Our Program and Approach
At KU Cheltenham, we aim to provide a happy, stimulating, caring and safe environment, where children feel a strong sense of belonging. We view each child as unique with an individual personality, learning style and family background.
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 is based on the Early Years Learning Framework and provides the central medium for learning. 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 aim to establish immediate rapport and a sense of belonging in our community, as families arrive through the front door.
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 Special Interest
In addition to the high quality well-rounded programs we offer, all KU centres are also encouraged to develop an area of special interest.
At KU Cheltenham, our special interest is our outdoor program. Our preschool is set in a large established woodland garden. With a wealth of space available to the children, our experienced team of educators have created stimulating and engaging play spaces that cater for all children’s interests.
Experiences on offer include building with construction (natural and man-made materials), the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of art and craft experiences, play in the mud kitchen, sandpit and dramatic play areas, music and dancing, as well as the chance to climb and play ball games in our large open grass area.
We feel that the children benefit from this special interest because it promotes a sense of wellbeing and fosters self-confidence.
Our Quality
Our centre has been independently assessed by the Department of Education NSW 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...
“The atmosphere at the preschool is very warm and caring. I love the large natural environment and that all the teachers know my children and our family. Preschool at KU Cheltenham has been a very valuable experience for all four of my children.” – KU Cheltenham parent
“The staff at KU Cheltenham are wonderful, they are fantastic with the children and they make the preschool experience very enjoyable for my children.” – KU Cheltenham 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.
Our preschool holds a special place in the local community, and has been part of the community since the 1950s. KU Cheltenham became affiliated with KU in 1944, the same year in which Mrs R. Vicars offered to donate the land for the preschool as a War Memorial. It is through the efforts of local community members that funds were raised and the building was built and opened in 1958.
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, climb trees, 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.
Our Awards
The KU Cheltenham Team under the leadership of Michelle Healey were awarded a 'Making the KU Difference by Representing KU' Award in 2022 for representing KU through compassion, commitment to early childhood outcomes and presence in the community.
In 2017, Mary Mirhaghani from KU Cheltenham was awarded the 'Making the KU Difference for Communities' Award and in 2016, Fiona Eadie was awarded the 'Making the KU Difference for Families' Award.
The Making the KU Difference Awards were introduced a number of years ago, as a way of acknowledging KU staff who have worked above and beyond their normal duties to make a significant contribution to KU.
Our Reconciliation Action Plan
KU was proud to launch its inaugural Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in 2016. At KU Cheltenham, we began our journey to develop our centre’s RAP in 2019 and we are proud to launch it here.