Early Childhood

Each class in our ECE has an experienced early years team who plan together for the learning needs of individual children.

Our ECE Learning Communities extends the teaching team for each child. Our shared classroom, and the range of open-ended experiences we are able to offer, enables children to work with and learn from all our teachers. It provides a multi-age classroom with 11 teachers that promotes respect and teamwork. It helps create a wonderful sense of belonging for everyone, and helps teachers meet children's interests and needs in a cohesive and purposeful way.

As Early Childhood teachers, we understand and value the importance of learning through play. At YCIS we utilise "Development Matters" Early Childhood Curriculum Framework from the UK to guide our planning and practice and to reflect on achievements and goals.

• Playing
• Exploring
• Active Engagement
• Creating

Each of these are of high importance in our play-based curriculum. Our learning is visible through Learning Story Portfolios, Class Newsletters, and our Together Time Display Board.

We provide open ended resources and props to engage children in a wide variety of activities and play experiences. These experiences contribute to skill and knowledge across all developmental areas, and provide a solid foundation for future learning as children move to our Primary School.

Children in our international Kindergarten in Beijing are immersed in a bilingual curriculum, where both English and Chinese language skills are developed equally. Each class in our ECE has a fully-qualified Chinese teacher and a Western teacher, allowing Eastern and Western cultures to meet in a very practical and engaging way in all day-to-day activities. The use and understanding of both languages is equally respected and evolves in each learning situation through play, routines, group learning, and conversation. Sometimes the children will be engaged in English, sometimes Chinese and other times in both.

Children are encouraged to extend language skills in their mother tongue, and supported to develop confidence and skills in new language acquisition.

Collaboration between teachers, peers and families is the cornerstone to all our planning, learning and communication in the ECE.

All teachers share roles and responsibilities in terms of resource preparation, planning, setting up and working with all our ECE children. Students and teachers all work together to enhance learning opportunities. It is always important for us to listen to the child's voice.

There is so much incidental collaboration and sharing between teachers during each day. We also have a specific planning and reflection meeting time together to add depth and focus to this collaboration.

YCIS knows the deep responsibility it has to children and families. We value a partnership with parents and encourage their involvement in their child's learning journey.

In August 2015, our campus opened a newly renovated, purpose-built Early Childhood Centre. We use our modern, flexible learning spaces to meet the changing needs of children throughout the day. This flexible space has allowed us to introduce an innovative Learning Communities programme, where children are able to play and learn together in a multi-age group at the beginning of each school day.

"Together Time" is a highlight of our teaching and learning. Our shared space allows us to offer so many more opportunities than in a single classroom for children to:

• Observe
• Experiment
• Practise
• Extend

Children benefit from extended opportunities to develop relationships with other students and teachers, and from an extensive range of exciting new activities and play situations.

Children need a sense of where and with whom they belong. It is important for young children to develop attachments with the important people in their lives, so our fundamental goal is to support each child to develop relationships with their teachers. In our ECE, each child feels safe, respected and valued. We offer routines that are purposefully consistent, predictable and reassuring.

This sense of belonging and confidence within our learning space offers important connections for children as they engage with different people and learning experiences in their play.

We foster relationships with many peers and adults within our Learning Communities. By extending the important relationships that each child has, we also extend their opportunities for development and learning.

We extend their opportunities for joy.