Nurturing the Whole Child - Ludo Early Learning and Care St Brigid's
There are many things that make Ludo special, but one of the main things is the children. Anyone who attends any of the Ludo locations enjoys being part of what Ludo is trying to build, which is a wrap-around support for the child.
Ludo Early Learning and Care is delivered in several Catholic Education Tasmania schools by CatholicCare Tasmania, to provide three- to five-year-old children with a play-based learning program before starting compulsory schooling. Currently, there are seven locations in CET schools around Tasmania that offer this fantastic program, operating Monday to Friday for 50 weeks of the year. St Brigid’s Catholic School has offered Ludo since the beginning of February 2022 and has seen great success since its implementation. The program is unique as Ludo offers younger children a connection to the school that they will hopefully attend from Kindergarten through to when they graduate in Year Six.
Acting Principal of St Brigid’s, Di O’Rourke, spoke about the connection that the Ludo students have with the School. “Ludo helps introduce students and families to the school community, enabling them to build connections earlier. I believe the opportunities Ludo provides assist children to develop the key skills needed for socialisation and child development in readiness for school.” The Ludo program allows attendees to learn important skills such as learning how to take turns, to share, to have a conversation with someone else, and to play games with people who are not part of their own family.
At St Brigid’s, their Ludo community is based in a large, open space that is adjacent to their Kindergarten. They believe in play-based learning, which helps children develop social and cognitive skills through play to help support them as they engage with others. The program has had great numbers since opening in February, with a large number of families at St Brigid’s choosing to use Ludo as before and after school care as well. There are up to 25 spots available in each of the seven Ludo Early Learning and Care locations at Catholic Education Tasmania schools across Tasmania.
One of the team leaders of the Ludo program at St Brigid’s is Montanna Gittus, who has been a vital aspect of the program since Ludo St Brigid’s opened at the beginning of 2022. She discussed the skills and the day-to-day process of being in a Ludo program. “We encourage social skills, opportunities for children to learn through play.” Montanna explained, “And we support the children’s agency through progressive lunches and play-based learning, we work on numbers and letter recognition, and we help the children integrate and introduce them to Kinder routines.”
Montanna loves coming to work as part of the Ludo program and enjoys getting to know the unique personalities of the children who attend the program. She explained the importance of the children becoming comfortable within the school. “The kids from Ludo, if they attend Kinder, can become comfortable within the space. Some of them have older siblings and can see them throughout the day which is really nice to see them engaging with the older people in the school.” The students love being at the School, around some of the older kids as they play outside in the magnificent outdoor spaces that are found on site at St Brigid’s. The school itself is located on the Derwent River and has a secure playground next to the river which is available for Ludo attendees to use, alongside their own enclosed outdoor space located next to their classroom.
Ludo employee Siara Malone has ample experience in working in day care centres. She loves the environment that is created at Ludo St Brigid’s. “I love how free flowing everything is. We can join in and have fun, and you can see the amount of fun they have.” Siara said, “Everybody is so kind, and the children have some great opportunities that wouldn’t be available to regular childcare services.”
Catholic education is about nurturing the whole child, and with children being part of the Catholic education system from the age of three, schools can now offer support services if required. Di O’Rourke explained, “Given we now offer care for three-year-olds we are able to start to provide children with support earlier than in the past. We can get in early and assess what support might be needed in an effort to have a greater long-term impact.”
Enrol in your local Ludo today! More information about Ludo can be found below.
