SCHOOL READINESS
At I STEAM Ahead Brookvale, our school readiness program goes beyond tick-box checklists. We nurture the whole child, their curiosity, confidence, friendships, and growing independence, preparing them not just to start school, but to thrive there.
Every child's journey to school readiness looks different, and that's exactly how it should be. Our educators work alongside families to support each child's unique developmental path, celebrating their strengths while gently scaffolding new skills through play, exploration, and meaningful relationships.
Building Strong Foundations Across All Areas of Development
Cognitive Growth & Learning Dispositions
Through our signature STEAM experiences and play-based inquiry, children develop the skills that matter most: curiosity, problem-solving, persistence, and a love of learning. We encourage them to ask "why?", test their theories, and discover that making mistakes is part of learning—skills that will serve them throughout their educational journey.
Language & Communication
Rich conversations happen naturally throughout our day. Children learn to express their ideas, ask thoughtful questions, retell experiences, follow multi-step instructions, and engage in back-and-forth dialogue. Whether they're negotiating roles in dramatic play, explaining their block construction, or listening to stories, language development is woven into every interaction.
Social & Emotional Competence
School readiness isn't just about what children know—it's about who they're becoming. We support children to build meaningful friendships, understand and regulate their emotions, advocate for their needs, navigate conflicts with growing independence, and develop resilience when things don't go to plan. These capabilities form the foundation for positive school experiences
Physical Development & Self-Care
From mastering zippers and learning to open lunch boxes, to developing pencil grip and building physical stamina for a full school day, we support the practical skills that foster independence. Children practice gross motor coordination in outdoor play, refine fine motor control through creative experiences, and build confidence in managing their personal care routines.
ELSA is a play-based digital learning program for children in preschool to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
ELSA allows children to play, experiment and make sense of the world around them – which is part of STEM, and also part of being a child.
ELSA’s STEM Practices encourage children to ask questions, make predictions, experiment, and reflect on what happened and why.
The ELSA program is a key early childhood initiative of the Australian Government.
ELSA has been developed by the STEM Education Research Centre (SERC) at the University of Canberra through funding provided by the Australian Government Department of Education under the National Innovation and Science Agenda.
It supports the ‘Inspiring all Australians in digital literacy and STEM’ measure, which seeks to increase the participation of Australian children in STEM and improve their digital literacy.
In our preschool room, we bring the Early Learning STEM Australia (ELSA) program to life, offering children a blend of digital and hands-on STEM experiences!
Using interactive apps such as Patterns and Relationships, Investigation, Location and Arrangement, and Representation, children engage with core concepts like pattern recognition, problem-solving, and spatial awareness. These digital explorations are enhanced by hands-on activities, including science experiments, discovering patterns in nature during outdoor play, building with blocks and loose parts to explore engineering, creating maps for treasure hunts, and cooking activities that introduce measurement and sequencing.
By combining technology with playful exploration, the ELSA program nurtures essential STEM skills, making learning both meaningful and fun!
