At Saltwater Preschool, we believe that the first five years are the most important in a child's development, which is why we are dedicated to providing the highest quality education and care for our little ones. Nestled in Newport, we are a strong and supportive service, built by locals, for locals. When you enrol at Saltwater Preschool, you’re not just getting care for your child, you’re becoming part of a community that’s as warm and welcoming as home. A community of local families who will grow alongside your child from their first steps to school. Our preschool is a hub where children, parents, and educators connect, support one another, and share in the joy of watching children thrive.
At Saltwater Preschool, we view each child as strong, capable, unique, and rich in their growing understanding of the world around them. We see children as competent beings, actively engaged in the co-construction of knowledge, identity, and culture. We believe children learn best when they feel safe, secure, supported, loved, and accepted. We believe that interest-based experiences allow the child the opportunity to gain a sense of ownership of their learning and play.
Children have the right to be heard and feel safe while building respectful and reciprocal relationships with others. Our educators support children to participate in decisions and processes that affect them while allowing them to feel safe, realise their potential, and live full and happy lives.
We promote the theory that every child has the right to learn and grow equally. We acknowledge that children are capable and passionate learners that contribute to our social community.
We strongly welcome and encourage parent and community involvement, allowing for the relationship between home and school to flourish. Quality relationships are key and involve reciprocity, joint involvement, respect, trust, and security. Shared decision-making between families and educators supports our service/family/educator relationships.
We provide a natural environment to encourage an appreciation of natural surroundings and its resources. Our goals are to promote a sense of responsibility, respect, empowerment, and active participation that can create a positive difference in the world.
Open communication and shared leadership resulting in respectful interactions and the building of achievable goals to enrich and empower our team, creating a positive culture of professionalism and friendship within our Saltwater Preschool family.
Saltwater Preschool is deeply embedded in the Northern Beaches community. It’s a place where families come together, form meaningful connections, and share the joys and challenges of raising young children. We offer a welcoming space for parents to connect, exchange advice, and support each other as they navigate the ups and downs of early childhood.
Whether it’s through our network gatherings, our annual Educator Event, or family in-services, Saltwater Preschool creates opportunities for children, parents and educators to bond and form lasting relationships. Our community extends beyond the walls of the preschool and becomes a lasting support network - one that grows with your child as they move from preschool to the local primary schools, sporting clubs and beyond.
Our Learning Approach
At our service, we believe that children learn best when they feel safe, secure, and have a sense of belonging. We create an environment that fosters a sense of wonder, supported by educators who guide children on their individual educational journeys.
Play-Based Curriculum
Central to our curriculum is a play-based approach, offering children the chance to explore ideas and concepts, build meaningful relationships, and expand their knowledge through play. Our educators are skilled in asking questions that encourage critical thinking, maximising each child’s learning opportunities.
Open-Ended and Skill-Building Resources
We provide a variety of open-ended resources that inspire limitless play, constrained only by the child’s imagination. Additionally, we offer specific resources designed to develop and master essential skills through repeated use.
Integrated Learning Concepts
Our curriculum seamlessly integrates key concepts such as Literacy, Science, Mathematics, Culture, and Sustainability into play. We emphasise intentional teaching, where educators model, inquire, demonstrate, ask questions, speculate, explain, and engage in sustained shared conversations to enhance children’s knowledge, skills, and enjoyment of learning.
Guided by the Early Years Learning Framework V2
Our curriculum is guided by the Early Years Learning Framework V2, which involves daily observation, assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation. This ensures a comprehensive and dynamic educational experience for every child.
We are dedicated to safeguarding the protection, wellbeing, and rights of the children in our care. The safety of children is our top priority, and support team members to share this commitment.
We uphold this commitment by integrating the NSW Child Safe Standards into our culture, policies, procedures, and practices. Our policies, procedures, and code of conduct guide our actions, and we are committed to adhering to these practices and encouraging others to do the same.
At Saltwater Preschool, we are thrilled to provide our children with a range of extra activities, events and excursions. These are at no added cost.
Our program might include; 'Mighty Mites', Sport Classes, Art Classes, Indigenous Education with local elders, 'The Drumming Man', 'Bush to Bowl' and for our older children Local Community Excursions.
These are planned annually in line with children’s interests and development or feedback from the families.
As a service, we strive to foster a culturally safe and responsive environment for all children and families in our community, and educators reflect this through their practice and in their commitment to continual learning.
We acknowledge that we are on unceded land of the Garigal Clan of the Wannangini/GuriNgai People. We pay respect to the Elders of our community and we honour their knowledge as the foundation for our practice.
Our service respects and understands our collective responsibility of reconciliation through continued learning, strengthening our connections to local Indigenous communities. First Nations’ perspectives are at the foundation of our pedagogies and are embedded within our routines and play experiences.
We believe that children have the potential to be powerful agents of change. By fostering a sense of environmental stewardship, we nurture their ability to care for the Earth. As the future generation, children can lead positive change if we support their agency and right to participate in all matters affecting their lives. Our goal is to guide them towards values of social justice, fairness, democracy, and active citizenship.
We recognise that First Nations people have looked after country for 60,000 years and through their sustainable practice and by exploring with our children the rich history and culture, our children will develop a deeper understanding of connection to country and caring for their environment.
At Saltwater Preschool, we prioritise sourcing high-quality toys and equipment, favouring responsibly made materials whenever possible. Our resources are designed to be open-ended, offering multiple uses to stimulate creativity and learning.
We place great importance on engaging children in activities like gardening, learning about food sources, composting, maintaining worm farms, and practising waste reduction. To further our commitment to sustainability, we have implemented initiatives to minimise single-use plastics by using wet bags, sustainable nappies, and bio-based dinnerware.
Our goal is to reduce our environmental footprint by creating a space filled with natural light and ventilation, complemented by the use of seventy two solar panels for energy efficiency and hot water supply.