Welcome to Lucy Morice Kindergarten
Lucy Morice Kindergarten has a long-standing and proud history from 1935. The kindergarten grew from a desire by the founder Lucy Morice (nee Spence), to provide a garden of wonder in which children could explore and learn; as well as improving the health and wellbeing of children in the community.
A strong moral purpose remains central to our philosophy, with families valuing our leafy, established grounds and our unique proximity to the parklands and the city
Our Approach
At Lucy Morice Kindergarten, our approach places relationships at the heart of everything we do. We believe that secure, respectful, and reciprocal relationships lay the foundation for children’s wellbeing, identity, and learning. We offer a high-quality, play-based program in an emotionally nurturing and intellectually stimulating environment. Our educators cultivate strong connections with each child and family, fostering a sense of belonging and supporting positive dispositions for lifelong learning. We are deeply committed to building an inclusive community where every child and family feels valued and heard.
Our Educators
Our educators are dedicated to:
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- Providing a curriculum that recognises all children as capable and competent learners.
- Creating environments that encourage imagination, curiosity, discovery, and creativity.
- Supporting children to build secure relationships with peers and educators.
- Using each child’s strengths and interests to inform next steps in their learning journey.
- Celebrating the uniqueness of each child and valuing individual and cultural differences.
- Setting high, yet developmentally appropriate, expectations for all children.
- Promoting persistence, empathy, and optimism.
- Fostering strong partnerships with families to enhance achievement and wellbeing.
- Supporting children to develop positive attitudes towards learning and discovery.
Our Facilities
Our outdoor spaces have been thoughtfully upgraded to provide a rich and inviting environment for children’s play and exploration. The kindergarten grounds feature a large, covered sandpit, a log scramble for climbing, and a variety of shady trees that offer natural play areas. Children can engage with our vegetable garden, enjoy the natural lawn and garden beds, interact with a water play pump that channels water into the sandpit, and explore a mud kitchen, quiet fairy garden, and a cubby house. These engaging areas are designed to stimulate curiosity, encourage creativity, and support physical development, making our facilities both welcoming and inspiring for every child.
Our Educational Programs
Our programs are guided by the principles and practices of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) of Australia, which recognises early childhood as a critical period of development. The EYLF supports play-based learning and emphasises social and emotional wellbeing alongside early literacy and numeracy development.
The vision for every child is that they experience:
- Belonging: Knowing where and with whom you belong is integral to human existence.
- Being: Recognising the significance of the here and now in children’s lives.
- Becoming: Focusing on children learning to participate fully and actively in society.
Curriculum content is developed through careful observation of children’s interests and engagement with play experiences. Our educators design inquiry projects with the children, based on their knowledge, experiences, and interests, to extend thinking and foster new learning. Our program is inclusive of all children, cultures, and additional needs.
At Lucy Morice Kindergarten, we acknowledge the Kaurna People as the traditional custodians of the land we play, grow, and learn on, and we pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging. We honour Aboriginal ways of knowing, being, and doing, which emphasize a holistic understanding of life, deeply grounded in community, culture, and connection to the land.
