We honestly can’t believe how quickly Term 1 has begun, with week four well underway. It’s safe to say we are back into the swing of our busy before & after school care routine. It doesn’t seem possible that only four weeks ago, our preps were wandering through the door, eyes wide, ready to explore JSACP for the first time. We’re proud to say that our Preps are well and truly settled in as part of the JSACP community.
Play-based learning is important for all children, but particularly children under the age of 8 and we’ve loved seeing the Preps participate in all that JSACP has to offer. If you’ve ever asked the question “what did you do at after school care today?” and received the answer “I don’t know”, let us fill you in. Together we’ve been reading, colouring, painting, creating with playdough, checking out the playground, enjoying parachute games, engaging in imaginative play, trying out Nina’s fantastic afternoon teas and making new friends. Some of our favourite activities happen during “Prep group time” at before and after school care. Some of the Educators do some pretty funny activities, one of them puts on funny voices when they read stories and another one can even “rap” the Gruffalo while we use musical instruments to join in.
The Educators and children have really enjoyed getting to know the newest members of the community and we’ve already found common interests – titanic, unicorns, cartwheeling, skipping, dinosaurs, to name just a few. OSHC plays an important role in supporting children to develop respectful relationships and learn and grow together. Our prep students have been welcomed in by their older cohort, with many of our Seniors taking time out of their busy afternoons of play to support the Preps during their orientation.
Our program encourages children to freely transition (with fantastic supervision!) and make choices about how to spend their afternoon. For this reason, it is very important for children to feel comfortable and confident in our environment. We aim to highlight how much we value their input and suggestions in shaping their time with us.
We know the transition to school and OSHC can be a big one and we have a specially designed program to help our Preps settle in. An important part of this process is developing collaborative partnerships with families, and we welcome all families input in designing an engaging program that meets the interests and needs of child/ren.
Across the program this year we hope to see our prep children continue to develop their confidence & curiosity. We hope to show them how we celebrate diversity and are always ready to learn from each other. Above all, we hope that JSACP is a safe space that feels like a “home away from home” for all who attend.