Our Program and Approach
At our centre childhood is celebrated. When children play and explore, their imagination and curiosity is sparked – they enjoy learning, and are inspired to continue to follow their interest.
At KU Wombarra, we recognise the importance of play-based learning and intentional teaching in the development of young children. Underpinning this is a strong emphasis on the development of relationships and skills such as cooperation, problem solving, curiosity and independence.
We are proud of our reputation within the local community of providing rich education and care that supports the development of an ecological identity, children learn about themselves and each other within the context of this community, they learn to care for one another and about our community.
Our centre is a welcoming and nurturing space and 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.
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 Special Interest
In addition to the high quality well-rounded programs we offer, all KU centres are also encouraged to develop an area of interest.
At KU Wombarra our special interest is in Nature Play. We have a beautiful bush garden, vegetable patch, running water creek bed, trees to climb, mud to dig in and rocks and logs to support children to develop confidence in their bodies. We look out over the ocean and spend time watching the whales passing during the migration and the sea birds on the rock platform. We also have several visitors to our garden including water dragons, a blue tongue lizard, frogs in our frog pond, as well as night time visitors including possums and bandicoots.
Located right next to the ocean, our program has a strong focus on sustainability and the environment. Children are encouraged to learn about the world around them as they plant seeds in our vegetable garden, compost our fruit and vegetable scraps and feed our worm farm.
We watch the frogs lay their eggs in our pond and the life cycle of the tadpoles, we look at the birds through the binoculars, research our sightings and then draw what we have seen.
As we explore and wonder about nature, the children develop confident dispositions toward learning and discovery, they learn about the community we live in and the people and creatures we share it with. Over time, children will learn to care for the Earth and each other.
In addition, we participate in a Beach Friends – Nature Play Program each week, taking small groups of children down to the beach to look at the shoreline, in the rock pools and play on the sand. This experience supports children’s holistic learning; it supports creative expression, cognitive learning, social collaboration, fosters independence and increases the development of resilience.
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...
“KU Wombarra loves its families and nurtures a true union between the preschool and the families who use it. There’s the KU Wombarra family, a welcoming, safe and caring entity made up of us all.” - KU Wombarra Parent
“The staff at KU Wombarra provide a diverse range of stimulating and fun educational experiences, based on the children’s interests. The staff are caring and kind, and establish important bonds with the children and families.” - KU Wombarra 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.
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.
The preschool invites many local artists to work with the children throughout the year and our garden and playroom reflects this community interest. Children explore sculpture, weaving, clay work and mosaic art. Our friend, Uncle Kevin Butler, joins us regularly to paint and talk to the children about Aboriginal culture.
We also have a fantastic bike track and trikes to ride through our garden and beautiful well cared for play equipment for children to play with.
Our Reconciliation Action Plan
KU was proud to launch its inaugural Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in 2016. At KU Wombarra, we began our journey to develop our centre’s RAP in 2017 and we are proud to present it here.
Our Awards
In 2015, KU Wombarra won the Outstanding Achievement in Education Award through the Australian College of Educators, with the award recognising the preschool's significant contribution to early childhood education.
KU Wombarra was nominated for their outstanding commitment to connecting with the community, mentoring early childhood education students and educating children about sustainable living.
