Vision Statement  

Play     Discover     Grow     Together 

Supporting children’s learning through nature and play.  

Koala Playschool provides a rich and engaging play-based program for three to four year olds. Our program places a strong emphasis on exploration of a natural outdoor space, a commitment to parent and community involvement and a balance between child-led interest-based activities and flexible teacher guided learning experiences. This combines to enhance children’s innate sense of wonder, curiosity and love of learning.

Our Philosophy 

Being, Belonging, Becoming.

Koala Playschool’s carefully planned play-based experiences meet the developmental needs and interests of three and four year olds. We know play is crucial to the development of children. It is the way they explore, discover and learn about themselves, each other and their world.  Our programs are based on our observations of the children, the principles of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the requirements of the ACT Childcare Services Standards.

Play is at the core of everything we do as it celebrates where children are, whilst also providing opportunities for them to grow. Every child has the right to play. Play is the means by which children make sense of the world, develop social emotional skills such as sharing, turn taking and negotiating roles, develop their creativity and imagination, use language in context, develop motor control and learn to think, remember and reason. Play is a child’s ‘work’.

In addition to play, our program places a strong emphasis on developing positive dispositions for learning such as creativity, cooperation, curiosity and problem solving. Our daily program includes a combination of intentional teaching and child-focused learning investigations that provide opportunities for children to explore, tinker, create, collaborate and imagine. We aim to foster in our children a sense of wonder about the world them. Within our learning environment, children can develop a sense of community and group identity, of being, belonging and becoming. They are given the opportunity to experience a wide range of situations and gain self-confidence, resilience and interpersonal skills.

At Koala Playschool, we favour the use of unstructured play materials, natural and recycled objects. These include clay, paint, mud, water, sand and blocks, placing emphasis on the process of creativity rather than the end product. Playing with loose parts supports divergent thinking and problem solving. Loose parts are open-ended and flexible and can be used over and over in a myriad of ways.

We value the outdoor environment and believe that children benefit from opportunities for physical development and learning to take risks. Children experience seasonal changes by playing outdoors in all weather. We encourage the children to learn about environmental and conservation issues. Emphasis is placed on the use of natural and recycled materials and collected objects, wise water usage, power saving, recycling, waste minimisation and a positive regard and sense of responsibility for all living things. Our environment reflects the children’s need for space, time, choice, challenges, materials and increased independence.

We value good health and well-being and promote healthy eating, mindfulness, relaxation techniques, the respect and celebration of diversity, and the ‘Sun Smart’ program.

Koala Playschool values and include parents’ and care-givers’ contributions to our programs through regular communication about each child’s interests, needs and development. Families support the program by being on parent/carer roster, sharing their skills and expertise with the children, assisting with the running of the Playschool by being on the parent committee or supporting our fundraising and grant writing initiatives.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Koala Playschool family a being a part of your child’s learning journey.