At Kindy Fun Child Care Centre, our philosophy and goals are represented throughout the centre’s curriculum and the interactions we have with the children, families and educators. We believe that early childhood education lays a foundation for their future, takes full advantage of their ability and respects their identity and language. This is acknowledged through the Code of Ethics and the Early Years Learning Framework.
As educators we recognise, support and understand that children belong first to a family, a cultural group, a neighbourhood and a wider community. At Kindy Fun, we want our children to feel a sense of belonging, being and becoming in many ways. By allowing our families and children to bring their diverse experiences, knowledge and skills to their learning recognises that children are independent, dynamic, complex, social, emotional, personal, spiritual, creative, cognitive and linguistic in their learning.
At Kindy Fun Child Care Centre, we recognise that families are the children’s first and most influential teachers. We aim to create a welcoming environment where all children and families are respected and actively encourage to collaborate with the educators about learning experiences which are meaningful to their child. Building positive and respectful relationships with the families will allow educators to gather information and interests to co-construct learning to progress the children’s learning outcome.
Our aim is to build genuine partnerships where we value each child’s knowledge, build mutual respect and trust and communicate freely to engage in shared decision making. Each partnership is unique and will be dependent upon each child’s specific needs, interests and communication style. Families are always encouraged by educators and management to participate in the daily life of the centre, to enrich the curriculum and foster a sense of community within the service.
Our philosophy is based on the belief that both parents and educators can come together as a team in making decisions about the operation of the service to achieve the National Quality Standards and to continue to improve the quality of Kindy Fun. Our aim is to ensure the guiding principles of the National Quality Framework inform the delivery of our early childhood education curriculum.
These principles include:
- The right of the child is paramount
- Children are successful, competent and capable learners
- Equity, inclusion and diversity is clearly visible in all aspects of the service delivery
- Valuing Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders culture
- The role of the parents and families is respected and supported
- High expectations for children, educators and service providers
Based on our image of children, we believe that the centre’s learning environment should:
- Honour the histories, cultures, languages, traditions, child rearing practices and lifestyle choices of the family.
- Support the development of self-esteem, independence, empowerment and collaboration.
- Embrace the different theories about early childhood education to draw upon a range of perspectives including developmental theories, socio-cultural theories and post structural theories which challenge traditional ways of which children learn.
- Value the importance of play based learning and place great emphasis on the learning that takes place during play. Allow children to make the own choices based on their individual interests, needs, ages, strengths and energy level.
- Take an active role in caring for the environment and contribute to a sustainable future.
- Be safe in all aspects relating to the welfare of children physically, socially and emotionally.
At Kindy Fun Childcare Centre, we have embraced the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) as the foundation of our programming. We follow the EYLF principles, practices and outcomes that build our curriculum. We will incorporate the five learning outcomes outlined in the framework as we believe children’s learning is individual and ongoing and each child’s progress is different but equally meaningful.
We believe that to provide a high-quality child care centre, educators play an active role in encouraging and maintaining a collaborative and innovative environment. Flexibility, communication and teamwork are the means to achieve this aim and together with the persistence at all times, the professional standards and practices will be meet. Educators will adopt holistic approaches to teaching and learning as we recognise the importance between children, families and communities where we value collaborative learning and community participation. Educators use the Code of Ethics, to critically reflect upon ethical practices, guide professional relationships and inform individual and collective decision-making. We see this as an essential professional responsibility.
