Glen Education Chelsea

Celebrating Culture and Diversity at Glen Chelsea Kindergarten

A Community Enriched by Diversity

At Glen Chelsea Kindergarten, we feel incredibly fortunate to be part of a vibrant and diverse community. Our Kindergarten is enriched by families from many different cultural backgrounds, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment that acknowledges and celebrates every child's identity.

Multilingual Storytelling: Bilingual Book Sharing

One way we do this is by providing books in a variety of languages, allowing children to read, explore, and engage with stories that reflect different cultures. A recent highlight has been the addition of the book We're Going on a Bear Hunt in Mandarin. Thanks to one of our educators, Ming, who speaks Mandarin, we were able to enjoy a special bilingual storytime where the book was read in both English and Mandarin. It was a meaningful learning experience for both children and educators, as we watched the children actively listen and engage with the story.

Cultural Celebrations with Families

We’ve also been delighted to welcome families into the kindergarten to share and celebrate special cultural occasions. On St Patrick’s Day, one of our Irish children proudly wore her traditional Irish dancing dress and taught the group some dance steps. Another child brought in a photo of herself in her St David’s Day shirt and shared its significance with her peers. Additionally, a parent generously visited to share about Boys’ Day in Japan, guiding the children in creating colourful origami carp fish, known as Koinobori.

Deepening Connection to Country: Wayapa Wuurrk

As part of our School Readiness Funding this year, we have introduced Wayapa Wuurrk (Connect to the Earth) incursions. This program has provided a valuable opportunity for both children and staff to deepen their understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. Through these sessions, we are learning more about how to foster a stronger connection to the land, plants, and animals within our Kindergarten environment.

We are proud of the many rich cultural experiences our children have had so far this year, and we look forward to continuing this journey of celebration and learning with our families throughout the remainder of the year.

Warm regards, The Glen Chelsea Kindergarten Team