Sesame Lane Kippa Ring Regency Street becomes curiosity approach accredited 

Long day care (LDC) service Sesame Lane Kippa Ring Regency Street has become the first service in Queensland to be Curiosity Approach accredited. 

The Curiosity Approach is a modern-day slow pedagogy that promotes children to be masters of their learning and encourages them to explore open-ended authentic resources to spark curiosity and wonder in the world they live in. 

A blend of early childhood theoretical perspectives, the approach takes guidance from Steiner, Montessori, Emmi Pikler and Emilia Reggio, and encourages educators to marvel in the ‘wonder moments.’ 

The approach also promotes ‘being with’ for better outcomes for children, by taking an unhurried slower approach to learning. The curiosity approach advocates for loose parts and authentic resources to spark children’s imaginations for them to include in their play and allows them the opportunity to make sense of the world around them.  

Central to the approach is the Hygge (pronounced hue-gah) method, a Danish concept that focuses on finding wellbeing by enjoying the comforts of everyday routines. By creating cosy warm inviting environments for children to retreat to, including areas such as bathrooms and walkways, educators support children to find this comfort and familiarity of everyday places and spaces. 

“We decided to embark on the accreditation due to our service aligning with the values of this approach and wanted to learn and upskill our team further in the approach to improve quality of care for children,” Service Manager Stacey Clough explained. 

“We worked towards the accreditation for three years, which allowed us to work through the six modules in an unhurried manner with our team of 48 educators so we could fully understand and implement the pedagogy and practice change.”

Across the three year journey, the environments for the children, both indoor and outdoor, have changed dramatically, she continued, not only as a result of the pedagogy but also because of how the teams perspective on the importance of prioritizing being with children, the importance of rituals and routines and the theoretical aspects that support this have evolved. 

“We have seen a shift from educators facilitating product art into process art allowing children to explore their creativity in manners which suit and support their interests,” she continued. 

“We have seen educators across our whole service upskill themselves in schematic play and the fundamental part this plays on child development and the variety of ways children engage in schematic play. As a result, educators are now providing an environment to support this daily.”

For other teams who may be exploring the Curiosity Approach, or the process of accreditation, Ms Clough says “just do it.”

“Our team has never been more aligned and stronger. They know their WHY and more so they now have the knowledge and understanding of the theory behind why we do what we do,” she said. 

“The curiosity approach underpins everything we do and believe as professionals and played a big part in achieving Exceeding across all quality areas of the NQS on our draft report.” 

“This is due to our team constantly critically reflecting on our programs, environments and interactions and understanding the core values of what a high quality is and providing this each and every day for our community.”

Learn more about The Curiosity Approach here. For information about Sesame Lane Kippa Ring Regency Street see here.