canterburybankstownchildcare.com.au local child care & services directory - Panania Preschool Kindergarten - The Canterbury Bankstown Child Care Directory

Welcome to Panania Preschool.

Our understanding is that the most important factor in a child’s world is the family. Therefore we aim to create an environment where parents/guardians and families are confident that their children’s needs are being met.

We believe that it is in the best interest of children’s wellbeing that the centre fosters partnerships between the staff and parents in a practical and relevant way that can best support continuous quality care and improvement in all our centre practices.

The centre is open from 8:00am to 4:00pm Monday to Friday. A late collection fee will be incurred if your child is collected after 4:00pm.

The fees are $57.00 a day for 2-5 year olds and Childcare Benefit is available to all families. All families should apply for Childcare Benefit at the Family Assistance Office (FAO).

Our aims are

To promote children’s wellbeing, development and learning in a safe and healthy environment in which families and staff feel relaxed and happy.
To foster and influence the development of healthy self-esteem and positive concepts.
To provide an individually based program that will foster each child’s unique ability.
To help children develop self-discipline skills.
To continue to plan and implement an ongoing improvement and maintenance plan which is available for parents and families to make comment.

All staff at the centre are required by the Department of Community Services to complete a “Working with Children Check”. All staff at the centre are advised of the current NHMRS guidelines for immunisation. Panania Preschool promotes Occupational, Health and Safety Procedures and Practices. Staff members are committed to ongoing education and complete numerous professional development courses throughout the year.

We believe that relaxed, well nourished children perform better and are able to concentrate for longer periods of time. Therefore children’s meals are provided for them by their families and brought to the centre from home. For morning tea we encourage families to provide a piece of fresh fruit or vegetables for your child. For lunch we encourage families to provide a packed lunch to help prepare the children for school. We encourage the children to eat a healthy sandwich, fruit, vegetables, plain yogurts, crackers e.t.c. The centre also encourages the children to only drink water during the day, therefore this is why we ask families to provide a drink bottle filled with water. The centre can provide information on nutrition and safe food handling and food storage.

If you have any questions, or wish to discuss your preschool needs, please contact us.

Our Program are aimed at fostering the individual child’s strengths and interests. Our learning philosophies are derived from positive experiences. We provide a structured routine to assist in preparing children for the expectations of school. We also provide spontaneous experiences. We aim to incorporate aspects of the Reggio Emilia approach, also called the ‘emergent curriculum’, which bases the experiences on the children’s needs and interests. Children will not only play with the traditional toys (construction builders, dolls, puzzles etc.) but will also experience the use of ‘real life sensory’ equipment, such natural things from our environment e.g. clay, shells, rocks, food etc.

We believe that children learn best when they are interested and when experiences are real to them. This means we move away from determining what they want to play with and more towards listening to what they are telling us they want to learn and support their wants and needs. Our day will continue to run to a routine as we believe that children need the routine to feel safe and secure.

Each child will have their own profile book or visual journal. These journals will be a reflection of their development and interactions with equipment, peers and others whilst at Panania Preschool. The journal will include pictures of your child at play and documentation from the teachers that you can share with your child. These journals will be accessible at all times, but we do ask that due to confidentiality, you only look at your own child’s journal.

The aim of our program is to prepare children for school by developing certain skills that they will require to take the big step. A strong focus is placed on independence and self-help. We have realistic expectations and are happy to assist children in their attempts, although we encourage each child to try first. We teach the children to recognise their name by using name tags and they learn to write their name as we encourage them to write it themselves on their artwork, drawings etc. Other cognitive skills are incorporated through the program, such as counting and recognising colours. Children learn to open lunch boxes and feed themselves, to pour drinks independently, tidy their lockers and to put their shoes and socks on themselves. We would ask that you encourage your children to try things themselves at home to support their growing independence and willingness to try new things. You can get children to carry their own bag to school and to unpack the bag themselves. All of this boosts a child’s confidence and self-esteem.

In the big group we have a school readiness program. Although this type of program is not recommended by the NCAC or the NSW Curriculum Framework, parents have brought to our attention their desire to have this more formal school readiness program implemented into our program. The children will complete stencils, practise writing and drawing and other related skills. We encourage parents to also work on these things with your child at home.

We maintain a safe, attractive and pleasant outdoor environment. All play activities are programmed and evaluated each week. Our staff check the outdoor area each day for dangerous or hazardous pests or materials. The centre implements a sun safe policy all year. Please bring a hat for your child for outdoor play. We ask during the centres summer routine that you apply sunscreen to your child before arriving at the service so it has time to work effectively. Staff will also assist children to apply sunscreen throughout other times of the day.