At Little Lane, our early learning curriculum is inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach; an inclusive, play-based approach that equally values the interests and voices of our children, you as parents, and our local community. Our teachers facilitate the children’s play through observations, then plan and implement intentional teaching and learning experiences to extend your child’s interests.
Learning is well documented and strongly linked to the five learning outcomes of the Australian Early Years Learning Framework.
Through long-term, in-depth projects, children are prompted to develop problem solving skills, creativity, positive dispositions and a strong sense of belonging to their immediate community. We support this natural fascination and exploration, all our little learners are encouraged to take risks, make mistakes and extend their imaginations.
As parents of five daughters, we know that each individual child forms their own beautifully unique personality during the early years of development. We love the Reggio Emilia Approach because it acknowledges the vivid complexities of each child, and that each are endowed with infinite ways to express and explore their thoughts, feelings and imaginings. This is distilled nicely by Lorris Malaguzzi, the founder of the Reggio Emilia Approach, as ‘The Hundred Languages of Children’.
What we aim to preserve and nurture through our learning program is “children’s ability to wonder; their multiple ways of seeing, and multiple ways of being.”
Here at Little Lane, you and your child will feel abundantly supported and surrounded with positive co-learners who contribute to a lifelong love of learning.
At Little Lane, we support and respect our staff, volunteers and all children in our care, because we want children to feel safe, happy and empowered to learn. Our team of staff commit to annual training, review and update of our policies and procedures, in the understanding, identifying and reporting of child safety related matters. Embedded within our 4-year-old kindergarten program is the All Children Being Safe, age-appropriate child protection program. This program helps young children to identify their feelings when they feel unsafe and the support people they can go to to ask for help.
We have zero tolerance of child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously — consistently with our robust policies and procedures. Please know we have legal and moral obligations as Mandatory Reporters under the Australian Acts and Regulations to contact authorities when we are concerned about a child’s safety. Little Lane is committed to preventing child abuse and identifying risks early. We work closely with community services in preventing, reducing and removing these risks. We apply robust policies and procedures in our recruitment process. All staff and volunteers at Little Lane are required to have a current Working With Children Check.
We are committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, and children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds. Our service will also work closely with families and community support organisations to support the inclusion of children with disability and additional needs. Our organisation has specific policies, procedures and training in place that support our leadership team, staff and volunteers to achieve these commitments.
If you have any concerns about child safety or care, cultural safety or other questions, please get in touch with your Center Manager or Contact Us.
We are fiercely committed to the safety and empowerment of the children in our care. We treat these crucial formative years with the care and expertise they deserve, and use meaningful play-based education to shape a lifelong love of learning.
We value each child as an individual and capable learner, living a vivid and complex life shaped by their own context and family. They each have their own interests, ambitions and challenges — and we proudly encourage them explore these in a guided yet self-determined environment.
A definition of the lovely word, Sonder: noun. the realisation that each passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, and worries—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground.
We want our little learners to know they belong in the community and have lots to give to the world. Together we go on adventures and excursions, exploring and interacting with the wider community, spreading joy, making memories and learning exciting new things!
Our in-house chefs cook delicious, balanced, multi- cultural meals onsite each day, to help our youngsters develop healthy bodies and minds. Every dish prepared in our five-star kitchens meets the nutritional guidelines set by Nutrition Australia.
From preserving a piece of heritage by breathing new life into the community with our beautiful building restorations, to the many ways we minimise our carbon footprint — we consider the environment on a micro and macro scale, and teach our children to be kind to Mother Earth.
Bring your little one in for a tour and have a play together! Let’s arrange a playdate at your nearest Little Lane early learning centre.
