Prince Alfred College Early Learning Centre

Welcome to Prince Alfred College Early Learning Centre (ELC), located in Kent Town, Australia. At our center, we believe in celebrating each child as a unique individual. We understand that all children are capable and curious, and we encourage exploration, investigation, discovery, questioning, and experimentation as a natural part of learning.

From the moment a child visits our center, our goal is to provide a safe, secure, and supportive environment, ensuring a smooth transition between home and school. Prince Alfred College Early Learning Centre is a place of adventure, growth, and learning. Our educational philosophy is inspired by the Reggio Emilia principles, which emphasize a partnership between children, teachers, and parents.

Through a range of play-based activities and more formal methods of learning, we nurture and support children's natural curiosity, eagerness to learn, and their love of communication with others. Our curriculum follows the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), focusing on the development of the whole child as an inquirer.

Each day at our center offers a mix of indoor and outdoor learning activities, with a combination of adult-led and child-initiated learning. Depending on the days they attend, children can enjoy specialist physical education, language lessons (Chinese), and library visits. We also offer a kindy program for four-year-olds to prepare them for primary school, where they continue to participate in specialist programs and have access to the wide range of educational facilities in the Prince Alfred College Preparatory School.

Nurturing each child through quality pastoral care is deeply embedded in our philosophy. Every child is known and valued for their individuality, and we celebrate their achievements, big and small. We understand that the support and care we provide at this young age will help children develop the skills, values, and behaviors they need as they grow and learn into the future. For children requiring additional support, we have an early intervention program with specialist speech and occupational therapy provided on-site.

Our center boasts extensive outdoor play spaces that allow children to explore, play, face challenges, and build greater awareness and understanding of their physical capabilities and the natural world around them. Outdoor play is essential for healthy minds and bodies.

In addition to learning, we place great importance on the development of our children's social skills. Many friendships formed in our ELC last throughout their time at Prince Alfred College and beyond.

Our ELC is a friendly, welcoming, and flexible learning space designed to enhance learning outcomes for young children. Our purpose-built areas include eight dedicated classrooms set around our town square, workshop, and cafe area. We also have award-winning outdoor play spaces complete with climbing equipment, sandpits, and nature play areas, which are considered essential parts of the learning environment. We make use of outstanding facilities elsewhere in the College, such as the Prep School library, sports hall, playground, and ANZAC Hall performance venue.

Sustainability is at the heart of our center. We have a 30 kW rooftop solar array, over 3,000 liters of rainwater capture for use in the outdoor areas, large shade trees, and waterwise planting, among other features. Productive spaces, including veggie beds and fruit trees, help children develop their understanding of where food comes from, while chooks, a worm farm, and composting assist with waste management.

We invite you to visit our ELC and experience the purpose-built indoor and outdoor spaces where our youngest PAC children explore, learn, play, and thrive. All tours commence in our Early Learning Centre.