In 2005 Pittwater House opened the doors of its new purpose built Early Childhood Centre (ECC). This facility provides a wonderful setting for the staff to work with children from three to five years of age. The Centre acts as a melting pot for children to express ideas, thoughts and feelings and to be the first stage for their exciting discoveries in School.
The programme in the Early Childhood Centre takes the best of the Pittwater House Transition programme developed over many years and combines it with wonderful and exciting new opportunities for developmental play and in-depth learning using emergent curriculum philosophies. A typical day consists of a balance between formal work and guided play.
The formal work focuses on Letterland, a phonics programme that introduces children to literacy concepts within a developmentally appropriate context. The developmental play programme allows children to rotate through specialist lessons which occur in the School's many facilities and in the imaginative play areas and construction areas of the Centre. All activities are derived from the children, based on their needs and interests and are open, flexible and enriching.
The Early Childhood specialist teachers collect information and ideas, record and read back conversations to stimulate and extend the ideas of the children and turn these in to the strategies the children use in their learning. The teachers also dispense materials and activities to challenge the children and then plan, observe and interpret again to continue the cycle of learning for both the teachers and children alike.
The Pittwater House Early Childhood Centre is a place where children are valued and seen as competent and curious learners. Interested parents and grandparents are invited to contact Nicole in the Admissions Office on 9972 5789 to arrange a tour of the Centre and see the children in action. You will be inspired and take away with you a sense of excitement at the miraculous things children think and do. The Pittwater House Early Childhood Centre will certainly make the most of your child's initial years of life and learning.
The Early Childhood Centre operates as a Preschool where children are divided into three groups according to age, developmental readiness. It is a requirement of entry that children are toilet trained.
The Centre operates on each day of the Pittwater House School year from 9.00am to 3.00pm. All enrolments in the Centre have the option of attending 3 to 5 days a week with parents having the flexibility to choose which days of the week they would like their child to attend. Enquiries are taken for new enrolments to commence throughout the year if a vacancy exists.
With many more parents now both in the work force and committed to family businesses, the School provides an After School Care service known as Late School for those Junior School boys and girls from Preschool to Year 6 who are unable to be collected at the normal 3.30pm dismissal time and are not involved in after school supervised extra-curricular activities.
After School Care operates from 3.30pm to 6pm on all school days. If parents are caught up in the afternoon and cannot make the normal collection time children can be booked into Late School by phoning the School Shop before 2.00pm. Pupils are then taken to Late School by the teacher on duty.
Every school holiday Pittwater House offers school holiday care programmes. Holiday Funshop uses the facilities of Pittwater House between 8.30am and 5.30pm on specified days providing children with a happy and safe environment. The weekly events include a visit out, indoor and outdoor games programme, cookery, craft and treats.
