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GENERAL INFORMATION North Haven Child Care and Education Centre is licenced for fifty children, including up to twenty children under two. The building consists of two seperate areas and playgrounds. The Koru Room caters for the children aged three months to two years of age and the Fern Room for the children aged two to five years old. Staff /children ratios are as follows; 1:4 Koru Room, 1:9 Fern Room. All trained teachers have a Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood) or higher. For further information regarding Education Review Office reports of North Haven Child Care and Education Centre go to www.ero.govt.nz and type in the centre name under search. Curriculum North Haven uses Te Whaariki, New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum, which has the following aspirations for children:
"to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society." The teachers plan the programmes based on observations of your child's development and interests, then provide learning experiences that extend their individual developmental level, are challenging and fun. Information gathered is kept in your child's profile book. Included in the book are learning stories, examples child's artwork, observations, photos, language stories they create. Parents are encouraged to contribute to their child's profile book. A copy of the monthly planning and evaluations are displayed in each area of the Centre. A copy of Te Whaariki is available in the parents' library. Encouragement - How does North Haven encourage children to learn and develop? The experiences children have directly influences how they develop. Thinking and learning is a process of interactions between a child and the environment. Children learn best through active exploration and interactions with the environment and all it holds. Te Whaariki focuses on the holistic development of children and we provide programmes based on their individual strengths and interests. There are five main areas of development: - Physical development and learning where the environment is arranged to encourage purposeful movement of the body and of different body parts. This also promotes well-being and emotional and cognitive development.
- Cognitive learning and development is encouraged through direct exploration of the environment, encouraging problem solving skills through using open-ended questions, creative play, use of technology eg. computer, carpentry, painting, tools, etc. Encourage recall skills by asking what children have done at home, reading books then ask children to recall different parts of the story. Creativity is closely linked to cognitive development. Music, art, collage, encourage this development as does child initiated activities when they use an object eg. cardboard box, for another purpose in their play. Making up games with their peers and establishing rules is also creative learning
- Language development and learning is promoted through adults being positive role models in their use of language, including te reo Maori, stories, songs and rhymes. Children also develop an understanding of language through adults using words and sentences a child can understand.
- Encouraging and providing time for a child to respond to them.
- Adults speaking to a child at the level of the child.
- Conversations about the child's interests. - - A child's home language is respected and incorporated, where possible, into their centre experiences.
- Emotional learning and development is provided through creating a safe, secure environment where a child develops a sense of belonging and self-worth. They are respected as individuals.
We endeavour to create an environment that is a "fun" place to be, where children and adults can express their sense of humour together. We also celebrate special occasions together.
Links between family and home are also encouraged to create a sense of belonging. - Social learning and development, process through a series of stages:
- Identifying others, responding (individual) observing.
- Responding (imitating) observing, parallel play.
- Responding (appropriately) observing, playing together.
All stages overlap. Individual, cultural and environmental factors contribute to the pace in which social learning takes place. North Haven promotes social learning through co-operative activities and games and encouraging sharing and how to express their feelings in appropriate ways. We also encourage learning through scaffolding ie. the temporary support given to a child by a more competent peer or adult to move them onto a higher level of understanding of a task.
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