Our Programs

3 Year Old Program

Rye preschool will have one three year old only group called turtle group which is funded by the state government. This group will attend kinder one 6 hour session per week on a Friday. There will be up to twenty six children in the group, with 3 educators; A Bachelor qualified teacher and 2 x Diploma trained Co-Educators. Staff/child Ratios 1:8.

The Three year old Curriculum is based on the model of the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF):

  • Children have a strong sense of identity
  • Children are connected with and contribute to their world
  • Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
  • Children are confident and involved learners
  • Children are effective communicators

Turtle group provides a welcoming, caring and nurturing environment where all children can feel safe, secure and valued so they are confident to learn, explore and grow. Through our play based program children build self confidence, a love of learning, build friendships and develop a physical (fine and gross motor), cognitive, social, emotional and language development through both interest based experiences as well as intentional learning in both indoor and outdoor environments.
Indoor activities include: drawing, pasting, puzzles, play-dough and clay, block building, construction work, imaginary/dramatic play, music/movement and story reading. Outdoor activities include: running, jumping, swinging, climbing, sensory play, ball games, sand and water play and construction work.
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Group experiences both large and small are also an important component of the program enabling opportunities for sharing stories, music, dramatic play and discussions. This gives the children the opportunity to develop listening skills, share ideas, participate as active members of the group and develop a sense of belonging. Parental involvement and input in the Pre-School Program is highly encouraged and valued by staff members.
​Our staff are dedicated, and love working with young children and their families to ensure a positive nurturing kinder experience.

Seahorse / Dolphin Programs

The Seahorse and Dolphin multi age (3 to 5 year old) groups attend kindergarten for 15 hours per week and are funded by the State Government. There are 2 multi age groups, with up to 28 children in the group with  up to 3 staff including a Bachelor trained teacher and 2 diploma qualified Co educators.
Seahorses attend on Mondays and Wednesdays and Dolphins attend Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The curriculum is based on the model of the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework, (VEYLDF.)

The framework uses five outcomes to describe the key elements of children’s learning and development. These are;

  1. Children have a strong sense of identity.
  2. Children are connected with and contribute to their world.
  3. Children have a strong sense of wellbeing.
  4. Children are confident and involved learners.
  5. Children are effective communicators.

The program is play based and the program content is centred around the children’s interests as well as intentional teaching. The program is rich and varied and provides the children with lots of opportunities to develop their skills, interests and knowledge in a stimulating environment. Activities and learning experiences include art, music, dance, language experiences, cooking, incursions and excursions, a beach program in term 2 and 3, sensory play, gardening and active outdoor play.

Multi Age

What is a Multi-age group? 

Multi-age group at Rye Pre-School incorporates children aged 3 to 5 years old and provides a unique opportunity for learning and development for all. Our multi age groups will be dolphin and seahorse groups.

Why choose a Multi-age group? 

When it comes to early childhood learning and education children don’t need to be grouped only by their age. Having children of different ages in one group can help provide a diverse learning environment which aides a child’s social and intellectual development. The program provides opportunities for the children to learn from one another. 

The benefits for children in a multi age group include the following;

  • Mixed age groups focus on nurturing and fostering all children’s social and emotional growth.
  • Children learn about diversity within their group and become accepting and compassionate towards others.
  • Children are able to challenge themselves cognitively and developmentally at their own pace. There will be a range of experiences that tailer to all children’s abilities.
  • Younger children are able to enhance and build on their language skills as they will be exposed to a more complex and comprehensive vocabulary.
  • They are given more opportunity to contribute to more complex tasks
  • Older children take on a mentor role with the younger children which helps build on their empathy skills and a sense of responsibility.
  • They develop independence as they take on this leadership role which increases their confidence and self-esteem.

These are just some of the tremendous benefits to multi-age kinder groups.

If you require any more information on the program a please contact the kinder on 5985 2193 and speak to one of our friendly staff. 

Beach Kinder Program

Our Seahorses and Dolphins participate in a wonderful and amazing Beach kinder program (dates to be confirmed) for one morning per week (beach kinder weeks may be extended and are subject to weather policies also). For these sessions we ask children to be dropped off at the beach kinder home base in Rye and the children walk back to kinder by 12.00pm to enjoy the rest of the session at home kinder. Nature kinder is based on the Forest school movement in Europe. Children attend their regular kinder session from the same “bush/beach” location each week, where children are able to play freely and engage with nature.

There has been a wide variety of research into nature kinder showing it has huge benefits to children including increased confidence, resilience, wellbeing, mental health, critical thinking skills, creativity, physical health, social skills, independence and stress reduction. These skills help prepare children for school. Children also develop language, literacy, maths and science learning through the bush kinder program. Very importantly, children are happy and have fun.

Read more about the benefits of bush kinder in:

https://www.abc.net.au/abckids/early-education/reflective-journal/bush-kinder-nature-wellbeing-and-resilience/13390968

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