Our Program and Approach
At Kira, our curriculum evolves from the relationships between our children, educators and families. Through close relationships, we are able to develop a deeper understanding of children and family experiences and interests, and design learning experiences and environments that support children to research and explore, share thinking and viewpoints and accommodate new knowledge.
Our team of educators have an intentional teaching focus that supports children’s social and emotional competence, and delivers diverse learning experiences that support literacy, numeracy and children’s engagement with technology.
Children have access to both indoor and outdoor environments simultaneously, and take part in planned learning experiences in small groups throughout the day. Our environments are created to support multiple interests, and extend an invitation for individuals and interest groups to explore, experiment, investigate, re-visit, create, construct and dramatise.
At Kira, we are proud of our reputation within the local community of providing rich education and care that concentrates on individual children in a family-focussed and supportive way.
We have provided care and education at Kira since 1992 and we are proudly named after the first female engineer for Sydney water – Kira. Our centre is a welcoming and nurturing space where each child is immersed in a rich tapestry of educationally interactive experiences – a space where children are supported to be their own, unique selves, growing and developing a sense of belonging and empowerment.
We aim to establish an 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 Specialisation
In addition to the high quality programs we offer, all KU centres are also encouraged to develop an area of specialisation.
At Kira our obvious asset is the outdoor natural spaces that we have in an inner city location. We support exploration and physical activity for all age groups of children in our care. We believe that traditionally indoor activities can also be enjoyed outdoors. Many children live in high density areas and we offer the physical outlet needed for a balanced lifestyle.
We incorporate this into our program through having dedicated educators responsible for planning various areas of interest in the outdoor environment. These include physical activity, ‘dinosaur’ land, sand play, block and construction area and a dramatic play area.
We feel that the children benefit from this specialisation because it promotes an active and healthy lifestyle. It allows for exploration and fun. Our play spaces empower children to make choices and have control over their day.
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 best childcare centre in the universe. The care that both my children have received at Kira over the past several years has been exceptional. I will always be warmly grateful to the Director and to the educators for helping make my children’s early years so great. It doesn’t get better than Kira.” – Kira parent
"Our family feels so privileged to have found a centre that is so in tune with our needs and continues to amaze us with their motivation for new ideas and learning opportunities. Our daughter is praised for her achievements and has learnt that it is a positive experience to be challenged and not always possible to achieve greatness on the first effort. She learns how to share and care with the other children and learn others cultures and beliefs. The fantastic team that work directly with the children, the onsite kitchen that produces fresh and healthy meals every day and the team in the office, ensure that every moment when your child is with them that they are safe, having fun, learning and exploring. Thank you Kira." - Kira 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 centre is unique for an inner-city area, as we have a large and open outdoor area with real grass and trees. Our playground is directly off each play room to provide for indoor and outdoor play. We have a large veranda for extra shade. Many of the children’s play interests evolve from the love of the great outdoor space.
Our playground is designed to allow children to explore nature and discover the natural environment. We want children to be able to dig in the mud, climb trees, discover and learn about insects and enjoy connecting with nature. The many activities we offer enable children to immerse themselves in the natural elements of their surroundings and 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 Kira, we began our journey to develop our centre’s RAP in 2017 and we are proud to present it here.
