Strathcona Girls Grammar officially opened its new early years centre in Canterbury in October.
The purpose-built campus for students in 3-year-old kindergarten through to Year 1 is set in three heritage houses connected by two contemporary links.
The space caters to 70 students across three buildings surrounded by an extensive natural play area with an expanded external deck and three playgrounds.
“Nothing great is built without a strong foundation and Strathcona’s Early Years is meticulously crafted to give young minds the best possible start,” Strathcona principal Lorna Beegan said.
“This will benefit our students throughout their educational journey.
“This is where a love of learning and life-long curiosity starts.”
Strathcona’s early years is underpinned by the Floresco education framework, meaning ‘to flourish’.
Inspired by Harvard’s Pedagogy of Play, Finland’s Early Childhood Education Model, and the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework, it allows a student-focused approach.
Floresco encourages children to explore their identity, culture, and values as active learners and citizens in a natural, student-centred environment.
Students will also receive explicit teaching across literacy and mathematics alongside other specialist subjects.
Strathcona Girls Grammar head of junior school, Lisa Miller, said the campus design featured natural materials, soft lighting, and gentle scents to create a meditative atmosphere.
“Unique spaces such as the Think Lab – filled with natural curiosities like bug collections,
snake skins, and skeletal artifacts – encourage exploration and innovation whilst learning
outside of traditional academic boundaries,” she said.
