Imagine Childcare and Preschool Kelso

The Junior Kinder room is a safe and nurturing environment which feels like “home”.

Rachel - parent  

I love how parents are encouraged to be involved and included in the educational program and we are given a voice for our family goals. 

Sara - parent 

Imagine Childcare and Preschool Kelso is inclusive, safe, flexible and a nurturing experience. Just the type of childcare experience we were looking for!

Sofie - parent

• Gardening and sustainability program
• Yoga program
• Regular incursions and excursions
• ELLA language program 

The Educators at Imagine Childcare and Kindergarten Kelso value the children, and their voices are at the centre of their programs. The embedded daily rhythms and individual classroom educational programs are influenced by the individual needs of each child and family. 

The centre’s daily rhythm allows the children to experience an indoor/outdoor play flow to their day. This enables the children to choose which environment they wish to experience. 

The indoor classrooms are strategically planned in order to create a calm and engaging environment. The Educators have areas within classrooms which promote solitary or social play, imaginative, or intentional teachings. The spacious outdoor environments increase the children’s ability to develop their gross motor skills and grow their appreciation for nature. 

The Educators pride themselves on prioritising the needs of each individual child. They use room ages as a guideline, and place new children into the service and transition existing children, by taking into account the individual child and family wishes. 

Children are cared for in the following groups:

• Nursery 
• Tiny Tots                    
• Toddlers
• Junior Kinder
• Pre-Kinder 
• Preschool

The focus of the Educators is to provide a secure and nurturing environment for the children, to promote a sense of belonging. The centre offers consistency of care, through long-term Educators who have been with the centre since it opened, allowing strong bonds to develop with the children and families. 

Parents are offered a complementary barista coffee at drop off time, which is a chance for them to chat to Educators about the children’s plans for the day and to ask any questions they may have.

Creating a safe, secure and supportive environment for our children, our families and our Educators is something I am very passionate about. I believe that early childhood settings play such a vital role in young children’s lives and my practice is hugely influenced by Bronfenbrenner’s “Ecological Systems Theory”. 

 

In order for our children to grow into confident young learners they must feel safe, secure and supported. I put a huge emphasis on relationships with children and our families. One of my favourite parts of my role is welcoming our families each morning and getting to know them all individually. I am so blessed to have such a supportive community at Kelso.

 

Libby - Centre Director

 

It's a passion of mine to make children feel that they belong to the world and guide them to understand if they can put their minds to it, they can achieve the impossible.

 

At a young age, children are like sponges. They love to learn, explore and develop what they don't know. I'm just a stepping stone in their little lives, to help guide their path to their own success. As an educator, it is the most remarkable feeling to know you have supported, care for, and shared a small piece of a child's world, and have started to help shape who they can be in life.

 

I have worked with children for 18 years. I studied my Diploma back in 2003, and in 2019 I completed my Bachelor of Early Childhood. I have worked and gained grear experience over the years with children with additional needs, and have a love for them.

The centre understands that nutrition plays an important role in each child’s physical development as well as their attitudes towards healthy food.

All of the meals and snacks are prepared onsite by professional qualified chefs every day. The children work alongside the Educators to care for the centre’s vegetable patches, and these vegetables are then used in the kitchen or for cooking experiences with the children.

The Educators use meal time as an opportunity to share positive experiences around food and to help children develop social skills such as sharing and turn taking. They role model positive behaviours and attitudes, and involve the children in the menu planning.

All food allergies, intolerances, cultural requirements and family preferences are taken into account by consulting with parents when meal planning for the children. The children’s absolute favourite lunch is tacos - everyone serves themselves and eats together in a social setting.