Early Childhood Education
The Perfect Start – Reception
The Crested Crane Academy Early Learning Centre comprises Creche and Reception classes. Together, they provide a supportive environment ideal for developing foundational skills in young children, many of them first-time school entrants in early childhood education. Our emphasis on the importance of relationships, experiences, and the environment is evident throughout the seven broad areas of learning and development that inform Crested Crane Academy’s educational program in the Early Learning Centre. These are:
These are the major areas:
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Communication and language: speaking, attention, listening, and understanding
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Physical development: we promote gross and fine motor skills through outdoor play, manipulative toys, structured PE lessons, and dance.
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Personal, social, and emotional development: the focus is on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) which includes self-regulation, managing themselves, and developing relationships with peers and others.
The three areas above are important for setting a foundation for igniting children’s interest and eagerness for learning, forming relationships, and flourishing.
In addition to the above critical areas of learning, we support students' learning and development in four other areas through which the major areas above are supported and enriched. These include:
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Literacy: an embedded reading culture and available library facilities ensure that comprehension is developed early as the basis for early reading (letter, sound recognition, blending words). This is proceeded by the writing of various forms as a demonstration of literacy skills attained.
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Numeracy: recognition and writing of numbers as well as learning numerical patterns.
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Understanding the world: knowledge of the local culture, communities, and people living in them. They also learn to understand the past and present through the settings of storybooks and picture books, drawing relationships between that past and their present-day lives. Most importantly, the environment and its relation to man are key in this area.
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Expressive arts and design: children are born creative; at Crested Crane Academy, they learn to bring their imagination to life and express it in drawing, poems, rhymes, recounting stories, and music. Learners are challenged to experiment, explore, and be creative with materials.
At Crested Crane Academy Early Learning, learners achieve and often exceed national Early Years Curriculum milestones. They proceed to Lower Primary with a solid head-start and can read and work independently.