Respectful relationships are valued within the entirety of our world.

 

With Respect We Acknowledge:

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OUR FIRST NATIONS PEOPLE AND LAND

• The Awabakal tribe are the traditional owners of the land on which we play and learn each day here at Carey Bay Preschool.

• We pay respect to the Traditional Owners and Elders, both past and present, and extend this to any Aboriginal people in our community each day in our daily program and routines.

• We connect with our social and cultural heritage with authenticity and pride.

• We hold meaningful connections with our first nations people in our local community, as we build on our understanding and knowledge and embed indigenous perspectives within the preschool program and environment.

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INCLUSION AND EQUITY IN OUR PRESCHOOL COMMUNITY

• We are committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for all stakeholders in the centre.

• Our learning environment are created to ensure all children, families, staff and visitors have a strong sense of belonging.

• We accommodate and embrace diversity and differences which is reflected in our environments, relationships and curriculum.

• We acknowledge that children and families come from a variety of backgrounds and cultures and respect their values and beliefs.

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OUR CHILDREN

• We believe children are unique, resourceful, competent and capable learners and this forms the foundation of our philosophy, with the ultimate goal for our children to become confident and resilient in their endeavours.

• The importance of play-based learning is paramount, therefore we provide experiences both intentional and incidental, based on the input received from all stakeholders. The experiences are meaningful, and reflect the lives, culture and interests of the children, educators and families. This ensures all children are treated with equity and respect.

• Our aim is to instil our philosophy of respect through all experiences offered to the children in the hope that this way of being is embedded in their own lives.

• We are advocates for the rights of children and embed these rights into our whole curriculum.

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OUR FAMILIES

• We respect that families are diverse in their structure and the importance role they have in their child’s development and learning.

• Our relationship with families is paramount, supporting them in their parenting role to ensure the optimal development for each children.

• We value a collaborative approach when making decisions about both individual and whole group learning within the curriculum.

• We strive to build trusting relationships where families and educators can feel a sense of ease in communicating their thoughts in an honest and respectful manner.

• We value the input of families’ knowledge and views of their children when we engage in collaborative decision making.

 

OUR COMMUNITY

• We provide a warm, welcoming, safe and friendly environment where all involved are respected and supported.

• The significance of relationships with our community is valued, where we aim to connect and provide a sense of belonging and security to ensure we have a strong foundation for continuing relationships.

• We engage with our local community for a range of purposes, including child related experiences as well as improvements to our centre.

• We support children to connect and influence their world in matters that are meaningful to them.

 

OUR ENVIRONMENT

• The physical learning environments are safe, stable, supportive, aesthetically pleasing, promote curiosity, are sustainable, stimulating and fun for the children. The children have choice and are in control of their own learning, encouraging them to investigate, problem solve, face and cope with challenges and explore natural materials while sharing and developing their skills, knowledge and ideas with others.

• We provide open ended experiences within the environment to cater for the individual development and learning styles of each child.

• We offer children opportunities to be adventurous, to explore and test their own capabilities, to manage risk and to build their resilience.

 

 THE SAFETY AND WELLBEING OF ALL THOSE PRESENT

• We believe all stakeholders have the right to feel safe with their wellbeing supported.

• A strong sense of wellbeing is fundamentally connected to positive outcomes. When all involved feel happy, safe and supported they are able to fully participate in the curriculum.

• We believe in taking a holistic approach to support all aspects of each other’s welfare.

• As a BE YOU registered service we believe in supporting the overall health and wellbeing for all children, families, educators and visitors in our centre.

 

 OUR EDUCATORS

• We believe in offering children a consistent, stable environment with regular educators with whom they’ve built a trusting relationship.

• Our high professional standards influence our relationships with each other and the children.

• Mutual respect and collaboration form the basis of our team. We are able to learn from each other, valuing each other’s strengths and skills.

• Our relationships with each other are significant in the fact that a supportive environment is evident. We are able to reflect on any challenges with an open and non-judgemental approach.

• Through our supportive relationship with each other, we are able to provide a positive environment where children can thrive.

    THE USE OF CRITICAL REFLECTION TO GUIDE OUR PURPOSE AND PRACTICES

• We are regular participants in professional development to ensure we have up to date knowledge and skills to cater for the present environment.

• Critical reflection is used on a daily basis to improve our quality in all areas of our curriculum.

 

OUR CURRICULUM

Our curriculum decision making is influenced and incorporates:

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• The Early Years Learning Framework (Principles, Practices and Learning Outcomes).

• The 7 Quality Standards of the National Quality Framework

• Current Theorists’ perspectives on Child development

• National Child Safe Standards

• Code of Ethics

• Inclusion Plan

• Our own educator experience and knowledge

• We implement our curriculum using a child led and guided learning approach. This approach enables us to focus on the interests and strengths of the children as well as their needs. This approach views children and educators as enthusiastic participants initiating and determining the learning occurring.

• The guided learning and child lead approach embodies characteristics of other approaches which enables us to:
  -integrate experiences that are personally meaningful for the children
  -work with the social and cultural contexts of our families and community
  -be emergent in responding to individual and group ideas and interests
  - use a constructivist method where play based learning is made possible through hands on experiences with open ended materials
  - be inclusive in our practices, recognising the diversity in our community
  - support the children in their connections with the natural environment.