St Andrew’s Kindergarten was established in 1973 by Rev. Sam Lees and his wife Anne was the first Director of the Pre-School. The Pre-School was established as a, not for profit incorporated association which leases the premises from the church with an original vision of creating a Pre-School that nurtures and values children and brings families and the community together.

This vision has remained to present day where we now see generations of local families bringing their children back to St Andrew’s Kindergarten. The community connection is also reflected by the continuing relationship with St Andrew’s Church with their volunteer representation on and their commitment to the Pre-School management committee.

Many people say that St Andrew’s Kindergarten is a special place and it is. It is special because of the value that families place on excellent Pre-School education, its environment and its connections with the community.

Our program is for 3 to 5-year-olds based on the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) which is a nationwide curriculum for Early Childhood education.

Fundamental to EYLF is a view of children’s lives are characterised by belonging, being and becoming.

The Framework puts children’s learning at the core and comprises three inter-related elements: Principles, Practice and Learning Outcomes.

All three elements are fundamental to early childhood pedagogy and curriculum decision-making. Our Curriculum encompasses all the interactions, experiences, routines and events, planned and unplanned, that occurs in our environment which is designed to foster children’s learning and development.

The Framework supports a model of curriculum decision-making as an ongoing cycle. This involves educators drawing on their professional knowledge, including their in-depth knowledge of each child. Working in partnership with families, educators will use the Learning Outcomes to guide their planning for children’s learning. In order to engage children actively in learning, educators identify children’s strengths and interests, choose appropriate teaching strategies and design the learning environment. Written lesson plans, child portfolios, scaffolding and extending children’s interest during free play underpin our practice. Documenting children’s experiences critically thinking about what is achievable and why. We believe the most authentic learning takes place with deeper engagement for children of this age and stage of development, we ensure long periods of play with responsive educators to scaffold, extend and build relations with all children.