Monique Etherington and her husband wanted their children to go to Bethlehem College.
So, in 2010, when their eldest daughter Bella was nearly five they sent her to Bethelehem College Kindergarten to familiarise her with the campus and prepare her to transition smoothly to school.
That decision marked the beginning of a seven year relationship with our kindergarten. All four of their children, Bella, Charlie, Ruby and Will have spent their kindy years with us and then moved on to Bethlehem College. Their baby, Will, has just graduated from kindy to school, marking the end of an era!
To celebrate this beautiful family, who have been such a wonderful part of our kindy community, we have asked Monique to share some thoughts about her family’s journey with us over the last seven years.
1. What have your children enjoyed about Bethlehem College Kindergarten?
Without question the most amazing thing about BCK for both our family and children is the staff. We have been so lucky to have these wonderful people in our lives and help raise our children. They are genuinely caring and love what they do. The environment is so positive and there has been minimal staff turnover in the time we has been at BCK which has made such a difference to our experience.
The teachers have loved and nurtured each of our children and shared our experiences as a family (pregnancies, new babies, graduations). They have offered each of our children and our family friendship and support.
2. What initially drew you to send your children to Bethlehem College and Kindergarten?
As we have four children, we love the fact that all our children can be geographically very close. It not only makes sense logistically with drop off and pick ups but its so nice for them to see their siblings throughout the day even when they are effectively at different schools (I.e Kindy, Primary, Intermediate).
We were attracted to Bethlehem College Kindergarten, as it was on site with Bethlehem College. We loved the fact that BCK supported the transition to school, yet the facilities were designed and purpose built for kindy aged children.
3. What was the transition to Bethlehem College like for your children?
All our children have transitioned really seamlessly from kindy to school. They all were very familiar with the layout and day to day routine of the school – they even knew some of the teachers.
While at kindy, they took part in school activities such as the cross country and special assemblies which really helped them understand the concept of school. They also used the swimming pool and library while at kindy which offers a really unique insight to school life for kindy children.
4. What was your experience of the special Christian character of the learning environment?
We do feel the special character aspect of BCK makes difference. We have strong family values which align with Christian values. These values form the pillars of BCK. Most importantly however, these values are demonstrated everyday by the amazing team of people that work at BCK – they teach patience, respect, responsibility, empathy, and morals….in the most beautiful way. As a family we have found that the moral aspect of this learning environment has been a huge plus.
At Bethlehem College Kindergarten you’ll find happy children in a nurturing environment, enjoying genuine relationships with caring teachers who facilitate creative play and quality learning experiences.
Come and See For Yourself
Book A Centre Visit and bring your child in to meet us. You can also Request an Info Pack and we will post our bright and beautiful guide to your home address.
Learn More About Us
In the meantime, check out our teaching philosophy, our learning programme and discover four good reasons to send your child to our childcare centre.
To really get a good feel for the wonderful sense of community your family will enjoy please visit our Facebook page.
I look forward to meeting you and your child!
Clare van Niekerk | Head Teacher
You Might Also Be Interested In:
/time-nature-enhances-pre-schoolers-emotional-spiritual-wellbeing/
