Our Program and Approach
KU Crusader has a proud 72 year history and reputation of providing quality early education for children in the local Marrickville community, that concentrates on individual children in a family-focused and supportive way.
Our nurturing and stimulating environment fosters a sense of belonging, warmth, security and comfort for every child, while promoting education through play. 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.
Our highly skilled and experienced team of educators are dedicated to providing high quality care and education. We follow the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and plan for children’s learning both individually and in groups. Our transition to school program begins from the children’s first day and focuses on ensuring every child reaches their fullest potential, laying the foundations for future education and learning.
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 Crusader, we have a special interest in further developing our outdoor environment. We are fortunate to already have a beautiful large outdoor play space, however we have been inspired by forest schools in Scandinavia and nature kindergartens, to further develop our outdoor space. As a centre located in the heart of Marrickville, we do not have nearby access to forests, bushland, or park lands, so we aim to provide this nature experience in our own outdoor environment, providing a rich, diverse and sustainable outdoor play space for the children to explore and connect with nature.
Our interest in nature kindergartens and forest schools is incorporated into our program by providing the children with large blocks of time to investigate and explore the outdoor environment.
We feel that the children benefit from outdoor play in natural spaces, because children who play regularly in natural environments show more advanced motor fitness, including coordination, balance and agility. Research has also shown that spending time in nature can reduce stress and improve cognitive development.
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...
"We have been at KU Crusader for four years now. Both my kids have attended there and we love it - the carers are fabulous, kind and nurturing, the kids really blossom under their care. The school readiness that the preschool program implements from day one really prepares the kids for 'big school'. The kids always have a great fun day at preschool and the carers provide practical and caring feedback showing that they really get to know and understand your child as an individual. I would, and always do, highly recommend KU Crusader to anyone searching for a great preschool for their little one." – KU Crusader parent
"I absolutely loved KU Crusader's commitment to achieve high quality service and care for my child. I adore the Teachers, the Director and all the resources available to create meaningful experiences for the children. The 'green' space is absolutely inviting and makes me want to play and learn as well. My child learned, laughed and grew confident at KU Crusader. A big 'Thank You' to KU Crusader for being an exceptional preschool." – KU Crusader 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 Crusader Preschool is located in the heart of Marrickville and has been part of Marrickville community for over 75 years. Right outside our gate is Jarvie Park, where our children and families enjoy spending time in the afternoons, to play and connect with one another.
Our playground is designed to maximise the use of the natural environment and allow children to play and explore as they would in their own backyard. We offer stimulating activities that arouse children’s curiosity and encourage them to choose from a variety of planned experiences, expanding their learning potential. Our playground includes natural elements such as sand, water, grass, leaves and twigs, and we also offer gross motor experiences such as climbing, jumping and physical play. We foster the holistic development of each child so they feel inspired to create, imagine and play.
Our Awards
The Annual KU Difference Awards were introduced a number of years ago, as a way of acknowledging KU staff who have made a significant contribution to KU. These annual awards are open to all KU staff, at any level (either individual staff or a team), who have worked above and beyond their normal duties.
In 2017, Sonia Geha from KU Crusader Preschool was awarded the Making “the KU Difference” Award for Children.
Our Reconciliation Action Plan
KU was proud to launch its inaugural Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in 2016. At KU Crusader, we began our journey to develop our centre’s RAP in 2018 and we are proud to launch it now. Please view it here.
