Our Philosophy

Our Philosophy

We believe that children learn best in a warm, secure nurturing and noncompetitive environment where they feel confident and valued as individuals. Research has shown that play is the best way for children to learn the concepts, skills and tasks needed to set a solid foundation for later life. When children are encouraged and given the opportunity to explore and experiment through play, they will become confident and active learners.

Ponyara Preschool educators’ value; secure, respectful, reciprocal relationships and partnerships with the children, families, and the community with a respect for diversity. We have high expectations and equity for every child who attends our centre. We ensure that ongoing learning and reflective practice are implemented and displayed throughout our programming.

At Ponyara Preschool we believe that every child should feel valued and respected within the environment (Belonging). We understand that each child that comes to Ponyara Preschool is unique with a variety of abilities, knowledge, skills, understanding, dispositions, and cultural diversity (Being). We listen to and observe the children as a way of gaining knowledge of what they already know as well as their current interests. We then use the information gathered to provide a variety of experiences to encourage the children to extend on these interests and their overall development (Becoming).

We believe we need to be flexible in our approach to planning and programming in order to include children’s spontaneous play and learning experiences, as well as looking out for the teachable moments that arise every day. This, however, needs to be balanced with consistency to provide children with a sense of security and an understanding of our expectations while at Ponyara Preschool.

We, the educators at Ponyara Preschool, believe we play a significant role in educating the children about caring for the earth, each other, and respect for the natural environment. We understand the importance of teaching children about their environmental responsibility while connecting them to the natural world is essential to their holistic development.