Early childhood learning is all about playing, exploring and interacting with the environment and community. That all sounds wholesome but you as a parent might be asking “How can I be certain that my child is receiving the right start to education and learning?”

Our team is committed to enrich children’s experience and learning with play-based activities that are centred around the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).

What is the EYLF in Early Childhood Learning?

The EYLF is a set of guidelines created by the Australian Federal Government as part of the National Quality Framework (NQF). It is a broad and comprehensive guide that enables us to provide children with the right opportunities to maximise their potential and develop a foundation for future success in learning.

At the heart of the EYLF is an understanding that a child’s life is characterised by “Belonging, Being, and Becoming”.

Understanding these three characteristics are essential in informing the educators and activities to guide children in developing their identity, interests and understanding of the world around them.

Bright ELC’s Approach to EYLF

Guided by the EYLF and NQS, Bright Early Learning Centre have shaped a core philosophy on which our team, activities, and centre strives towards:

Our philosophy consists of three parts that fit together like A-B-C, which stands for Atmosphere, Belonging, and Connection.

The ‘Environment’ is a child’s best teacher. That is why at Bright Early Learning Centre, we focus on creating an environment that is inviting and engaging. A place where children have access to a variety of learning opportunities that helps them discover the world around them.

Building on the play-based learning model, our extracurricular activities are linked to the Early Years Learning Framework. These programs are designed to enable children to learn about the world and community around them and acquire new skills through these experiences.

Bright ELC’s extracurricular activities are an integral part of the Beamers, Starbucks, and Sunshine programs. Held throughout the week, these activities cover areas such as Music & Movement, Arts & Craft, Cooking, Community Outreach, Cultural Study and Junior Science.

1 – Music & Movement

Just as how music motivates us even without using words, it serves as a great learning tool for children. We are all born to have some degree of musical understanding, even on a fundamental level of mere beats or rhythms.

Thanks to our ingrained connection to music, children are naturally motivated by it. This enables them to discover new ways to express themselves and explore what they can do, without using words.

Through music our educators will guide children towards understanding how movement can convey messages and actions, which in turn develops their coordination and builds their social skills. As such, our music & movement activities cover:

• Developing social skills through playing co-operative musical games
• Helping children recognise the use of music and dance to express moods and feelings in an appropriate social way
• Increasing awareness of different movement
• Improving their balance, coordination, and rhythm through dancing and other movement activities
• Helping to develop fine motor skills through finger plays or playing musical instruments
• Developing their creativity and imagination by responding to music
• Refining their listening skills by noticing changes in rhythm, beat or tempo

2 – Arts & Craft

Children are naturally born artists, simply because it stirs their curiosity and helps them interact with the world around them. By experimenting with colours, shapes and form, children are able express their individual ideas and emotions.

Not only that, through arts and crafts, children are able to develop their fine motor skills, neural development, and problem-solving skills. These aspects are foundational to essential proficiencies in writing and reading.

Arts and craft isn’t limited to picking up a pencil and paper. Instead, our educators want children to explore and express themselves through a variety of activities and materials – from paint to crayons and clay. As such, Bright ELC’s Arts & Crafts activities are created for:

• Enabling children to assert their individuality
• Assisting children to express feelings by choosing colours to match their mood
• Developing an understanding of cause and effect through mixing art materials
• Creating the ability to interpret shapes and objects
• Develop planning skills in understanding how to arrange steps or objects
• Providing the opportunities to learn directionally
• Continuing the development of fine motor skills

3 – Cooking

Being a chef sounds like a job for adults. However, like arts and craft activities, cooking activities also helps children develop their fine motor skills and confidence, as well as acquainting themselves with basic mathematics and language understanding.

Of course, there will be no Michelin star meals here. Instead, our educators will host activities such as making their own afternoon snacks and sandwiches from simple ingredients, while explaining the reason behind each step.

These simple activities are a great learning experience, as it will give children a sense of achievement and they will have a snack at the end which they enjoy. Such activities are directed with the following goals:

• Improving a child’s social and emotional development by imbuing a sense of self-confidence and achievement
• Developing problem solving skills and applying their knowledge in a practical manner
• Encouraging language development to help express thoughts and emotions
• Acquiring new concepts e.g. mathematic and science

4 – Community Outreach

No child is an island. We are all connected with the world around us and these connections are crucial for mental and social well-being. That is why Bright ELC collaborates with various local services and community groups to connect children with the community around them.

Through activities and local excursions, children can engage and build vital links with local community groups and interact with people of different walks of life and cultures.

Bright ELC believes these activities serves an essential purpose in a child’s social development for the following reasons:

• Bringing children and families together
• Opening the door for children to connect with local services and communities
• Building a sense of community and interconnectedness within it
• Develop self-esteem and confidence

5 – Junior Science

Science is fun! Especially when there are no complex equations or abstract theories involved. At Bright ELC our Junior Science activities are all about discovery and how to use simple scientific concepts in practical and fun ways.

By organising activities that involve magnets, clay and simple toys, children can learn volumes about the world around them. On top of that, our educators help devise fun activities using the lessons they pick up, such as making a fishing game by using magnets and string.

Aside from picking up an understanding on the subject, these activities also develop a child’s curiosity and create a fascination with the subject. By introducing the subject in a child’s early years, it can lead towards:

• Encouraging children to explore and make sense of the world around them
• Give children an understanding of how objects work in relation to each other
• Familiarisation of basic scientific concepts and vocabulary

6 – Mandarin Program

Our Mandarin program is an exciting addition to our curriculum that provides children with the opportunity to learn and develop language skills in one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. The program is designed to give children a strong foundation in Mandarin, from basic vocabulary and grammar to more advanced language skills.

By participating in our Mandarin program, children will have the opportunity to:

• Develop their listening and speaking skills in Mandarin through interactive activities and exercises
• Improve their literacy skills in Mandarin through practice with characters and phrases
• Develop an understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture and customs, fostering a sense of global citizenship and cultural awareness.
• Enhance their cognitive abilities, memory and problem-solving skills through learning a second language
• Boost their confidence and self-esteem by mastering a new language

Overall, our Mandarin program is a great way for children to develop their language abilities while also gaining a deeper understanding of Chinese culture. It is also a great way to help children become more global citizens and be more prepared for the multilingual and multicultural world.

Childhood education is about ongoing growth, change, and improvement – both for the child and us. For Bright Early Learning Centre, we ensure that quality early childhood education and care services are achieved through Quality Improvement Plans (QIP).

QIP enables us to regularly self-assess and find areas for future improvement. This process is essential to ensure excellence is achieved and the service we provide complies with Australia’s Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).

What is the EYLF in Early Childhood Learning?

The EYLF is a set of guidelines created by the Australian Federal Government as part of the National Quality Framework (NQF). It is a broad and comprehensive guide that enables us to provide children with the right opportunities to maximise their potential and develop a foundation for future success in learning.

At the heart of the EYLF is an understanding that a child’s life is characterised by “Belonging, Being, and Becoming”.

Understanding these three characteristics are essential in informing educators and activities to guide children in developing their identity, interests and understanding of the world around them.

We are proud to have received the distinguished Exceeding National Quality Standard rating from the ACECQA for our centre, which reflects our commitment to providing outstanding early childhood education and care

Our QIP is established in line with the National Quality Standard (NQS), a national benchmark that is used by regulatory authorities to assess and rate early childhood education and care service providers.

A centre’s QIP will contain:

• An assessment of the quality of practices of the service to ensure that it is in line with the NQS and the National Regulations
• Identifying areas that the provider considers are strengths and areas that need improvement
• A statement about philosophy of the service

The NQS assesses all early childhood education centres around Australia on seven Quality Areas:

• Educational Program and Practice
• Children’s Health and Safety
• Physical Environment
• Staffing Arrangements
• Relationships with Children
• Collaborative partnerships with Families and Communities
• Governance and Leadership

Every Quality Area outlined by the NQS presents a thorough assessment of a service providers’ procedures. So, as parents and carers, you can be rest assured that our centre is guided by a high and exacting national benchmark.

These Quality Areas in turn guide our QIP, which enables us to accurately gauge and identify areas of excellences and improvement in every aspect of our centre.

What does this mean for families enrolled at Bright ELC?

The QIP is a great way to see how we are always working towards improving our practices. Bright ELC consults with educators, children, and their families to ensure that everything from the curriculum to playground changes are assessed and accounted for properly and goes towards forming a comprehensive QIP.

To ensure that we are keeping track of the targets, our centre lists and features each QIP and steps taken to realise its goals.

Want to find out more? Feel free to ask us about how Bright ELC works toward fulfilling our QIP when you Book a Tour with us. We will be delighted to show you around.