Alison’s update
Chief Operating Officer
Welcome to our November 2023 Family Newsletter. Starting from this Friday, our centre communities will gather for their Christmas events and graduations. These social occasions at Petit Early Learning Journey are exciting and provide children with the opportunity to practise their social skills and interact with others. Children develop the ability to socialise over many years and sometimes they may need extra support to not feel overwhelmed and meet new friends. Social skills include listening, showing empathy, communicating clearly, respecting boundaries, cooperating, and exhibiting a genuine interest in others.
Social competence helps children develop meaningful relationships, boosting their self-esteem and confidence. You can support your child’s socialisation by encouraging positive interactions in the lead-up to social events. Engage your child in a conversation about their feelings and how they might affect their behaviours. Discussing healthy friendships and sharing how you met your friends can also inspire them to build their social skills. By modelling appropriate behaviours towards others, such as being kind, polite, friendly, and patient, children will observe what we do and say and learn to do the same. Role-play meeting new friends with them and practise sharing, taking turns and resolving conflict. Children will copy our manners when they interact with others.
Developing self-confidence and a positive self-image will support children’s social interactions, even those who may appear shy or introverted. All children should be encouraged to make friends and respect their differences by discussing diversity and topics such as race, gender and culture. Playdates and playgroups can help your child build on their basic social skills, such as making eye contact or smiling at others as they learn to play in small groups. Group experiences are essential for developing socialisation skills. Your child will also benefit from attending family and community gatherings or other opportunities, such as storytelling sessions at your local library, where they can meet and interact with other children and make new friends.
At Petit Early Learning Journey, our educators converse with children by asking them questions to learn more about their interests and thoughts. Questions are essential conversation starters, and encouraging your child to engage in small talk and ask other children questions like, “What do you like to play?” can build their confidence and social skills.
I am delighted to share that Petit ELJ Kew has achieved an overall Assessment and Rating result of Exceeding. It is an outstanding achievement and we are thrilled that the Department of Education in Victoria has recognised the dedication, knowledge and practice of the team led by Centre Director Agnes Teo.
Thank you to the families who participated in the Petit Family Survey in November. Your responses are now being compiled and we will have the results for you within the next few weeks. The most significant improvement is parent participation with 43% of families having a say.
You can learn more about your centre’s end-of-year events and how you can support your child’s social skills by talking to your Centre Director. We are always here to help.
Exceptional team member for November
Petit Early Learning Journey Kew
Congratulations to the team at Petit Early Learning Journey Kew for this month’s selection as Petit ELJ’s Exceptional Performer of the Month. Recently their centre went through their national quality assessment and rating process against the National Quality Standards. We are so pleased to announce that they received an overall Exceeding rating.
Centre Director Agnes Teo shares her teams’ strengths and successes:
What makes Petit ELJ Kew different?
At Petit ELJ Kew, we have a team of passionate educators and people who want to deliver the best quality education and care to children and families. We are committed to building meaningful relationships with our children, families and colleagues to strengthen our ability to work collaboratively and achieve common goals.
What are your key Assessment and Rating successes?
We approached Assessment and Rating (A&R) as an opportunity to share our dedication and enthusiasm with the Department of Education and the positive care and learning experiences that the children and families have at Petit ELJ Kew. A&R gave us a chance to showcase what we do best, what we love doing, and to be accountable for what we do, such as demonstrating our strong partnerships with all our families and children and how we know each child’s individual interests, the families’ expectations and attitudes. Our families are familiar with almost all the team members at Petit ELJ Kew. When our children see these relationships, it makes them comfortable and creates a sense of security. The children are happy, involved and engaged in our experiences.
What is the best part of working as a team at Petit ELJ Kew?
The best part is the people and the community we’ve developed. We are like a family. We collaborate well together towards common goals. We have mutual respect, communicate well, and inspire and value each other’s ideas and aspirations. That’s what makes us a successful team.
Describe a memorable centre event this year that embodies a love for life-long learning?
The most memorable moment this year is our A&R, mainly because it is still so fresh and new but also because of the validation we receive from it. The assessor could see how every person on our team fully invests in the children and our families and how much we advocate for each child in terms of their learning and care. It’s an extra team achievement and a compliment for us to see what we do is validated and acknowledged.
Queensland’s free kindy 2024
A reminder that free kindy is coming to Queensland in 2024. Enrolments are open now for eligible-aged children attending 40 weeks of government-approved free kindy per year led by a qualified early childhood teacher. The program provides 15 hours of instruction per week or a total of 600 hours per year.
The introduction of free kindergarten in Queensland acknowledges the value of early childhood education and its benefits for children. This is an opportunity to invest in your child’s future and give them a strong learning foundation.
We recognise the significance of selecting the appropriate kindergarten provider for your child. We encourage all Queensland families to talk to your Centre Director about how free kindy will affect your child’s needs and interests.
Upcoming Events
Understanding Child Care Subsidy
Child Care Subsidy (CCS) helps with the cost of approved early childhood education and care. You can find more information on CCS on the Services Australia website. Looking for information in your language? Service Australia has fact sheets in 14 different languages.
Sandpit play: Building castles with the mind and body
Have you ever wondered why children are so attracted to sand and sandpit play? The simple answer is that it’s fun and good for them. Sand play allows children to explore and use…
Community connections
Petit Early Learning Journey Wooloowin’s bake sale raises awareness for Act for Kids
Report by Educational Leader Liz Wisowaty
Our centre organised a fundraiser to support a local organisation and strengthen our connections in the community. We chose Act for Kids Wooloowin. Act for Kids delivers evidence-led professional therapy and support services to children and families who have experienced or are at risk of harm.
The bake sale allowed the children to be involved in the fundraiser, with each of our studios planning a dish the children could make. The studios made sweet and savoury dishes, including rocky road, rice crispies, vegemite scrolls and banana muffins. They were all delicious. Our Treasure Cove studio (kindergarten) children also made thank you cards to show our gratitude for those who made a purchase. As well, we invited families to donate home-baked items towards the sale.
At Petit ELJ Wooloowin, we seek to bring together our families to create a robust and collaborative community. A strong community connection provides a supportive and inclusive environment that helps children grow their social-emotional skills and feel a sense of belonging.
While this project has concluded, the children, families and team were enthusiastic about raising funds for a local and worthy cause that provides services to keep children safe, heal from trauma and live happy lives. Next year, we will invite our families and team to make more suggestions of local organisations that we can support, and a couple of times a year, hold different types of fundraisers, such as an art auction.
30 Indoor play activities for children to enjoy at home
Indoor play activities for children can be fun and adventurous even when it is dark and gloomy or too hot to venture outside. Whether you’re stuck inside because of the weather or have limited outdoor…
Latest parent review
Petit Early Learning Journey Burleigh
“We have been at Petit for over a year now and have loved our time there. They are so helpful with all of my questions and they are super efficient with replying to my emails. My daughter loves her educators and all the learning activities she is involved in each time she is at daycare. When we go on holidays she says she misses her teachers!”
– Jessie Turner
Our culture: Introducing our Summer Learning Project Program
We are excited to launch our new Summer Project Learning Program. In the early childhood education and care sector, our educators frequently reflect…
Experiences from around our services
Petit Early Learning Journey Clifton Hill visits their community garden
The children from Petit ELJ Clifton Hill’s Willow Way studio ventured out to explore and discover fresh springtime scents in their community garden. The children are frequent visitors to the gardens where they enjoy sensory experiences and nurturing a love for nature.
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