At least one day a week, the kids at Violet Town and District Early Childhood Centre venture out into nature.
Now, the program that gets them out exploring is being recognised by the state, with the centre named as a finalist in this year’s Victorian Early Years Awards.
The Violet Town kindergarten and childcare centre is listed as a finalist for the award for promoting children’s health and wellbeing.
According to the government website, the award recognises organisations that are taking action to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for kids.
The list of finalists describes the Violet Town Nature Learning program as supporting children’s development through risk-taking, physical activity and scientific exploration.
“Nurturing a learning mindset, the program encourages children to slow down, explore, hypothesise and revisit learning spaces to observe changes in the environment,” the finalist announcement reads.
“This innovative approach, unique for its inclusivity and comprehensive age range, demonstrates positive outcomes for children and families.”
The Violet Town centre offers kindergarten for three- and four-year-olds, as well as long daycare.
Children from six months to six years of age participate in the Nature Learning program.
“We are exceptionally proud of the team at Violet Town who have successfully embedded multi-aged learning across the service and made a commitment to ongoing and regular ‘nature learning’ for all children attending the service, from birth to preschool age,” early childhood manager Corina McLeod said.
The centre was also recently rated as an Exceeding Service under the National Quality Framework, meaning it surpassed requirements in multiple areas.
The Violet Town kindergarten and childcare centre is under the umbrella of the Goulburn Region Preschool Association.
Information about the centre can be found online.
Award winners for the Victorian Early Years Awards will be announced at a ceremony on Thursday, November 7.