Curriculum

At Harbour EL, we believe that early childhood education begins within a family and then becomes a shared responsibility when a child is introduced into an early childhood educational program.

Harbour EL Education

Our inquiry through play curriculum reflects an approach that acknowledges each child’s curiosity, explorations, ideas and interests… which in turn reflects emergent, project, intentional curriculum elements.

Our early childhood teachers and educators are experts at curating curriculum and pedagogical experiences. They engage with multiple theoretical approaches that underpin the Harbour EL early childhood curriculum. Our approach to curriculum for learning at Harbour EL reflects the current image of the child, developing brain research and the political and social valuing of early childhood education.

21st Century Learning skills of critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity are embedded in the Harbour EL curriculum. Digital drawing, photography and videography, creating stories, soundscapes and music are just some provocations for inquiry and experiences to be presented to children in the classroom as well as outdoors and on excursions. 

Our curriculum reflects an understanding of future curricula throughout the child’s educational journey, which has begun at home and is continued on in our program and then throughout formal schooling. The aim is to create a desire and aspiration for life-long learning.

Harbour EL shares the responsibility with families for their child’s foundational education. Our curriculum considers our relationships with families and the community, children’s unique ways of being and thinking and their dispositions for learning today and into the future.

Harbour EL Curriculum

The Harbour EL Curriculum is reflective and responsive, and we are very aware that our children have unique dispositions for learning. Children are immersed and are living in a rapidly changing world and digital landscapes. At Harbour EL, we believe that tomorrow’s children will need to be resilient, responsive, innovative, adaptive to change, kind and courageous - our curated curriculum supports these requirements.

Our teaching teams are also determined to ‘slow down’ the learning day, to support children in being able to focus on meaningful and deep engagement or daily encounters. Children and adults need time to work collaboratively, observe, reflect, think critically, plan, explore, innovate, create and prepare the documentation of their work.

  • The values of the past and current educational philosophers and theorists have and will continue to inform our pedagogy and practice at Harbour EL. Froebel, Steiner, Montessori, Bruner, Piaget, Vygotsky, Dewey, Foucault, Gardener, Malaguzzi, Silin, bell hooks, Haraway, Osgood and Kemmis and many more, inform our pedagogy, practice and thinking. These postmodern theorists and philosophers challenge our teaching teams to critically reflect on social attitudes and behaviour.

  • Harbour EL will provide educational creative resources, including (but not limited to) books, wooden blocks, puzzles, manipulative materials, clay, problem-solving materials, mathematical resources, art media, musical instruments, home play and dramatic play resources, construction resources, re-use and recycle materials.

    Outdoor play equipment will focus on developing the children’s fundamental movement skills through physical active play (running, climbing, ball throwing and catching and balancing) as well as problem solving and risk-taking with ‘found’ materials, resources and natural sciences research equipment (such as rain gauges, barometers, pipettes and microscopes).

    • Language, literacy, literature, sciences, technology, mathematics, visual, creative and performing arts.

    • Living and learning about sustainability, democracy, social justice and respect for children.

    • Learning to think and to be kind and see wonder in the world (Costa & Kallick). This mindfulness is embedded in our routines, rituals and throughout play.

  • This curriculum aims to ensure:

    • Children have a strong sense of identity

    • Children are connected with and contribute to their world

    • Children have a strong sense of wellbeing

    • Children are confident and involved learners

    • Children are effective communicators

  • We adhere to the NQS through:

    • Quality Area 1: Educational program and practice

    • Quality Area 2: Children’s health and safety

    • Quality Area 3: Physical environment

    • Quality Area 4: Staffing arrangements

    • Quality Area 5: Relationships with children

    • Quality Area 6: Collaborative partnerships with families and communities

    • Quality Area 7: Governance and leadership

Our Classrooms

Nursery

Birth to 2 Years

For children in our nursery, we create an environment and program that is nurturing, comforting and full of love and warmth. Every moment matters to our children, and with so much ahead of them, these first few years are pivotal in their development as they learn new skills and experience new things.

  • The first two years of life are a window of opportunity when a child’s learning pathways are established. At Harbour EL, we ensure we use this wonderful time to the fullest, encouraging learning through exploration and inquiry.

  • Our nursery program caters for the requirements of each child, and our Nursery Teaching Team is guided by the routines our families provide to ensure each child develops in an environment similar to home. We aim for our youngest children to feel happy and nurtured whilst developing their emotional and social skills, and begin playful explorations.

  • Our purpose-built play spaces and in-room resources provide children with new experiences, learning and wonder to evoke a passion for becoming lifelong independent learners.

Toddlers

2 to 3 Years

Our toddler programs aim to encourage and support children with their forever-developing self-help skills and independence. We help to build resilience and self-awareness in a harmonious and joyful environment. We support children in being curious about the world around them.

  • Our busy toddlers spend their days playing, discovering, learning and socialising with their friends. By the age of 2, our children are forming reciprocal relationships, and we aim to assist them to navigate the concepts of sharing, turn-taking and playing alongside their peers.

  • In our toddler rooms, we want to support our children with their development of independence and intra-dependence - dressing, eating, toileting, play and being responsible with materials and belongings.

  • Our program is based on children’s ideas, emerging interests and explorations. Children are supported in their learning through small and large group experiences.

Preschool

3 to 4 Years and 4 to 5 Years

Our preschool program is developed for children aged 3 to 5 years and focuses on small group experiences, which facilitate different ideas and interests. We want preschoolers to become independent learners through a diverse and engaging curriculum and inquiry-based learning.

  • We refer to the Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 to base our programs and experiences around play. Our program is guided by the children’s ideas and interests, which then shape our play-based curriculum. This is combined with early childhood teachers and educators’ educational knowledge, observations and possible outcomes. We aim for children to be independent and capable learners, and believe that we support this by encouraging exploration and challenges. By empowering children to play, inquire and involve themselves in their learning, we allow our early childhood teachers and educators to provide a meaningful program.

  • Our early childhood teachers and educators utilise conversations with the children, to scaffold and facilitate children’s inquiring minds.

  • Our children begin to learn and play in groups in a respectful and friendly way.

“We offer hope that another world is possible, a world that is more democratic and sustainable, a world where surprise and wonder, diversity and complexity find their rightful place in early childhood education, indeed all education.”

Peter Moss

Nutrition Philosophy

Nutrition is an important part of a child’s development and wellbeing at Harbour EL. A strong sense of wellbeing is fundamentally connected to a child’s sense of belonging, being and becoming.

At Harbour EL, we believe that children form their eating habits by the time they reach school age, and for this reason, we have partnered with some of Australia’s best chefs and nutritionists to deliver delicious, healthy and seasonal menus for a variety of meals our children will enjoy.

Our menus are designed and assessed in accordance with Nutrition Australia and the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Our seasonal recipes are created exclusively for Harbour EL by local nutritionists, and we are aware and accommodative of food allergies, intolerances and dietary requirements.

Monster Pancakes with Berry Chia Jam. Recipe courtesy of BABLE.

“All children have curiosity, potential, and preparedness. They have an interest in relationships. They construct their knowledge, and they are prepared to negotiate with everything presented to them by their environment.”

Loris Malaguzzi

enrichment curricula