Preparing for Prep
Building the right foundations in ELC
With many schools now integrating ELCs, parents increasingly seek a holistic educational journey from an early age. A consistent pedagogical approach, small class sizes, specialist teachers and additional educational offerings are among other benefits.
Head of ELCs, Mary Grummet, says a big factor in creating a familiar environment and a smooth transition into Junior School is the proximity of the Junior School facilities and Prep rooms. “We have access to all the Junior School facilities, and work hard on establishing that connection and community.”
A rich specialist program is also laying the foundations, with the ELC students taking part in PE, music, library, Mandarin lessons and STEM. Every experience is an opportunity for learning, such as the Bush Kinder program held in nearby parks. Children may become fascinated by the birds they spot, and then have the chance to learn the names of birds, their calls and migration patterns in STEM sessions.
“We run a play-based program, and we are very committed to that, but we also know that embedding literacy and numeracy into the program is essential and can just happen very naturally,” Mary says.
Children attend the ELC five days a week, with 20 children in kinder classes, and 22 in pre-prep.
“People say five days a week is a lot, but it gets the children used to routine, and a predictability about the day.”
Months before donning their first school uniform, Caulfield Grammar School’s Kinder children dip their toes into school life on ‘Free Range Fridays’.
In Term 3, the Prep room’s doors swing open for an hour each week, inviting little learners to wander in and explore. Some need a gentle nudge, others stride in confidently. But it’s one of the informal ways the School helps smooth the transition to Junior School.
The location of two of its ELCs next door to the Prep rooms helps remove some of the mystery for children.
“Then it just becomes: that’s the room that you are in next year,” says Mary. “They are familiar with the environment, the Prep teachers, they know where the library is and the gym is – they have a real sense of belonging and security before they even enter that first year of school. And the parents feel comfortable too, as they are part of the community already.”
She says starting school is an important milestone for children, but they try to downplay it in the ELC.
“Children have got grandma or grandpa, aunties and uncles building it up, saying: ‘Big year next year!’ Even some of our most confident children get into that prep room and the wheels fall off. Easing that transition is really important.”
The informal weekly visits – Free Range Fridays or Wandering Wednesdays – are just one step in the transition.
In Term 4, the ELC students spend a full day in the Prep room alongside new students arriving from other Kindergartens.
