Our Program and Approach
At our centre childhood is celebrated. When they play and explore, children's imagination and curiosity is sparked – they enjoy learning, and are inspired to continue learning more.
Our play-based program intentionally provides opportunities and activities based upon the Early Years Learning Framework, for your child to discover and pursue their own interests and strengths.
We encourage children to laugh, think, question and learn. Their sense of self and confidence grows as they make connections with each other, and build warm, trusting relationships with our team.
At KU Chatswood West, we are proud of our reputation within the local community of providing rich education and care that concentrates on individual children in a family-focussed and supportive way.
Our centre is a welcoming and nurturing space where each child is immersed in a rich tapestry of educationally interactive experiences – a space where children are supported to be their own, unique selves, growing and developing a sense of belonging and empowerment.
Our program offers children the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of learning experiences and activities, each specifically designed to promote children’s confidence as capable, active participants in their own learning. Children are presented with a range of activities including gardening, arts and crafts, music and movement, physical play, block building, sand and water play, science experiments, early numeracy activities such as counting and measurement, and early literacy activities such as reading, drawing and writing.
We greatly value the strong relationships between our staff, children and families, and we look forward to the opportunity of including your family in the life of our centre.
Our Specialisation
In addition to the high quality well-rounded programs we offer, all KU centres are also encouraged to develop areas of specialisation.
At KU Chatswood West, our specialisation is The Restorative (Reconciliation) Approach.
Educators around the globe are using restorative practices to proactively prevent problems like bullying and violence. Research shows that restorative approaches can transform children’s behaviour and build healthy preschool communities.
Restorative (reconciliation) practices promotes inclusiveness, relationship-building and problem-solving. Children are encouraged to reflect on and take responsibility for their actions and come up with plans to repair harm.
Social-emotional skills are just like any other skills; they need to be developed and modelled. Restorative practices are a means to develop empathy, kindness, caring and good communication skills.
We feel the children benefit from this specialisation, because restorative practices strengthen children’s connections to both educators and their peers. Focusing on positive connections and support contributes to a positive preschool climate and helps children to build resilience during childhood and beyond.
Our Quality
Our centre has been independently assessed by the NSW Department of Education under the National Quality Standards, and are proud to be rated as Meeting the National Quality Standard.
However what matters most is what our families think...
"KU Chatswood West is a beautiful environment for children to learn, grow and thrive. The Director and Educators are caring, thoughtful, warm, friendly and fun. They create an atmosphere of mutual respect; respect for each other, for the joy that is learning, for toys and for nature. The curriculum is well balanced and flexible to suit the unique needs of each child. The centre activities and toys are continually being refreshed to create a sense of excitement and continual learning. My son's favourite things about the preschool were playing outside in the huge natural environment and story time. I love how the preschool opens up the hearts and minds of children to the world of imagination, creativity and adventure, through all the wonderful books that are featured daily." - KU Chatswood West parent
“Time and time again I have seen the staff go out of their way to ensure that a child’s interests and needs are supported, nurtured and encouraged. I’m so grateful to the staff for giving our children such an amazing grounding for their future lives ahead.” - KU Chatswood West parent
Our Environment
Each KU centre is unique. The best outcomes for children are created within relationships and interactions between children and staff, and children and their families, not within four walls. We work hard to create beautiful, interesting, homelike learning environments for children – whatever our setting.
KU Chatswood West has been open since 1955 and is an early childhood service catering for 40 children located in West Chatswood on Sydney’s North Shore. The centre is immediately adjacent to Campbell Park.
Our playground is designed to allow children to explore nature and discover the natural environment. We want children to be able to dig in the mud, discover and learn about insects and enjoy connecting with nature. The many activities we offer enable children to immerse themselves in the natural elements of their surroundings and feel inspired to create, imagine and play.
