St Dominics Newcastle has a preschool in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal. We offer a preschool programme designed by Curro that grants an excellent early childhood development for children from 12 months to 5 years. We carefully control the number of children per class to ensure that they are all cared for and entertained. We also form part of the Curro school group, we have half-day and full-day options, and our programme includes activities such as music and tennis. By enrolling with us, your child benefits from over 130 years of academic excellence.

Get an overview of everything we can offer you on our fact sheet.

Our preschool programme

As part of the Curro school group, our children enjoy a programme that supports their physical, social, emotional and cognitive well-being. This approach to early childhood development is built around Early Learning and Development Areas (ELDAs), which focus on development areas rather than strict milestones. This means that children feel supported and encouraged instead of pressured to develop at someone else’s pace.

The learning and development areas include the following:

• Identity and belonging: personality, friendship, sharing
• Physical well-being: balance, movement, safety
• Communication: speech, listening, understanding
• Creativity: playing, drawing, painting, dancing, imagination
• Mathematics: shapes, size, time, counting
• Learning about the world: exploring and understanding the world around them

Do you want to know more? Visit this page on our website to discover more about the ELDAs and how they work together to give children a high-quality preschool programme.

We encourage loose-parts play

The development of curiosity and imagination in early childhood is vitally important to the development of problem-solving skills and critical thinking later on. Therefore, as part of our excellent preschool programme, we encourage playing with loose-parts and multi-purpose playthings rather than single-purpose toys that don’t involve much imagination. Through loose-parts play, our children learn to use their natural curiosity to explore previously undiscovered fascinations such as stacking, rolling, sliding, fitting, colours, and more.

See what we offer on our fact sheet.

How big are the classes

Children need lots of attention and nurturing. That is why our classes are divided by age, and we carefully control the number of children in each class. Our teachers also have one or more assistants, depending on the age group and number of children in the class. By having a limited number of children in class, our teachers can give each one the individual care and attention they need to flourish and feel loved.

Activities your child can enjoy

Our daily programme is packed with a variety of physical and cognitive activities where children play while they learn. We also offer additional, optional extramural activities as additional opportunities to strengthen focused areas or hone certain skills. Our extramural activities are offered by external tutors or coaches at an additional cost and take place on the school’s premises.

As a preschool in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, these extramural activities are tailored to the interests of you and your family. This ensures that your child can grow and excel in areas that they truly enjoy. Your child is sure to find something that will pique their interest.