Our Program and Approach
At KU John J Carroll, our educational program is play-based, with educators collaborating with children and families to ensure that experiences offered relate to the interests, strengths and development of children and provide a balance of success and challenge.
Daily learning experiences for children include a balance of indoor and outdoor play, active and passive learning, individual and small group experiences and child initiated and educator initiated activities.
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.
At KU John J Carroll, we are proud of our reputation within the local community for providing rich education and care that concentrates on individual children in a family-focused and supportive way. We place a strong emphasis on making connections with the children and their families so that they feel connected and secure within our care.
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.
We Focus On
In addition to the high quality well-rounded programs we offer, all KU centres are also encouraged to develop an area of focus.
At KU John J Carroll, we focus on our community and parent partnerships. Our community is surrounded by many local businesses as well as a strong parent community with an array of expertise.
We feel that the children benefit from this focus, because Surry Hills is a unique, densely populated community encompassing a great range of cultures, businesses and diverse family groups. Through exposing the children to this variety within their community, we are enriching their awareness of the world around them and strengthening their feelings of belonging.
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 preschool’s emphasis on learning through play, the nurturing environment and the sense of community has really helped my two children become respectful, caring and interesting little human beings, as well as giving them the space they need to be ready for school.” - KU John J Carroll parent
"Our friends and neighbours had said such great things about KU John J Carroll, but it wasn't until our daughter started at the preschool that we realised what a gem we had in the community. Professional, nurturing educators, who put the child first. We couldn't be happier." - KU John J Carroll 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 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, mud, 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 Reconciliation Action Plan
KU was proud to launch its inaugural Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in 2016. At KU John J. Carroll, we began our journey to develop our centre’s RAP in 2018 and we are proud to launch it now. Please view it here.