ECEC Provider in Focus: Erina Kindergarten

Erina Kindergarten is a 219-place long day care service on the Central Coast of New South Wales, which has been rated as Meeting the National Quality Standard. 

“We sincerely understand the African proverb ‘it takes a whole village to raise a child’,” information on the service’s website notes. 

“This beautiful saying means it takes all the people involved in the life of a child to give their best in doing their part in the raising of a child.”

What is the history of Erina Kindergarten?

Service approval was granted in January 2008, with the provider having an additional service in the NSW North Shore suburb of Turramurra. 

What is the Erina Kindergarten vision and approach to learning? 

The service’s vision is “to generate a wholehearted and all-encompassing family atmosphere where all educators and families feel enthused to work together as a team whilst concentrating on the delivery of an energetic learning environment to ensure that each child understands their full potential.”

Erina Kindergarten has a number of core beliefs which drive program, practice and pedagogy in the service including: 

• Cultivating a deep respect for First Nations peoples and culture
• Acknowledging children as citizens with rights 
• Early childhood is the foundation of lifelong learning
• Facilitating a lifelong connection with the land, nature and animals
• Creating positive and nurturing relationships as the foundation for belonging, being and becoming 
• Valuing community involvement in all aspects of the program 
• Continuous improvement

Are there any unique aspects to the Erina Kindergarten offer?

Erina Kindergarten states that it has “the largest outdoor play areas in NSW,” and offers families “a unique experience by offering separated large external shaded play areas according to age group” to allow staff the opportunity to work more one on one with age-specific children and cater specifically to individual age group’s needs. 

To learn more about Erina Kindergarten, please see here.