Progression of Learning
WanaExcel now has 2 locations catering to children 3 months - 6 years
just a stones throw away from one another
3 months to 3 years
Providing a smooth transition away from home, to developing early social and learning skills.
4 to 6 years
Providing children with the ability to explore, discover, experience and transition as successful learners into 'Big School'
3 months to 3 years
Let me Explore
Explorers (ELC)
Our Exploration Room caters to our infants and provides a safe, secure, home-style setting where your baby is cared for while they play and grow. With a specially designed ‘Infant Zone’ that ensures the safety and wellbeing of our youngest, less mobile tamariki, and an allocated breast-feeding chair, this space caters to the needs of infants from 3 months old. Here, we create a nurturing environment to support each child’s unique patterns for development, feeding and sleeping. Limited to 16 infants, experienced kaiako in this environment can best meet individual needs, follow practices/routines from home and ensure quality care and meaningful interactions during this significant time for you and your family. We are committed to making this first transition away from home as smooth and natural as possible.
Let me Discover
Little Discoverers (ELC)
Our Little Discoverers Room consists of our newest 2-year-olds who have most recently transitioned from the Exploration Lounge and our energetic nearly 3-year-olds. The transition into this space marks one of the greatest leaps of change experienced by a child and their whanau throughout their education at WanaExcel. Ratios for the youngest toddlers in this room are kept at a premium to assist the formation of strong relationships, establishing a healthy sense of belonging and settling into the new daily rhythms that arise during this pivotal stage of development.
In the Little Discoverers, our teaching team works to stimulate curiosity and imagination, and provide a supportive environment that empowers children. By this stage, tamariki are ready to make the transition into a more diverse setting that provides a greater range of challenges and caters to their ever-expanding enthusiasm to learn. Our Little Discoverers programme has been refined to best support and nurture our toddlers as they develop and extend skills of communication, toileting, self-regulation, body awareness and independence.
Let me Discover more
Discovery Kids (ELC)
Our Discovery room further supports learning through experiences that enhance cognitive, language, motor and social skills, and a freedom to explore these concepts in the context of the wider world. Kaiako design and implement a curriculum that provides opportunities for engagement in movement with music, pretend play, fine and large motor skills, and a wide variety of activities that are developmentally appropriate to stimulate early literacy and numeracy concepts. They are competent at modelling appropriate social behaviours and allowing children the space to discover themselves as individual learners. Children within the Discovery Centre are encouraged to extend their independence and will gradually take on more responsibility for their daily routine as they progress through the age groups. This includes skills to toilet independently, follow basic instruction and take part in excursions competently and safely.
4 to 6 years
Let me Breakthrough
Breakthrough Kids (B4S)
Transition into our Breakthrough Programme at WanaExcel B4 School is always an exciting time for our tamariki as they begin to prepare for their adventure into ‘Big School’. This programme is specifically designed to support your child’s individual approaches to learning through creativity expression in our ‘Mini World’ environment while teaching critical skills and inspiring the independence and self-confidence they will need to be successful at school.
An exciting range of new, more challenging excursions also become available as part of this progression. Our great relationship with the local primary schools plays a big role in achieving this readiness and alongside your aspirations, we all work together to form and understand common leaning goals and outcomes for your child.
To join the Breakthrough Kids, tamariki should be able to:
- Carry their own bag into WanaExcel and place into their cubby
- Unpack their lunchbox and drink bottle
- Eat independently at Kai times
- Identify some letters from the alphabet
- Identify some numbers 1-20
- Use the toilet and wash their hands independently
- Recognise their first name by sight
- Use scissors, glue, paint, and other art materials with relative ease
- Show progress in the ability to independently dress themselves
This is my journey…
Ko te ahurei o te tamaiti arahia ō tātou māhi
Let the uniqueness of the child guide our work". Remember, children are all different, develop in their own unique way, and in their own time.
Let me Excel!
