As a parent, making decisions about your child’s education can be both exciting and overwhelming. One important choice you might face is whether to enrol your child in long-day kindergarten or opt for a sessional program.
While both options have their merits, today, we will delve into why long-day kindergarten might be the better choice for your child’s overall development and future success.
Extended Learning Opportunities: Long-day kindergarten offers a significant advantage when it comes to providing your child with more extensive learning opportunities. With longer hours, teachers can delve deeper into various subjects, ensuring a more comprehensive and enriching curriculum. This extended time for learning can lay a strong foundation for academic success in the later years.
With more time available, teachers can work with students in smaller groups or one-on-one settings. This individualized attention allows for personalized instruction and targeted support, addressing each child’s specific learning needs and strengths.
Fostering Social and Emotional Growth: Early Childhood Education extends far beyond academics; it encompasses essential social and emotional development. Long-day kindergarten allows children to engage in unstructured play and interact with their peers for an extended period each day. These interactions foster valuable social skills, such as communication, collaboration, and empathy. The longer day provides a nurturing environment for your child to develop self-confidence, independence, and emotional intelligence, all of which are crucial skills that will serve them well in their future endeavours. Long-day kindergarten often includes enrichment activities, such as art, music, science experiments, and hands-on projects. These activities not only make learning enjoyable but also stimulate creativity and intellectual curiosity. At Little Grasshoppers, we have an extensive Programs platform which includes Playball for Sport and Wellbeing; Fortnightly Music Incursions; a multi-faceted STEM perspective including an innovative approach in our everyday curriculum, alongside specialist incursions once per term; Our industry leading Community Engagement program; and OUR WORLD, an integrative sustainability program through which we foster an environmentally aware future generation.
Consistency and Routine: Young children thrive on consistency and routine. Long-day kindergarten offers a predictable schedule that can create a sense of stability for your child. Knowing what to expect each day helps them feel secure, enabling them to focus more effectively on learning and exploration. A consistent routine can also promote healthy habits, such as regular mealtimes, outdoor play, and rest periods, fostering their physical and emotional well-being.
Seamless Transition to Full-Time Schooling: Transitioning from a sessional preschool to full-time primary school can be a significant adjustment for young children. Long-day kindergarten acts as an ideal stepping-stone, gradually introducing them to a more structured learning environment. This measured transition can ease any anxieties and ensure a smoother progression into Prep.
Supporting Working Parents: In today’s economic climate, many parents are needing to increase their work hours, heightening the juggle between their professional and family commitments. Long-day kindergarten can be a lifesaver for these families as it aligns better with busy work schedules and eases the burden of those living without extended familial or community support. And with increased subsidies from July 2023 reducing out of pocket expenses, Kindergarten in a Long Day Childcare environment now provides convenience and peace of mind to parents in a more cost effective manner.
Acting Centre Director Sam Clarke, suggests “Long daycare centres serve as more than just educational spaces; they become an extended family for children and parents. The nurturing relationships between educators and children provide a sense of security, a foundation upon which children can confidently explore and learn. Having worked in the early childhood industry for many years, I have witnessed the countless benefits of a long daycare environment and its pivotal role in shaping children’s holistic development while providing a nurturing environment beyond just supervision. It is an environment where children receive care and engage in enriching experiences that promote their cognitive, social, emotional, and physical growth”.
So, when it comes to choosing between long-day kindergarten and sessional programs, it’s essential to consider what will benefit your child’s holistic development the most. While both options have their merits, the extended learning opportunities, social and emotional growth, consistent routines, and support for working parents make long-day kindergarten an appealing choice.