Kopuwai Early Learning Centre

KOPUWAI EARLY LEARNING CENTRE PHILOSOPHY

Kopuwai Early Learning Centre strongly believes in providing children with an environment which encourages health and wellbeing; promoting education and holistic development through:
• Problem solving
• Independent thinking
• Social interactions
• Reciprocal relationships and
• Nurturing dispositions

Our Centre’s culture also promotes creative expression and active exploration encouraging children to challenge themselves physically and mentally providing opportunities to develop their dispositions for future formal learning. Through learning about our natural environment children are able to develop working theories about their wider world.

Our Centre’s programme is developed around children’s present needs and interests, the principles of Te Whãriki and is guided by our most valued learning.

Our Centre values and respects Tua Kana Teina the strong relationships which develop between children, teacher, parents, whanau and the wider community encouraging whanau to have active involvement in their children’s learning. Through these social interactions children learn to become self-motivated, confident, competent, life-long learners. We encourage this through open, honest communication, nurturing, and supporting inclusiveness and equality for all.


OUR PROGRAMME

We believe that it is of benefit that our children learn in a family orientated mixed age setting. Our teachers use specific teaching strategies to ensure we provide a secure, stimulating and challenging environment for all learner. Each learner has a specific learning focus goal set for them that aligns with Te Wháriki our New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum. The goal comes from whanau aspirations, child’s voice, and teacher’s observations. Strong relationships within our centre’s whānau provide an atmosphere where our older children look out for our younger children and our younger children look up to our older children as role models Developing children’s confidence and competence is a huge part of our philosophy. Learning is our culture.

Infants and Toddlers

Strong relationships between parents, children and teachers are the foundations of our philosophy at Kopuwai Early Learning Centre. This is especially valued with our infants and toddlers. We believe that routines are the base of our infants curriculum, and exploration for the toddlers. We use these as valuable opportunities to extend and support learning. Our ‘key teacher’ approach provides our children with the opportunity to seek comfort from a specific teacher. Each child fells safe knowing that their key teacher will ensure their environment is warm and secure. It is a child’s choice when, and for how long, they need their key teachers support. A combination of high quality relationships between teachers and children, and teachers listening to the rhythm of the child, creates a child-centered approach to our environment.

Two, Three & Four Year olds

Our learning environment provides all ākonga with a high quality programme that is planned for extending individual ākonga learning. Our teachers identify the children’s interests and use them to support the further learning of specific skills, knowledge, attitudes and dispositions.

Numeracy and literacy skills and knowledge are built into our day to day programme. Our children experience a language and text rich environment. Self help, problem solving, curiosity, creativity and emotional robustness are held in high value at Kopuwai Early Learning Centre. We value our place in our wider community and take many opportunities to be involved in local and national community events.

Transition to School

Transition to school is supported in many ways here at Kopuwai Early Learning Centre. All akonga (learners) have a specific individual learning focus goal that is set for them. In the year leading up to school, four year olds are given more opportunities to be involved in the setting of their goals and also in control of their own learning. We value the child’s voice in our planning, and encourage learners to initiate learning opportunities. A group of older children visit St Gerard’s school on Friday mornings as part of their Early Explorers programme, and visits to Terrace School happen informally.