Our Philosophy

We believe the development of respectful, secure and reciprocal relationships is the essence of our preschool. We believe in supporting and developing partnerships with families to optimise learning outcomes and recognise that families are children’s first and most influential teachers.

We strive for everyone within preschool to feel a strong sense of belonging and ownership of the preschool community. We recognise the importance of relationships between parents and staff, children and staff, children and children, staff and staff, parents and parents.

Families

We invite families to share in our preschool community by involving families in our quality educational program and service management.

Therefore:

•  Diversity within our preschool is respected and celebrated.

•  We are committed to and value open communication with families which includes informal discussion, Kinderloop, newsletters, parent/teacher interviews and parent information evening.

•  We encourage families to participate by sharing their unique culture, skills and interests or their time with us.

•  We strive to be responsive and supportive to all families needs.

•  We maintain a high level of confidentiality and build trust with all families.

•  We work closely with our Management committee and strive to maintain strong communication links between the committee, staff, families and community.

Children

We believe children are unique, capable and resourceful learners who are active contributors to their own learning. Children are valued as individuals, within the context of their family and their community.

We believe that play is essential to children’s learning and that children learn most effectively within an unhurried, happy and secure environment.

When children have the opportunity to express ideas, create, experiment, discover, explore, investigate and solve problems with the support of their peers and educators, they develop a sense of wellbeing and grow confidently in all areas.

 We believe children learn through collaboration and communication with other children, adults  
 and through interaction with the environment.

We believe playfulness, imagination, fun, and humour have a place in our children’s service.

We are committed to equity and believe in all children’s capacity to succeed regardless of diverse circumstances and abilities.

Therefore:

•  We acknowledge and are committed to the Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics whereby the protection and wellbeing of children is paramount.

•  We embrace the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and create a sense of Belonging, Being and Becoming by developing programs responsive to children’s ideas, interests, strengths and abilities. We do this by establishing and maintaining documentation of the children’s work.

•  We encourage each child to reach their full potential in accordance with their individual ability.

•  We provide a play based program within a rich, stimulating and nurturing environment. This provides opportunities for spontaneity and experiences based on children’s interests.

•  Children are able to make decisions about how resources are used. We enable children to participate in low level risk taking experiences- climbing low level trees andmoving small logs/ rocks throughout the natural environmentto extend their own learning.

•  We incorporate intentional teaching in our practices to extend children’s learning
and skills.

•  We implement a flexible program that provides for individual learning styles.

•  We ensure the children are able to revisit experiences to extend learning and consolidate their skills.

•  We acknowledge shared meal times and conversation contribute to the development of a sense of belonging for every child.

Community

We strive to be a centre of excellence for early childhood education within our community.

We are a central link to information, support services and resources within the local and wider community.

We believe in the importance of maintaining and strengthening established relationships with community organisations, council, local schools and businesses.

We believe in promoting the welfare and growth of our natural environment through sustainable living. We therefore encourage the children to encompass these environmental understandings, skills and knowledge for life.

We believe in the exploration of culture, heritage, background and tradition.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are the traditional owners of our land and we honour their traditions and perspectives within our program.

Staff

Our educators are highly valued for their vision, their delight in children, their skill, heart, knowledge, and commitment to our families.

We believe:

•  Each staff member brings fundamental,  personal qualities to the centre environment such as empathy, respect, warmth and a passion for learning.

•  In the importance of creating an environment of collegiality where personal and professional contributions are valued and respected, communication is open and confidentiality is maintained.

•  That striving to continually seek ways to build our professional knowledge and develop learning communities can be achieved through reflective practice. In this we intentionally gather and share information and resources and gain insights that support decision making about children’s learning.

We therefore:

•  Strive to work and communicate effectively as members of the team and value, share and improve the range of skills that all staff possess.

•  Provide opportunities for staff to share in decision making and to obtain feedback.

•  Provide ongoing professional development for all staff.

•  Provide a safe and comfortable working environment.

•  Create social opportunities for staff out of hours.