Riverside Preschool Philosophy
Mission Statement:
The rights and interests of children are paramount in all our decision making processes. We aim to provide a caring, supportive learning environment that reflects and values individuality and diversity. We aim to provide a happy, safe and stimulating environment where children are free to play, explore, discover and learn at their own pace with educators providing guidance and encouragement for each child. All children will experience learning that is engaging and builds success for life.
We believe that children:
● Lives are characterised by belonging, being and becoming.
● Are successful, capable, confident, resourceful, curious and eager learners
● Learn through play
● Have individual strengths, interest, prior experiences, needs and backgrounds
● Are unique and valued individuals, developing at their own pace and using their own learning style
● Are able to lead and guide their own play and learning
● Flourish when they have developed strong relationships with their peers and educators
● Should be encouraged and supported in the pursuit of their learning interests and abilities
● have rights that need to be protected and upheld (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child)
● Are part of and learn in a wider social context, learning sustainability.
● Bring their diverse experiences, perspectives, expectations, knowledge and skills to learning.
● Share their culture with ideas and information (EYLF V2)
● Learn in a warm environment that nurtures them and that they learn to nurture
● Need opportunities to make meaning, question, experiment, investigate and predict.
● Are influenced by the environment and events in the community.
● Should be encouraged to communicate their needs for comfort and assistance, express their feelings, to be able to develop self regulation strategies.
● Need to feel safe at all times, respected, listened too and understood.
● Encourage them to make choices, decisions throughout the program, their voices are heard,
● Develop abilities to support their mental health and well-being, learning relaxation skills ie breathing, meditation, yoga
A child’s community is:
Themselves
Their family (immediate and extended)
Their preschool (peers and their families, educators, and committee)
Their local neighbourhood and the wider community
We believe that parents and family are the most important people in children’s lives and have the biggest impact on their learning. We aim to work in partnership with families and strongly encourage family and community involvement through participation in our curriculum, social events and our management committee.
Our role as early childhood educators involves:
I● Implementing a play-based program embracing the Early Years learning Framework V2 as a foundation for our curriculum
● Being responsive to each child and making them feel safe and welcomed and belonging to the social group and the community. To build their sense of identity.
● Forming safe, secure attachments, respectful and reciprocal relationships with all children.
● Developing collaborative relationships with families and each other.
● Families are supported in their parenting role, their values and beliefs about child rearing are respected,
● Providing access for all children in learning environments that follow their interests and extend their learning
● Being responsive to all children’s strengths, abilities, interests and cultural competencies
● Promoting friendship skills of caring and kindness towards each other
● Holistic approaches that pay attention to children’s physical, personal, social, emotional, spiritual wellbeing as well as cognitive aspects of learning
● Offering children realistic choices and the opportunities for children to lead their own learning
● Intentionally teaching children in small groups that is deliberate, purposeful and build on children’s existing knowledge.
● Support children to develop to identify risks in play and learning and to cope with the unexpected EYLF V2
● Teach children relaxation skills to support their mental health and well being
● Promoting physical movement and opportunities to discuss health and nutrition.
● Gathering and analysing information as evidence about what children know, can do and understand. It is part of an ongoing cycle of planning, documenting and evaluating children’s learning.
● Respect and appreciation for diversity and embed cultural inclusion eg use home languages.
● Facilitating an inclusive environment that allows children to be creative, interact with resources, revisit experiences and learn about the world. The children are provided with frequent opportunities to practice. The process is valued.
● Fostering independence and agency, and children’s voices to make up or program
● An introduction to literacy and numeracy using fun, non-confrontational experiences.
● Embracing sustainability and practices, ensuring that we are environmentally responsible, sharing how to care for country.
● Fostering a sense of responsibility in each child- knowing that they are an individual but also part of a wider community. The children will be connected with and contribute to their world.
● Promoting each child’s confidence and wellbeing through experiences that promote success
● Using intentional teaching that challenges children’s thinking and knowledge
● Teaching children about their sense of self, self-regulation and their emotions, enhancing children’s communication skills so that they can express their feelings and needs in a manner that promotes cooperation. The children will be effective communicators
● Providing opportunities for children to make connections with the natural environment
● Educators continually seek ways to build their professional knowledge and develop reflective practices
● Working with other educators to create a collaborative work environment. Teamwork is sought at all times
● Creating a positive relationship with therapists and professionals to provide early intervention to ensure all children meet their full potential.
● All educators reflecting on their practices and using their reflections to make informed curriculum decisions.
● Critical reflection is embedded in our actions as we aim for best practise for all children
● Understanding how our local and wider community contributes to each child’s experiences
● Teaching children about the traditional custodians of this land, the wallumedegal people and Australia’s aboriginal and Torres strait Islanders heritage through an acknowledgement of country and by integrating aspects of culture in a meaningful way, embed indigenous perspectives throughout the program.
● Exploring the local neighbourhood and being a part of it.
SOURCES
Education and Care Services National Regulation (2011) - Education and Care Services National Regulations (2011 SI 653) - NSW Legislation
ACECQA – Guide to the National Quality Framework – Quality Area 7: Governance & Leadership, Standard 7.1: Governance - Element 7.1.1: Service philosophy and purpose | ACECQA
ACECQA NQS Information Sheet – QA 7: Reviewing Your Service Philosophy (2018) QA7_ReviewingYourServicePhilosophy.pdf (acecqa.gov.au)
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
Early Childhood Australia- Code of Ethics 2016
Date endorsed: April 2012
Date reviewed: April 2013, April 2014 and September 2014
January 2016, January 2017, January 2018
January 2020, January 2021, January 2022, January 2023, January 2024