School Readiness Program

My Stepping Stones School Readiness Program is designed to prepare children for the transition to the more structured and independent environment of attending school. School readiness starts from the very early stages of development.

School Readiness is a key aspect of Early Learning

Our School Readiness Program is focused around the Learning Outcomes defined in the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) which describes the principles, practices, and outcomes that support and enhance young children’s learning from birth to five years of age, as well as their transition to school.

The Early Years Learning Framework is a part of the National Quality Framework which introduced a new National Quality Standard to improve education and care across long day care, family day care, preschool/kindergarten and outside of school hours care. You can learn more about the EYLF and NQF by visiting the www.acequa.com.au or the www.mychild.gov.au websites.

Why a good School Readiness Program Important

There is a misconception that Preschools or Prep Schools offer a different School Readiness Program to Long Day Care Centres (LDC). This is incorrect. Like Preschools, MSS follow the same mandatory Early Years Learning Framework curriculum with qualified Early Childhood Educators.

The additional resources invested in our centres mean we can offer a more comprehensive School Readiness Program than the vast majority of Preschools. Extra staff and longer hours enable educators more time for programming, planning and working with children individually.Having children attend long day care from a younger age enables families and educators to work together and get to know each other better giving your child the greatest chance to reach their full potential.

School Readiness Milestones

Starting Early

With the younger age groups, many activities and routines are designed to teach children vital attributes such as independence, confidence, ability to work in groups, initiating conversations and making friends, strengthening gross and fine motor skills, understanding concepts such as sharing and taking turns as well as literacy, numeracy, and general knowledge.

Ready to Learn

As the children get older and closer to school age, the expectations of these children are greater and our program starts to include more structured activities as well as place more focus on the specific self-help and academic skills which will be essential for children to tackle the challenges of a classroom environment.

Transition to School

In their final months at MSS, the program for the children who are starting school the following year will also include specific activities and experiences that they will encounter once they start school. This part of our School Readiness Program is called Transition to School.

Five Key Learning Outcomes

The Framework conveys the highest expectations for all children’s learning from birth to five years and through the transitions to school. It communicates these expectations through the following five Learning Outcomes.

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.

The Framework provides broad direction for early childhood educators in early childhood settings to facilitate children’s learning. Working in partnership with families, educators 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.

In addition, our educators liaise with local school principles and incorporate their feedback and expectations into our program.

To put it simply, our educators develop an “interest based” daily program. This means they use topics that children are interested in or have experienced at home as the basis for learning experiences.

Take things like dinosaurs or pizza for example; we can count dinosaurs, read books about them, recognise the letters in dinosaur, write the word dinosaur, think of other words that start with the letter “d”. We can do dinosaur puzzles, draw and paint dinosaurs and cut out dinosaur shapes.

Activities for School Readiness

There are many activities that form a part of our School Readiness Program and they are always changing and evolving to best suit children’s specific needs and interests. They are aimed at giving children skills which are essential for them to adopt and thrive in the “big school” environment. Some of these include:

Self confidence

Ability to ask questions or ask for help from adults when requiring assistance. Ability to join a new group of children.

Self-reliance

Ability to self -toilet, wash hands, put on or take off a jumper, tie shoe laces, open lunch boxes, get things from their locker. Understanding “stranger danger” and what to do if help is needed.

Teamwork & group environment

Ability to work as part of a team or group. Understanding the concepts of taking turns and sharing. Resolving conflicts with others. Developing resilience.

Respecting physical & cultural differences

Own likes and dislikes and how others like to be treated. Understanding the concepts of right and wrong and acceptable behaviour. Understanding own and others’ emotions.

General knowledge

General knowledge and the world around us – growing vegetables, taking care of centre pets, basic science experiments. Introducing concepts such relationships between natural elements. For example; flowers and sunlight (photosynthesis.)

Basic Numeracy and Literacy

Letter, number and symbol recognition, basic arithmetic, reading and writing. Understanding the relationship between letters and the sound letters make. Reading various books, including home readers and age appropriate literacy computer programs

Fine motor skills

Developed through the joy of art and craft activities – drawing, writing, cutting, painting, colouring-in, focus on pencil grip and name writing

Using technology

Give children the chance to use technology and electronic media to research projects and things of interest such as learning how to take care of the centre’s pet turtles. We also use technology to develop number and letter recognition.

There are too many concepts and activities that are incorporated in our School Readiness Program to mention them all individually. Our program is displayed and regularly updated in the Preschool room and there are journals that are emailed daily showing some of the activities the children did throughout the day.

Every family in conjunction with their child’s educators will set developmental goals at the start of the year. Later in the year, every child will get a developmental summary followed by a parent/teacher interview where these goals and other achievements are reviewed. If a child is at an age where going they may be going to school the following year, this process will help families make the decision of whether their child is ready for the challenges of school.

Transition to School

Children that will be going to school the following year will spend a part of their day in our School Transition Program. Some of the activities and experiences they will be exposed to include:

Visits to local schools, and try wearing a school uniform.
Show and tell, with a focus on asking & answering questions
Experience bringing their own packed morning tea & lunch
A special time for groups to share school orientation experiences
Past students come and talk to children about their Kindy experience
The introduction of home readers
End of year graduation performance/ceremony and celebration
Phasing out day sleeps to prepare for a full day

We regularly get feedback from our families that children who have participated in our School Readiness Program have achieved excellent results and feedback in their school interview. We also hold an annual School Readiness Information Evening where we invite principles from local schools to come and discuss and answer any questions about school readiness.

Our Educators are always ready to give MSS families more information about our School Readiness Program and welcome feedback about the activities they are doing at home in helping their children prepare for school. This feedback is incorporated into the Program and assists the Educators tailor the learning experiences to each child’s specific needs and strengths.

Wanting to learn more? Download our transition to school article.