Harbour Early Learning Vaucluse - Now Open

Harbour EL Curriculum

Our curriculum and enrichment curricula has been developed by our team of experienced, highly qualified and creative early childhood teachers, educators and advisors. We believe a curriculum for children should reflect the life lived and provide a guideline for developing an understanding 

of respect for self and others; embracing diversity in ways of being, thinking and abilities, gender and culture; showing empathy and kindness; being able to share the responsibility for acting sustainably and caring for the land we live on, and the sea and air we share, with all living beings. Therefore, we will be observant of the children and their relationships, investigations, projects and play and we will collaborate, negotiate and plan our curriculum to provide meaningful experiences to challenge thinking and learning, to build knowledge and skills and to foster curiosity and aspirations for lifelong learning.

21st Century Learning skills of critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity skills are embedded in the Harbour EL curriculum. Digital drawing, photography and videography, creating stories, soundscapes and music are just some provocations for inquiry and experiences to be presented to children in the classroom as well as outdoors and on excursions. Our teaching teams are also determined to ‘slow down’ the learning day, to support children in being able to focus on meaningful and deep engagement or daily encounters. Harbour EL shares the responsibility with families for their child’s foundational education. 

Harbour EL Nutrition

We pride ourselves on our nutritionally considered menu at Harbour EL. Our menu has been curated and developed exclusively for Harbour EL by the team at Baby Food Bible (Bable); Qualified Nutritionist and Baby Nutrition Consultant. Every meal is made fresh daily by our full time in-house chef. Each seasonal menu adheres to the Australian dietary requirements, providing our children with the nutrients they need to thrive in this crucial time of growth and development.

Good nutrition is something we are incredibly passionate about and it is at the forefront of our children’s learning. The impact 

of a healthy diet directly impacts our children’s mood, behaviour, energy levels and concentration. Our daily meal plans are balanced and comprised of wholefoods, or as we like to call it, "real food". This means we avoid using refined sugars, additives and preservatives in the foods we serve and ingredients we use. Food quality is important to us - grass-fed meat, free-range chicken, wholegrain wheat, good quality oils - because what we feed our children matters.

The early years are crucial for the growth and development of our children, therefore key nutrients are considered in their daily meal plans to ensure they continue to thrive, including wholegrain carbohydrates, healthy fats, good quality protein, fibre, iron, zinc, omega-3s and iodine. Balanced meals and snacks are key to not only satiate and energise our children across the day but also to ensure they sustain balanced blood sugar levels. This is important to avoid fatigue, dips in concentration and the onset of hunger and sugar cravings.

Fruit and vegetables are made up of an abundance of key vitamins and minerals so naturally they are a big part of our daily menu. Exposure to these wholefoods in the early years is incredibly important to support children to become adventurous eaters, to help broaden their taste buds and show them how delicious eating healthy, "real food" can be. Our job is to provide the food, and the child decides what and how much they wish to eat. This is a vital part of the development of long-term healthy eating habits. Our menu is considered for all age groups, offering children age-appropriate foods from 6-12 months, and into toddlerhood. We strive to ensure nuts, nut products and other foods likely to cause an anaphylactic reaction are not brought into the centre, and other allergens are catered for accordingly.