“St Stephen’s School offers a triple-stream Kindergarten program, currently enrolling 16 children in each class at the Carramar campus. All children attend four full days. The three teachers are supported by full time education assistants.These 3 classes share a space that previously housed 2 classes with a central ‘wet’ area. Each class has their own mat space and, while there are partitions or doors between each mat area, these are kept open throughout the day, providing all Kindergarten children with access to the large shared space. In turn, friendships develop across the class groups, with the children having an opportunity to interact daily with peers from any of the classes. Parent participation is actively encouraged and the classes often have rostered parents stay to assist. The creation of a home-like space has been a priority when designing the new Kindergarten. Therefore, wooden tables, chairs and display cases were commissioned, and even the curtains were selected for their home-like appearance. The nature- based outdoor environment, installed provides a wealth of diverse learning experiences including challenging climbing spaces, a vegetable garden, cubbies, mud pits and sand pit, nooks for hiding and play, and a wide verandah”.

~ Excerpt from Case study written by Rebecca Duncan AISWA Early Childhood Consultant.

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