Holly Rofé Early Learning Centre

The Holly Rofé Early Learning Centre serves as a stepping stone to our Elementary programme, providing the foundation and framework for the transition to our other programmes.

Education during the early years is crucial for instilling a strong Jewish identity in children, ensuring the most suitable conditions for brain development and helping young children develop important interpersonal relationships. Through our Tzutzik, Ganeynu and Nursery programs, children experience a boutique learning environment tailor-designed to meet their needs.

Our purpose built facility combined with an integrated and tailor designed transdisciplinary curriculum, allows all our learners to develop cognitively and emotionally at their pace. Our team of committed early years educators provide every child with individual time and attention each day. Our small class setting and high teacher-to-student ratio ensure that the cognitive, personal and emotional needs of all children are catered to.

Children as young as twelve months have daily opportunities to develop the critically important fine and gross motor skills, to be exposed to the building blocks for early language development and to experience and learn how to create positive social interactions through play and music. For 25 years our early learning programmes have nurtured young children, helping them build their early learning skills, their emotional security and confidence and helping make them become capable of positive relationships.

Jewish Life

At the Holly Rofé Early Learning Centre, we honour our history and our heritage by providing a rich and unique learning experience that values our traditions and culture. Through daily practice, the children gain a knowledge and understanding of the traditions, celebrations and milestones in the Hebrew calendar. Jewish holidays are celebrated, and through our Shabbat parties, children enjoy the warmth and spirituality so important to community.

From a young age, children are taught to embrace the values of different mitzvot, tzedaka and kindness to others. Parents and caregivers are invited to join with us on this journey of early Jewish discovery.

Learning Through Play

At the Holly Rofé Early Learning Centre, we believe that children learn best through play and experiences. Play provides important opportunities for children to experiment, explore, discover and create. Children learn to socialise and interact with one another through play, and the need for group work, collaboration and kindness towards each other can be introduced and fostered from this young age. Through play, teachers can observe the strengths and areas for improvement in the children and can tailor-design their program to meet those needs.

Environment

We provide a beautiful and inviting environment which meets the latest design approaches for early learning. Our open-plan spaces allow the children to explore and experiment while feeling secure. Through "play corners" and "learning centres", children are encouraged to collaborate and to try activities.

Our outdoor play areas allow the children to adventure and develop their gross motor skills while connecting with the outside. Children have the opportunity to run, ride and climb using the outdoor equipment, and on rainy days, they enjoy use of the indoor play area and indoor gymnasium.

Programme of Learning

Word Fun Our unique "Word Fun" programme was designed for the Ganeynu class (2–3 year olds). It is taught once a week and is designed to enhance vocabulary, pronunciation and the use of full sentences in a fun and exciting way. Each lesson includes a variety of songs, rhymes, stories and arts and crafts.

Mandarin Our immersion-based Mandarin programme commences in the Ganeynu class (2–3 year olds) with lessons three times a week. An extremely successful programme, it results in Mandarin acquisition through fun, song, stories, games and dance.

Hebrew Our "Chalav Ud'vash" Hebrew programme commences in the Ganeynu class (2–3 year olds) with lessons twice times a week. Through song, dance, play and story time, our children are exposed to the spoken Hebrew language.

Music and Rhythm During our weekly music and movement lessons we use percussion instruments, movement, dance and singing to help develop and improve our children's large and small muscle skills, balance and coordination. The singing stimulates their social and emotional development and sharpens their listening skills and concepts of tempo, pitch and dynamics.

Movement and Play Our weekly movement and play sessions are designed to help develop the cognitive, physical and social skills of our children as they play. The play environment allows children to climb, crawl and explore. Activities are specially designed to engage the children in interactive games that encourage flexibility, confidence and emotional well-being, and to build strong bodies and minds.

The most important and decisive age in education is early childhood

Yesodat ha Chinuch