Early Childhood Development Initiative

Ba Futuru’s preschool closed out 2018 with a lovely winter wonderland performance and graduation ceremony for the children going on to primary school. In 2018, with your support we were able to provide 21 community children with a free early childhood education improving their chances in life.

2019 has gotten off to a great start with two volunteers, Lalita and Jessica, working with our educators and students. Lalita has been doing workshops with the teachers on how to correctly use the Montessori math equipment that we are currently making. We have just finished a project on ourselves, and learning about our identity.

In February we are exploring transport, with excursions planned to the fire station, airport, and wharf as well as learning about travel safety. We are also focused with facilitating our Ba Futuru attributes programme, and exploring it with our children and families.

Ba Futuru's pre-school has 21 community children, 8 boys and 13 girls, that come for free in the afternoons, and several other children that are sponored or come at reduced rates. The school is full at the moment with more than 40 kids all together. 

The teaching and learning has continued to grow within our outdoor classroom approach, with children having daily access to sand, water and the outside play equipment, for free play. Our environmental programme continues with children learning about rubbish and how long it takes to decompose, burying rubbish and doing an experiment.

Growing, nurturing, harvesting and preparing food to eat continues. This last term we have re-introduced the Jolly Phonics teaching programme, to our older children, our 4-5 year olds. Children have enjoyed learning about the different sounds letters make with actions and songs. This programme has encouraged children to sound out and read simple 3 letter words, and children are also practicing to form the letters correctly, therefore forming good habits before starting Grade 1. We are currently doing our term 3 assessment of children, and writing reports, this will be followed by parent teacher interviews next week.

We are also in full swing of organising an end of year concert and saying farewell our students who will be starting Grade 1 in the New Year. For this event each class has been practicing singing and dancing. Our older children are learning a Timorese traditional dance and singing a new local song that one of the teachers composed.

Please share the opportunity to support low income Timorese children to receive a great start in life this holiday season-  ask your friends and community if they are also able to help!

Thank you!