developing skills. When children initiate play, they are more motivated to learn and develop positive dispositions towards learning. We believe every child brings with them deep curiosity and potential and this innate curiosity is nurtured through our educational programs. Ararat Village Early Learning Centre aims to provide each child with a flexible, individual and engaging program that is fostered through the play based learning our educators embrace. The educator’s role in supporting play-based learning is vital. Belonging Being and Becoming The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. outlines the many roles educators take in play and the range of strategies they use to support learning.
We’re focused on offering continuous professional development for our educators and work hard to ensure we are constantly training and evolving in line with all EYLF requirements. A key element of the play-based program is the opportunity for children to pursue their interests for extended periods of time. Play is vital to children’s wellbeing and sense of belonging, and forms the basis of who they become in the future. These elements form the vision of the national framework and should be reflected in a play-based program. When play and learning are woven together, children are more likely to develop positive dispositions towards learning and real understandings of the world around them.
Early Years Learning Framework and Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework:
Play based experiences provide rich holistic opportunities for children’s learning across all the five Learning Outcomes in the EYLF. A single play scenario may well provide opportunities for learning in multiple or all learning Outcomes at the same time. The outcomes also enable educators to create learning environments that support children’s learning and provide consistent language for making children’s learning visible.
The National Quality Framework (NQF) for early childhood education and care is designed to encourage continuous improvement of education and care services across Australia.
Belonging, Being & Becoming – The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia – Information for families:
Experiencing belonging – knowing where and with whom you belong – is integral to human existence. Children belong first to a family, a cultural group, a neighbourhood and a wider community. Belonging acknowledges children’s interdependence with others and the basis of relationships in defining identities. In early childhood, and throughout life, relationships are crucial to a sense of belonging. Belonging is central to being and becoming in that it shapes who children are and who they can become.
Childhood is a time to be, to seek and make meaning of the world. Being recognises the significance of the here and now in children’s lives. It is about the present and them knowing themselves, building and maintaining relationships with others, engaging with life’s joys and complexities, and meeting challenges in everyday life. The early childhood years are not solely preparation for the future but also about the
present.
Children’s identities, knowledge, understandings, capacities, skills and relationships change during childhood. They are shaped by many different events and circumstances. Becoming reflects this process of rapid and significant change that occurs in the early years as young children learn and grow. It emphasises learning to participate fully and actively in society. The framework has a strong emphasis on play-based learning and aims to achieve
five overall Learning outcomes:
• Children have a strong sense of identity
• Children are connected with and contribute to their world
• Children have a strong sense of well-being
• Children are confident and involved learners
• Children are effective communicators
It guides educators in their curriculum decision-making and assists in planning,
implementing and evaluating quality in early childhood settings. It also underpins the
implementation of more specific curriculum relevant to each local community and
early childhood setting.