Our Place Family Day Care

I believe it is important to offer a warm, nurturing and accepting environment where everyone who enters feels a sense of belonging. Whether it be children, families or members of the community they will all be treated equally and in a respectful manner. I understand and acknowledge the importance of anti-bias behaviour and the significance of the skills, knowledge and cultural heritage that everyone who enters brings and the way in which they enrich the service.
I acknowledge and respect the parents and the families of the children in care as the children’s first teacher. I believe their preferences; beliefs and values should be respected and integrated into the service to become part of their child’s (and the other children in the centres) journey. By working in partnership with the families a collaborative effort is made to improve the learning and outcomes for the children in care, the educator and the families.
I believe that all children are born belonging to a culture. Each child brings to the service a diverse set of beliefs, histories, languages and traditions that are unique to themselves. I believe that by celebrating this uniqueness encourages the child to feel a sense of belonging and gives them a strong sense of identity. Additionally, it encourages the other children in the service to identify with the child and further their learning.
I believe that Educators, Children, families and the community are all on a learning journey toward cultural competence helping to remove stereotypical ideas about what it means to be an Australian. I also honour the Indigenous Australians who enrich our country with their gifts of knowledge, tolerance and understandings some of which are shared in the service in the form of learning resources.
I believe that by using a holistic approach to learning all aspect of the child are taken into account. The physical, social, emotional, cognitive and spiritual aspects of the child as well as the importance of their connections to others through different types of partnerships in learning including play, social interactions and community participation are all essential. These increase the potential to extend the child’s learning; opening them up to new ideas and understandings and encouraging further exploration, examination, curiosity and knowledge.
I believe in the importance of play and how it improves children’s learning and allows them to be in the moment.
I believe that a range of approaches to learning is best practice. These include extended play periods; Intentional teaching and well thought out and prepared learning environments that are inviting, aesthetically pleasing and inclusive to all children in the service.
I believe the environment is the third teacher and that learning should involve our connections to the natural world and ways in which we can sustain it.
I believe that collaboration and information sharing between Educators, Children, Families and other relevant members of the community offer smoother transitions for children in periods where they may move from activity to activity or from one environment to another. This enables the child to feel secure and confident in the changed environment.
I acknowledge and believe that ongoing reflection and assessment are necessary to evaluate practices and offer a commitment to continuous improvement to the service.
I believe that everyone has the capacity to succeed, regardless of their circumstances and abilities. By working with children, their families, community members; health and early intervention services Educators can overcome obstacles, finding ways to include all children in a fair and equitable way.