The kindergarten program at WASS is designed in accordance with Australia’s Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), providing an educational environment and learning experiences grounded in exploration, hands-on discovery, and interaction. This approach supports children’s natural, holistic, and sustainable development from their earliest years.
Ms. Kelly Scott, Deputy Academic Director, offers deeper insights into how the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) helps build a strong foundation for children’s development:
“To many parents and families, a kindergarten day is defined by songs, play and crafts. That is definitely a part of it, but it is only the beginning of a more complex story.
The remaining parts of the story are centred on a child’s personal development. This is the period when their brain is at its most active: learning how to manage emotions, how to get along with others, and how to be curious rather than afraid of getting something wrong. Get this stage right, and everything that follows is built on firm, stable ground.
At WASS Kindergarten, this is exactly what the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) is designed to protect. Rather than pushing early academics, the EYLF is built on the principles of belonging, being and becoming: children need to feel secure and know they belong before they can confidently explore who they are and grow into capable, independent learners. It is a framework that values a child asking “why” as much as it values a child getting the right answer.
You will see this in our classrooms every day. Teachers plan learning through play, because a child stacking materials on top of one another is also learning balance, patience, and problem-solving. Relationships stay consistent and unhurried, so children feel safe enough to try, get things wrong, and try again. English immersion runs through this same approach, building language comprehension and confidence side by side rather than one before the other.
This connects directly to our theme for the year, Little Steps, Big Wonders. At WASS, we frame this through Growing, Exploring and Becoming, our own language for the same idea: these are not separate stages; they happen together, in the small moments of each school day. A child who tries a new activity, works out a disagreement with a friend, or asks one more question than yesterday is taking a little step. Enough of those steps, and they add up to something much bigger.
That is the aim of the EYLF at WASS Kindergarten: not to rush childhood, but to give our children the strong, well-supported foundation they deserve.”
At WASS Kindergarten, every small step our little WASSers take is valued and nurtured, laying the foundation for the wonders they create throughout their journey of growth.
