Our History

Our preschool first began operation in the hall at St Stephen’s Presbyterian Church in East Lismore in 1967. It was privately owned and operated until 1982 when it changed to a not-for-profit community owned preschool.

In 1987 the church decided to use the premises for other purposes and asked the preschool to move out of the hall. This facilitated the sourcing of land from Mr John Wade in East Lismore and building the current premises in 1988. Due to the dedication of the committee at that time our beautiful, purpose built two playroom preschool exists.

More than 30 years on our preschool continues to have full enrolments and offers an early childhood education program to children aged three to five in East Lismore and surrounding areas.

Our Philosophy

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At East Lismore Community Preschool we believe that each child, family and educator is unique.  We believe that each child, family, and educator should be valued and heard.

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We celebrate the voice of the child allowing each child to feel valued and heard without prejudice.  We believe in providing an unhurried, home like, nourishing environment that allows children and families to feel they belong.

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We celebrate children’s play allowing a child to "just be".  We will provide an environment fostering each child’s development based on the National Quality Standards and the outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework.

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We believe in providing a flexible environment catering to the needs and interests and culture of the child and family  We believe in providing children with opportunities to discover and learn about themselves, others and the environment in an atmosphere that encourages harmonious, respectful and meaningful relationships.

We encourage and support children to interact peacefully and collaboratively, express empathy for others and actively challenge bias.  We believe in supporting and developing a partnership with families to share in nurturing, educating and caring for their children.

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We encourage each family to participate in the preschool community and support and welcome their interest and involvement.  We value diversity and accept and celebrate differences in other people.

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We believe in building a community that enables children to develop a readiness for the transition to school, and a readiness for life.