Belonging

Belonging exists within many social environments and as early childhood professionals we recognise that our children first belong to their families, their cultural group and the wider community.

We recognise that families have valuable information to share with us about their children and we strive to create and maintain sound and mutual relationships with our parents and the wider community.

Through these relationships our parents will trust and feel secure that their child is cared for in a loving and nurturing environment which is of a high quality standard contributing to the child’s overall success at the preschool. We as caregivers aim to form attachments with children by responding sensitively and appropriately to children’s needs in order to foster a continuity of care and for children to have a sense of security. Researchers including John Bowlby originated the attachment theory and have found that attachment patterns established early in life can lead to a number of outcomes. For example, children who have secure attachments tend to develop stronger self-esteem and better self-reliance as they grow older. These children also tend to be more independent, perform better in school, have successful social relationships, and experience less depression and anxiety.

Our Preschool is seen as an extension of our children’s home environments by creating a calm, friendly and positive atmosphere where children have ownership and are active participants in respecting themselves, each other and our resources.

Anzac Village Preschool places a value on building connections between a child’s home, family and the preschool. We believe that it helps children to develop a sense of belonging if they know that their preschool teachers take an interest in and value the child’s own experiences and life outside of preschool. Children are given the opportunity to share their own experiences, ideas and interests. A similar value is placed on encouraging families to participate within the programme and on building connections and relationships with each child’s family. Our aim is to value each child as a unique individual within the context of his/her own family and community and all children are to be accepted and integrated into the program.

In addition to nurturing and building upon our own preschool community, we aim to reach outwards, forming connections with and taking an interest in the broader community. We believe that it is important for children to begin to have an understanding of what it is to belong to a community. We help children begin to identify with “belonging” in a number of contexts. For example, belonging to their preschool class group, belonging as part of the preschool as a whole, belonging to their family and also that we belong to a wider community – our country, our world.

Our educators will act on behalf to protect and advocate for all children and their families.

Respect, teamwork and trust are the qualities that bind us.

Being

We appreciate the importance of the present day and that all children develop at their own individual pace.

We acknowledge and see strength in the uniqueness, individuality, strengths, challenges, prior knowledge and experiences that each and every child, family and educator brings to our Preschool.

Democracy guides our beliefs in equal opportunities regardless of gender, culture, socio-economic background and the support and inclusion of individuals who require additional support.

Children learn best through play and its processes; however as educators we see play in its entirety as complex and intricate where learning is multifaceted.

Educators actively observe, engage with and extend children’s learning by encouraging the child to wonder, explore, test, predict, problem solve, negotiate, reflect and research through play and in partnership with each other and the educators. We place a strong emphasis on play based learning which guides our preschool programme. Current research and guidelines such as the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia defines play based learning as “a context for learning through which children organise and make sense of their social worlds, as they engage actively with people, objects and representations”.

Within the context of play there exists a myriad of learning opportunities. Children explore social relationships, contribute ideas and take on the ideas of others. Play provides the opportunity to experiment, explore, discover, to solve problems. As children play there are opportunities to talk, to listen and to explore language. There are also opportunities to relax, to have fun, to experience and to express joy.

A positive learning climate in a school for young children is a composite of many things.  It is an attitude that respects children.  It is a place where children receive guidance and encouragement from the responsible adults around them.  It is an environment where children can experiment and try out new ideas without fear or failure.  It is an atmosphere that builds children’s self-confidence so they dare to take risks.  It is an environment that nurtures a love of learning.
~Carol B. Hillman (20th Century), U.S. early childhood educator.  Creating a Learning Climate for the Early Childhood Years, Fastback Series (1989).

Educators will use positive forms of behaviour guidance (will continue to work in partnership with parents throughout this process). We achieve this by acknowledging and labelling the children’s feelings and supporting them by promoting alternative strategies for dealing with their intense emotion and thus developing and exploring the concepts of empathy, compassion and resilience.

Our service abides and is guided by standards set by ACECQA, The National Quality Framework (Education Care and Service Law and Regulation), Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), DECS, AECA Code of Ethics and the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child.

Becoming

Our program encompasses the Emergent Curriculum and the Reggio Emilia philosophies where educators facilitate and are intentional teachers who support, guide and encourage children’s learning. Educators are responsive to children’s ideas and play, which form an important basis for curriculum decision-making. In response to children’s evolving ideas and interests, educators assess, anticipate and extend children’s learning via open ended questioning, providing feedback, challenging their thinking and guiding their learning.

They make use of spontaneous ‘teachable moments’ to scaffold children’s learning. Lev Vygotsky views interaction with peers as an effective way of developing skills and strategies. He suggests that teachers use cooperative learning exercises where less competent children develop with help from more skillful peers – within the zone of proximal development. The zone of proximal development (ZPD) has been defined as “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers” (Vygotsky, 1978, p86).

Our teaching team play a vital role in shaping children’s identities giving the skills to face life’s challenges and supporting children’s learning within the context of our play based programme. The learning that occurs is often informal, gained as children interact, and try out different ways of doing things. We provide resources which support children to form connections, to explore, create, construct and solve problems. We maintain a balance between experiences which are initiated by the children and those which are supported or facilitated by thoughtful and intentional teaching.

“Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.” Maria Montessori

The program and routines of the centre empowers children to make choices, to be contributing members of society, responsible individuals and developing “their emerging autonomy, inter-dependence, resilience and sense of agency” (Belonging, Being, Becoming pg 22). Documentation of learning is accessible to all through daily reflective journals; children’s learning journey is documented in their portfolios with learning stories and with written observations, photographs and work samples.

Parents are welcomed and encouraged to become active participants within our service and to peruse our programming and offer input.

Educators are encouraged to continuously advance their skills and knowledge through ongoing professional development and to take time to reflect on current practices.

We work in partnership with a range of tertiary institutions eg TAFE and Universities to foster and educate students in becoming high quality Early Childhood Professionals.

Our Philosophy is seen as a living document, continually evolving in the light of new research, the ideas of new team members and input from families.