Kelston Deaf Education Centre .::. Pre-School

Kelston Deaf Education Centre operates a licensed pre-school for children aged 2-5 years. We aim to provide opportunities for deaf/hearing impaired and hearing children to develop friendships and learn alongside each other. With a mix of deaf/hearing impaired and hearing children and staff we have created a bilingual-bicultural environment using spoken English and New Zealand Sign Language.

Children learn through play, their play is their work. We provide a range of experiences designed to develop different areas of learning (e.g. numeracy and literacy, exploration and science, communication and social skills). We design the environment by recognising children's individual strengths, interests and needs. Through natural and meaningful interactions we aim to respond to the range of individual interests in a variety of planned individual, small and large group activities.

Our day is divided into two sessions. The morning session allows children to move freely around the setting, choosing a range of activities that suit their needs at that time. The children are encouraged to participate in a wide range of experiences alongside an adult. The afternoon session is designed for children who are deaf/hearing impaired and targets language development. Two afternoons are presented in New Zealand Sign Language and another two in spoken English.