Inspiring learning at Peacocks
‘‘Our task regarding creativity is to help children climb their own mountains, as high as possible. No one can do more’’ – Loris Malaguzzi, a founder of the Reggio Emilia philosophy.
Peacocks Early Learning Centre strives for professional excellence in all that they do.
The St Lukes centre was designed and built to reflect the inspiration from the Reggio Emilia teaching approach where the environment is viewed as the ‘ third teacher’ and where educators have a very strong image of the child.
Children are seen as being capable and competent. Educators, rather than filling their heads with knowledge, work collaboratively with the child allowing them to discover, explore ask questions and investigate what interests and passions fascinate them.
The environment which is referred to as the ‘ third teacher’ is rich in possibilities and incorporates a range of natural, recycled and everyday objects such as glassware and wire for children to work with.
Children are encouraged to respect resources and the work of others.
A clay artist or ‘atelierista’ visits the centre to work with the children – just one example of the variety of learning experiences on offer at Peacocks.
The centre caters for all age groups utilising both the inside and outside environments. It is often from these experiences that educators notice a strong interest developing, so they can provide further provocations for the children to explore this interest in more depth – this is referred to as the ‘project approach’.
Peacocks caters for children aged three months to school age, with 20 ECE hours available.
The centre’s operating hours are 7.30am to 5.45pm and within these hours a ‘school day’ is offered from 8.30am to 3.30pm.