Our Educational Program

A place to wonder, discover and learn

At Katoomba Leura Preschool, learning begins with relationships.

With each other.

With families.

With our community.

With the places and natural world around us.

Our educational program is inspired by the educational project of Reggio Emilia, the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF V2.0), inquiry-based learning and place-based pedagogies. These ideas come together in a learning landscape where children are seen as capable, curious and full of ideas — children who can wonder, investigate, question, create, solve problems, make connections and share their theories about the world.

Learning through play

Play is at the heart of our educational program.

Through play, children develop theories, test ideas, negotiate with others, take risks, solve problems, communicate, imagine and make meaning. Our educators listen carefully to children’s conversations, actions, questions and play, using these as starting points for intentional teaching and further learning.

Children have opportunities to make choices about their experiences, follow their interests, contribute to routines and take increasing responsibility for their own learning and wellbeing.

Sometimes learning begins with a question.

Sometimes it begins with a puddle, a piece of clay, a beetle, a story, a friendship or something that catches a child's eye.

We follow these moments of curiosity and wonder, allowing children's ideas to grow into investigations, projects and shared discoveries.

Supporting every child to flourish

We want every child to feel confident, capable and supported as they grow.

Our educators carefully observe children’s learning and development and, when we have questions or concerns, we talk openly and respectfully with families. We share our observations and, where appropriate, may suggest further support or connection with allied health professionals, such as speech pathologists.

These conversations are always approached with care and respect. Families make their own decisions about seeking additional support, and our educators are here to listen, share information and work alongside families and other professionals.

Together, we create the conditions for children to flourish — with time to play, space to wonder, relationships that matter and the confidence to know that they are capable learners.

Our environment is part of the learning

We think carefully about the spaces children spend their days in.

Our indoor learning landscapes include our three nests — Lilli Pilli, Bilby and Bowerbird — each connected to our rich outdoor environments.

Beautiful, thoughtful spaces invite children to pause, notice, wonder and explore. Natural and open-ended materials, loose parts, colour, light, technology, art materials, real tools and authentic equipment provide endless possibilities for children to create, investigate and express their ideas.

Our environment becomes another teacher — offering children choices, possibilities and invitations to learn.

Every child brings their own story

We recognise that every child arrives with their own experiences, culture, language, strengths, interests, ideas and ways of learning.

Our relationships with families are an important part of understanding each child. We listen to what families share, invite their knowledge and perspectives into our program and work together to build a rich and holistic picture of each child.

Our educators observe, document, reflect and plan with intention, adapting experiences to support each child's developing capabilities, interests and learning.

Explore our indoor spaces through our children's eyes

I notice the little things…

The soft basket of wool waiting for my hands.
The smooth pieces of wood I can build with.
The paints, clay, paper and beautiful things I can make something with.

I notice the real sewing needles, threads and fabrics.
I can sew, stitch, weave, cut, join and create.

I notice blocks and wooden planks waiting to become houses, bridges, towers and worlds I have imagined.

I notice baskets of shells, stones, pinecones, seed pods, feathers and other treasures from nature. I can sort them, arrange them, count them, build with them or simply wonder about them.

I notice the light table, magnifying glasses and things to investigate closely.
I can mix, pour, measure, compare and discover what happens.

I notice the clay waiting to be squeezed, rolled, pressed and shaped.
I can make something with my hands and change it again and again.

I notice the basket of books where I can curl up and look at a story.
I notice paper, pencils, charcoal and pastels waiting for my ideas.

I hear the sound of real instruments.

I can tap, shake, strum, sing and make music with others.

I notice the kitchen, the cooking utensils and the familiar rituals of preparing food.
I can pour, stir, knead, chop, set the table and help care for our space.

I notice places to gather and places to be quiet.
Places to imagine.
Places to work alongside a friend.
Places to rest and watch the world go by.

I notice sunlight coming through the window.
Flowers, leaves and treasures from outside.
The changing seasons reflected around me.

I notice the things that belong to us — our drawings, our constructions, our stories, our discoveries.

I notice that this place is ours.

I can touch things.
I can try things.
I can make choices.
I can help.
I can wonder.
I can make something that wasn't here before.

I belong here.

Outside there is so much to discover

“Come outside. I’ll show you.”

There is so much to discover here…

I can climb high and balance carefully.
I can dig deep in the earth and find something unexpected.
I can collect sticks, branches and leaves and make a cubby with my friends. We build, rebuild, imagine and create our own little worlds.

I love our river bed.

Sometimes there is water trickling through the stones. Sometimes it is dry and ready for building and exploring. I can make rivers and dams, move the stones, watch the water and work out what happens next.

When it rains, I can jump in puddles and feel the splash.

I notice things grown-ups sometimes miss.

I can watch a snail slowly travel across a path, leaving a shiny trail behind.
I can find wriggly worms in the earth.
I can discover a tiny beetle hiding beneath a leaf.
I can listen to birds and notice the changing seasons.

I can gather around the fire pit.

We cook together, feel the warmth of the fire and sing songs with our friends. We listen to stories, share food and enjoy the special feeling of being together.

I can get muddy.
I can get wet.

I can run, climb, dig and build — or find a quiet place to simply watch.

I can plant seeds and watch them grow. I can care for our gardens, collect natural treasures and learn that I am connected to the living world around me.

There are places to be adventurous, places to imagine and places to slow down.

I am always learning.

When I play, I am learning.
When I wonder, I am learning.
When I make a mistake and try again, I am learning.
When I share an idea, listen to a friend or discover something new, I am learning.

Our outdoor environment gives me time to wonder, to take safe risks, to follow my curiosity and to share discoveries with my friends.

This is my outdoor world.
Come and explore it with me.

Bush Preschool

Bush Preschool is a place to slow down, explore and be with nature, on Gundungurra and Dharug Country.

Along the bush tracks, careful footsteps follow the winding paths, noticing what has changed since the last visit.

Dirt becomes a place for drawing. Sticks and branches become cubbies. Rocks become stepping stones. There are places to climb, balance, scramble and discover new ways of moving.

Ants busy themselves beneath our feet and tiny bugs hide under leaves and logs. Birdsong can be heard amongst the trees, inviting us to stop and listen.

The changing seasons bring new discoveries — warm sunshine, cool breezes, fallen leaves, puddles and changes in the bush around us.

A visit to our friend Bowerbird always brings something to notice. Treasures collected, feathers found and curious questions about what might be happening nearby.

Muddy clothes, treasures in pockets, stories to tell and new ideas to share.

There is time to play together, time to follow an idea and time to simply sit and notice.

Caring for Country means treading gently. We learn to be gentle with the bush and the creatures who live here. We learn that we belong to this place too.

There is always something to discover.
Something to wonder about.
Something new to learn.

Transition to school

We see starting school as a journey that begins from the moment your child joins us at preschool. Rather than preparing children for school through a separate program, our rich learning environments and everyday experiences nurture the skills, confidence and dispositions children will draw on as they move into their next chapter.

Our approach is grounded in relationships. We build strong connections with our local schools and value opportunities for children and families to become familiar with the schools they may attend. We also encourage connections between families whose children will be starting school together, helping children arrive with familiar faces and friendships around them.

Throughout their time at preschool, children develop their social and emotional capacity — learning to communicate, collaborate, solve problems, navigate friendships, express their ideas and feelings, manage challenges and increasingly advocate for themselves.

Our educators know each child well and support them to become confident, capable and curious learners. Through play, relationships, inquiry and everyday experiences, children develop the skills and dispositions that will support them not only as they begin school, but throughout their learning journey.

We believe children don't need to be made ready for school. They need the time, relationships and experiences that help them feel confident in themselves, connected to others and ready to embrace what comes next.

Dharug Dhalang

At preschool, children are introduced to Dharug words and language through everyday experiences, songs, stories, conversations and play.

Children learn and use Dharug words for the people, places, animals, plants and the natural world around them, building a growing vocabulary connected to the Country on which we live and learn.

Through hearing, saying and exploring Dharug Dhalang, children develop an appreciation for the richness of First Nations language and the importance of keeping language alive.