Our Program and Approach
KU Figtree Preschool is a small community-based preschool offering education and care to 30 children each day between 3 years and school age.
Our philosophy is designed to focus on identity and belonging for all children with a program rich in language, literacy and creative expression, exploration, and investigation within a supportive community.
Our commitment to education and care in small groups enables educators to understand the individual interests and strengths of each child and work in partnership with families to ensure 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.
Each child's transition to school is facilitated by experiences that help develop confidence, independence, social skills, early literacy and numeracy through meaningful play-based experiences.
Educators provide warm, trusting relationships, predictable and safe environments and support and respect all aspects of every child's physical, emotional, social, cognitive, creative and spiritual being.
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 Focus
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 Figtree Preschool, our focus is relationships and community. KU Figtree Preschool was established in 1971 and has become synonymous in the local area with care and early learning. Our long standing roots in Figtree have yielded strong relationships with families and the local community, fostering a sense of belonging.
We incorporate this into our program through activities such as preschool picnics and BBQs, social events and celebrations with families. Engagement with our local community occurs through visits by storytellers, community members and children’s performers, as well as through established links with aged-care members and schools.
We feel that the children benefit from this focus because it provides a wonderful history of preschool education built on meaningful relationships and friendships, and this cultivates feelings of community and belonging amongst the children.
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 Exceeding the National Quality Standard.
However what matters most is what our families think...
"It has been incredible to watch our daughter Abigail grow and develop over her time at KU Figtree. The teachers’ friendly, nurturing and professional manner have created such a warm and loving environment. Under their guidance, Abigail has learnt how to cooperate, take direction and learn in a safe and respectful environment. She feels secure at preschool and her confidence has grown so much, which has allowed her to explore, play, discover and learn with her peers. In fact my daughter cries when I tell her it’s not her day for preschool! My two sons have also attended the preschool and the programs in place at the preschool combined with the teacher’s dedication and enthusiasm has established a solid foundation before attending primary school, where they are continuing to thrive." – KU Figtree Preschool Parent
"My daughter attended KU Figtree for two years. The centre is run by a fantastic team and the environment is just great for children. The two years were filled with fun and learning and my daughter loved every minute of her time there. She still talks about the preschool and wishes she could go back there forever. I recommend KU Figtree to anyone in the area who has young children." – KU Figtree Preschool 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 which incorporate diversely cultural backgrounds – 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 Figtree, we began our journey to develop our centre’s RAP in 2018 and we are proud to launch it now. Please view it here.
