Cawongla Playhouse

Community based preschool for children aged 2 years to school age

Our Story

Located on Gullibal country in the heart of the quiet village of Cawongla, the Playhouse is a community preschool and children’s place. Housed in a historic century old school house with lush, wide gardens it has been a part of the local community for nearly 30 years, giving young children a community of their own to play, work and learn in.

While the Playhouse has grown and adapted over the years to changing times and needs its spirit has remained constant : to offer the local community a place for families of young children to connect with each other, and for young children themselves to have a place of their own as they take their early steps in their ongoing journey into the wider world.

Our Approach

Play

Play is at the heart of what we do. Its how the Playhouse got its name – a place for children to come together and play. We strongly believe that children spend a long time in more formal school based settings, and that early childhood is a time of possibility, freedom and exploration. We want children to enjoy their childhoods and have time to just ‘be’ a child.

Valuing play for us means more than ‘just’ fun and games. Play is a way of being, a way of life, and a state of mind. It’s not just for children but for everyone. We value playfulness and the way that a ‘state of play’ enlivens and energises life and learning.

For us play and work are not opposites. Young children have the right to work hard and contribute as much as they have the right to ‘play’. At Cawongla Playhouse we take our play seriously and treat our work playfully.

Participation

Even very young children are born wanting to connect with and participate in the exciting and complex world around them – young citizens who have a lot to offer their community and their world.

We support children in developing warm, sustainable relationships with educators, children and others. The Playhouse has a strong history of being a leading example of the Nature Pedagogy movement, which means that we extend our understanding of participation, connection and responsibility to all of Country, not just the human community.

We appreciate and enjoy our differences as well as the things we share in common. We take a stand for fairness, and for being open and respectful to the many different ways there are of living, being and knowing. We work to confront bias, and challenge the idea of a ‘one size fits all’ approach to life and living.

Place

Like all of us young children need a sense of belonging – a strong sense of where and who they are. While we see ourselves as part of a much wider world, we are connected to that world through our local contacts and relationships. We always start from where we are, here and now, acknowledging that we are on Gullibal country and paying our respects to elders. Our focus is on giving children this sense of ‘place’ and the Playhouse has many rich places for children to live, work and play in. This is the basis of our daily life together.

Our program is organised around the different places and spaces within the preschool. These are designed to give children the opportunity to explore their interests and ideas with our support in many different ways, according to their own talents, preferences and strengths.

Our days

We have a relaxed approach to our days – with a loose but predictable pattern or rhythm.

We will often come together as a group early in the day, to check in with each other and share important information. The morning is often a good time to dive into any ongoing plans or projects that we might have going. Sometimes it might be the educators who invite the children into a session or an activity of some sort – other times these might be suggested by children. At any time you will usually see groups and pairs of children and adults dotted around the Playhouse involved in all manner of things.

Children are free to eat when they choose, and will often come and sit together mid-morning for a snack.

At around 1pm we will close up the workshop and studio spaces and come together as a whole group to have lunch. After this children and educators together pack away and reorganise the Playhouse after a busy day. Finally we come together for a quieter, more relaxing time as the day winds down. At this time we might reflect back on the day, do some Yoga, or enjoy some storytelling.

Our curriculum

The Playhouse uses the Early Years Learning Framework of Australia to guide our curriculum.

Our vision is for children to feel a strong sense of belonging, to enjoy their childhoods and just ‘be’, and at the same time to continue to grow and learn as they become all that they hope and dream of.

Through our program, we support your child to

have a strong, and secure sense of who they are, where they come from and where they belong
connect with others and make a contribution within their community
be healthy, happy and resilient
be a confident, involved learner and thinker
express themselves and communicate effectively in many different ways

Please talk to us if you would like further information on our program and how we support your child’s sense of belonging, their wellbeing, and their learning and growth.

Tel. 02 66337167

5325 Kyogle Road, Cawongla NSW 2474

Families are an important part of our Playhouse community, and we aim to reflect the values, cultures and lifestyles of all of our families within our program. We welcome your input, suggestions, feedback and ideas and take these into account in our decision making and planning.

There are many ways you can have input. You can:

join the Management Committee or contact a Committee member to share your ideas
email or write to the Director
discuss your ideas with an educator
complete our online survey each term

We’d love to hear from you.