The early years of a child are the foundation for their future development. Providing a strong base for cognitive and social development is imperative for lifelong learning abilities. Decades of research show that before a child turns eight their development mentally, emotionally and socially are critical to his or her future success. Quality early childhood education and care at the early stages of a child’s life has significant positive impact, but it goes beyond playing and socializing, the key word here is quality education and care.
At YMCA WA we pride ourselves on the quality of early learning we provide in our centers. Shae Welch, Early Years Specialist, Service Delivery explains “what sets us apart from other early learning centers is our Approach to Learning. We make it a priority to understand each and every child and their families to make sure we are meeting their individual needs and expectations. We open up learning to happen anywhere, engaging with each child to expand on their strengths and interests and support other areas of their development which may be emerging”.
Before a child enters kindergarten their brain has already undergone rapid development. Across all the YMCA early learning centers our aim is to provide children with a creative, inspiring environment where a variety of methods are used to influence learning. Part of our strategy is to provide real world environments, for example using real cutlery instead of plastic. Studies show that many children today are growing up without the ability to problem solve or adapt to changing environments. We want to tackle this issue by encouraging children to explore, allowing them to challenge themselves in different situations and exposing them to activities that require problem solving skills such as woodwork.
Our staff are highly experienced and qualified educators who not only have the ability to care for children, but also put in place activities to educate and develop social behavior, focusing on the learning process rather than the finished product.