Glen Education Oakleigh South

Building Strong Foundations Together 

by Glen Oakleigh South Educational Team

At Glen OSK, we continuously strive to create environments where children develop a strong sense of belonging, positive self-identity, and meaningful relationships. Our whole service goal is to support children in embracing and practicing core values such as kindness, responsibility, and safety, while fostering positive relationships and nurturing a strong sense of community. 

Creating an Inclusive Environment Where Every Child Belongs 

Our diverse multicultural community is the heart of Glen Oakleigh South Kindergarten. 

We create an inclusive environment where every child feels valued and respected. 

Many of our families speak languages other than English, including recent migrants who enrich our community with their diverse perspectives. 

To facilitate smooth transitions and strengthen connections, we have encouraged families to share words from their home languages. Our educators use these "cheat sheets" during conversations with children, easing separation anxiety and building meaningful connections. 

The teaching team has enhanced family engagement by utilizing Google Translate and facilitating connections between families who speak similar languages, ensuring all families can fully participate in our community. 

We've created personalized social stories featuring children's kindergarten experiences with images of educators and learning spaces. These stories support children through separation anxiety while reinforcing their sense of belonging within our community. Families have shared greetings in their home languages, which all educators use daily, supporting children's sense of identity and connection to culture. 

Kaya, our Indigenous persona doll, brings stories, songs, and cultural sharing to our program. This initiative encourages children to share aspects of their own cultures, developing pride in their cultural identity and respect for diversity. 

Our collaborative family tree, created by children using natural materials, has become a centerpiece where children proudly show their families to peers, fostering both a sense of belonging and ownership. Our environment displays children's photos and artwork, reinforcing their sense of belonging to our community and making their contributions visible within our shared space. 

Promoting Children's Sense of Agency and Independence 

We recognize children as active participants in their own learning, and our program reflects this through intentional opportunities for decision-making. We promote children's sense of agency by having each child choose their own locker each time they attend kindergarten, rather than having a set position for the year. Upon entering in the morning, they find their locker label with their picture and name, a daily ritual that generates excitement while supporting their developing sense of identity. 

Children actively participate in deciding what, how, and when they engage in learning experiences. For example, when children expressed interest in cooking and wanted to make a real cake, it prompted our teaching team to deeply reflect on how food can serve as a gateway to cultural exploration. The children were fully involved in making the cake, with families supporting the learning process by contributing all the necessary ingredients. 

We regularly invite families to share aspects of their heritage, creating meaningful learning opportunities for all children. Recently, a grandparent demonstrated noodle-making, providing a rich experience that allowed children to explore food traditions while building cross-generational connections. 

These culturally diverse cooking experiences enable children to discover similarities and differences among various traditions, fostering an understanding of interdependence and developing their sense of citizenship in our multicultural community. The direct involvement of families through ingredient contributions exemplifies how they actively support and enhance their children's learning journey. 

Supporting Children's Wellbeing and Self-Regulation 

Our program intentionally nurtures children's emotional development through flexible routines that empower children to have their voice in their learning. To support children's self-regulation, we initially started to have rest times after our lunch every day as suggested by families. However, children chose to engage in brain break experiences instead. This was communicated to the families, who acknowledged children's agency. Children have personalized drawing books with pictures of themselves that help them choose their books after lunch, supporting them to rest and recharge. 

We incorporate yoga and mindfulness experiences based on children's interests,

 building their repertoire of self-regulation strategies. Sensory and calming toys offer additional support when children experience big feelings. Our yarn time involves lots of movement and props, along with sensory toys provided to children who need them. 

Our learning environment has been responsive, evolving with intention. Modifications to learning spaces emerge based on identified children's skills, challenges, their emerging interests, critical reflection, and feedback from families. 

Through these comprehensive approaches, Glen OSK builds strong foundations for children's lifelong development. Together, these foundations establish patterns for lifelong learning, social connection, and the capacity to contribute positively to their communities. By partnering with families and respecting children's voices, we create an educational environment where children develop not just academic readiness, but the social, emotional, and cultural competencies needed for success in an interconnected world.