Our Approach

At Bronte Kids, our approach to educating and caring for our children is centred on listening to their unique voices

Our approach to Education and Care

We are guided by the National Quality Framework, and inspired by many contemporary approaches, practices and theories which are used across various countries. All of our pedagogical actions are based on the concept of respect and trust.

We know through the research 90% of a child’s brain is developed by 5 years old. We know that nature and nurture shape a child’s developing brain. At BKP, creating partnerships and building respectful relationships with families is important to ensure the home and school context are working together to ensure children are at the forefront of all decisions.

Orientation Days: For new children enrolling at the service  

An orientation period is where you and your family are invited into the care setting for three sessions across three days for a minimum of 2 hours per session. These sessions are an opportunity for your child to explore their environment, have time to slowly build relationships with their educators and peers. It is also a time for your child to engage in the routine and rituals of the day. This unhurried introduction into the service will provide comfort, predictability, and consistency with the aim of a smooth first-day drop off. The role of the parent is to observe and be a safe haven for your child, that is, at times reassure them that they are safe and encourage them to explore the environment with their peers and educators. The Educators are there for you. We are there to provide you with information and support.

Developing children’s Social and Emotional skills

BKP provides high-quality education and care in Bronte. We acknowledge the children as active citizens of the world. We endeavour to support infants’ social and emotional development throughout each day. We do this by acknowledging children’s emotions and supporting them through their feelings. We do not distract children from what they are feeling and what they are experiencing; rather we help them to recognise emotions and begin the journey of self-regulation.

“Self-regulation refers to how well we manage stress, how much energy we expend and how well we recover.” – Dr Stuart Shanker

We ensure that we are speaking to children about their feelings and naming emotions, “I can see you are really upset that Daddy has left. It is hard to say goodbye. I am going to support you.”

It is a part of our daily practice that we continue to be emotionally available for our children in times of happiness, sadness, frustration.. to name a few.

Rest & Sleep

Bridging the home school context is important to ensure our children are supported during rest and sleep. We understand that children's needs vary and have individual sleep requirements. At BKP we follow children’s sleep cues to provide them with the rest they need to develop. For our preschoolers we provide opportunities to rest through stretching and movement, as well as listening to audio books which allow their imagination to wonder.

We believe in establishing sleep rituals to help children to self-settle as our goal, however  understand that children sleep in many different ways in the home environment and are at different stages of achieving this. We will work gently with children and families to achieve the best possible sleep routine for each individual child.