Headstart Early Learning Centre - 1955 Words

My centre, HeadStart Early Learning Centre is located at 6-8 Wattle Street, West Ryde, NSW 2114 Australia, north-west of the Sydney Central Business District (CBD). It is built on a quite suburban street surrounded by houses and apartments, as well as a park across the road. The community in the suburb of West Ryde consists of many cultures ranging from Chinese to Lebanese and Italian backgrounds. The centre is opened all year round and their trading hours for Mondays to Fridays are 7am till 6pm and provides nappies and nutritious meals that are freshly prepared in-house by a qualified cook. The educators are all of different cultural backgrounds, languages and studies in the field of education, which helps provide high quality programs†¦show more content†¦The number of children vary on certain days, as there are some who only come on certain days. Play-based learning is described as a â€Å"context for learning through which children organise and make sense of their social worlds, as they actively engage with people, objects and representations† (EYLF 2009, p. 46). Headstart Early Learning Centre has a strong emphasis on play-based learning as they believe it is the best vehicle for a child’s learning as it provides the most appropriate stimulus for their brain development. The centre aims to guide children in becoming effective learners through creating an environment that is both challenging and stimulating. In doing so, children are allowed the opportunity to â€Å"explore, identify, negotiate, take risks and create meaning† (Early Childhood Australia, 2016) through guiding their own learning. The centre believes that by children engaging in quality play experience, they will be able develop the required skills needed to adjust in primary school and academic learning; these include â€Å"memory skills, language development and their ability to regulate their behaviour† (Bodrova Leong, 2005). The centre demonstrates a high-quality, play-based learning program as they integrate music, movement and creative expression as well as incorporating physical play both indoor and outdoor on a daily basis. In implementing a play-based learning program within the centre, educators are allowing the