I’m Stefanie, and I am the Centre Manager for Shirley Road Preschool. I’ve been working in Early Education and Care for over 15 years, and am proud to hold a Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood. I love sharing moments of wonder and joy with the children in my care, their families and my colleagues. Children have amazing imaginations, and they always surprise me and make me laugh. I’m passionate about literacy, especially storytelling, Inclusion, and supporting diverse learners, and for children’s agency and rights. Early Childhood Education is about connections, a sense of belonging and worth, and is incredibly rewarding. In my spare time I like playing competition soccer, yoga and reading.

We use Storypark to document your child’s discoveries and learnings and this ensures open and clear communication. We document in real time, as it happens, and share photo’s, video, audio and observations with you in a secure online environment.

Families are encouraged to participate in this process to ensure children achieve the best learning outcomes.

It’s just like you’re there with them, every day.

Our school readiness program begins from the moment children enter our . Building children’s confidence, a strong sense of self, conflict resolution skills, creativity and collaboration are part of our program from the start.

Your child will have many opportunities to engage with literacy and numeracy. This will also be scaffolded and extended upon. In the final preschool years, we run a dedicated Transition to School Program for children and their families. This program is delivered by Early Childhood Teachers in consultation with local primary schools and will extend children’s social and emotional skills to build sound foundations for primary school.

Children will build their confidence and resilience levels, become accustomed to school routines and lunchboxes, learn how to work in teams, develop independence and much more.

For more information about our Transition to School Program, please enquire with our Centre Manager and Early Childhood Teachers.

All our programs at Shirley Road Preschool are based on children’s strengths, knowledge, interests, concepts, and cultural backgrounds. The National Quality Framework stipulates that learning occurs best through play-based experiences.

Your child will enjoy;

• Interesting and engaging experiences providing opportunities for inquiry, exploration, discovery and problem-solving
• Active engagement with people, objects and representations
• Experiences and provocations based on children’s emerging concepts and thinking
• Rich play experiences by sourcing materials and creating environments which engage children’s sense of curiosity, wonder and investigation
• Opportunities for the development of a wide range of skill areas: social, emotional, cognitive, creative and physical
• Regular excursions to libraries, cafes and nature reserves

Extensive early childhood research shows that for children under the age of five years, play provides the best vehicle for learning. Children are more likely to persist at something in which they are interested in and play-based learning provides a great context for acknowledging children’s interests.

We also engage in learning beyond the classroom. All children participate in frequent local excursions and begin to see themselves as active and contributory community members.