Learning Support Unit

At Indigo Valley Nursery we strongly believe in providing equal opportunities to all children irrespective of their ABILITIES or disABILITIES.

The Nursery follows the British Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, which highlights the unique child plus the New Zealand Early Learning Curriculum – Te Whariki.

The individual needs of children are met within a stimulating and enriched environment; where the rhythm of daily life is gentle and unhurried hence Indigo Valley Nursery is the ideal Nursery for all children including children with special needs.

Preschool activities are planned keeping in mind the diverse needs and interests of each child. Our philosophy is inclusion and we believe inclusion concerns attitude as well as behaviour and daily practice. We believe in the uniqueness of each child and each child’s ability to learn and reach his or her own potential; this is our inspiration behind the Learning Support Unit at Indigo Valley Nursery.

Learning Support Unit Admission Procedure
Our Learning Support Coordinator liaises with the parents regarding their child’s admission with the Nursery. An informal observation of the child along with a parental interview is required for the child to be enrolled with us. The criteria for enrollment is that we believe the child will receive admission into the 'big' school.

Inclusion
The Nursery has two kinds of Inclusion programs. With the first inclusion program the child along with his or her peers joins our mainstream classrooms. The children’s needs are met within the classroom environment and for areas of specific learning the children will receive additional support in the form of individual sessions by the Learning Support Coordinator and or our Special Needs Teachers.

The second inclusion program is for children who may necessitate extra preparation time within a specially designed class, before they are integrated into the regular classroom.

This particular Nursery classroom is a preparation for the regular Nursery classrooms so the children receive intensive individual sessions plus they also participate in small group activities. Many of the extra-curricular preschool activities such as Dancing, Kung Fu and Drumming are enjoyed together with all the Nursery children which provides more joyful and fun interactive times with their Nursery peers.

Individualized Educational Program (IEP)
All children have different needs with varying learning styles. When a child is enrolled with Indigo Valley Nursery we complete a detailed assessment to fully understand the child’s current level of functioning.  Based upon our understanding of the child’s unique early learning year’s requirements and our receiving vital parental information we develop each child’s Individualized Educational (Play) Program (Plan). With this Program the children achieve their objectives during each Nursery academic term and a record of their daily performance is documented in our Nursery files.

Mobility and Movement Group
We offer an exclusively designed gross and fine motor program for children who have physical challenges. The aim of this program is to help children gain confidence with their body and to enhance their movements and coordination.

Home Visit
Consistency across the environment for children with special needs is a vital link between the Nursery and the child’s home. The objective behind the home visits is to help the children learn adaptive behaviours within his or her primary environment.
The Learning Support Coordinator develops each child’s specific home program based primarily upon the information we receive during our home visits.

Children gain independence and inner strength through loving, stable relationships and daily routines, therefore, home and Nursery harmonizing is always a top priority and a great advantage towards each child’s development.
Indigo Valley Nursery cares for children with Down’s syndrome, Autism, Speech and Language Delays, ADHD and Cerebral Palsy.

Nursery Learning Support Unit personnel are qualified special needs teachers and our Beautiful Minds Nursery’s Professional Development Program provides ongoing training and education to all Nursery staff so we are always up-to-date with the latest understandings and practices of the Nursery special needs programs.

Stevie Wonder once said, “We all have ABILITY -the difference is how we use it.”