Our philosophy is built on the foundations of the National Quality Framework, Early Years Learning Framework, and the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines, but we also value the contributions of our families, children, and educators.
Yeronga Child Development Centre takes pride in our ability to provide an individualised and differentiated environment that is warm and nurturing. We strive to make sure our families and educators feel like the Centre is a second home and an easy way to transition between learning environments.
We recognise and respect the first Australians – the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the contribution they have on the land in which we play and learn.
Our curriculum and pedagogy practice is inclusive and diverse. We value individual strengths and different cultural backgrounds. We acknowledge the rights of all children and advocate for them to achieve the best possible outcomes.
We aim to provide our families and the wider community with high-quality Early Childhood Education and Care by fostering strong partnerships between educators, children, and families. We focus on the individual child’s interests and ideas to help us to build upon their sense of identity allowing them to connect and contribute to the world around them.
In relation to children:
We believe:
- in providing each child with a safe and secure environment for their sense of connection and belonging to grow;
- in providing opportunities for children to learn through play base learning to build a stronger sense and connection to the world around them;
- that each child is an individual with unique interests and strengths, requiring stimulating opportunities to thrive in all areas of development;
- children are confident and capable learners when provided with the support and guidance of a quality team of educators;
- children are to be encouraged to make decisions about the direction of their learning and the events in their day, through meaningful conversations. These conversations guide educators in their teaching, learning, curriculum and decision-making process;
- each child should be perceived as a competent and capable learner; and
- children engage in individual and collaborative learning experiences with their peers and educators. In this process, we aim to help develop resilience, problem solving skills, creativity, sense of agency, prosocial skills and more importantly a love for lifelong learning
In relation to families
We believe:
- in forming and maintaining a strong partnership with our families;
- in promoting continuity of the educational program and open communication between the Centre and children’s homes. Individual families and parents bring with them diverse skills, values and beliefs that are integral to our community and programs;
- that parents be encouraged to participate in and contribute to the Centre in various ways such as:
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- through ongoing family surveys;
- Storypark post;
- parent volunteers;
- through activities and programs
- reviewing our Centre philosophy, policies and procedures;
- providing input on the learning curriculum;
- participating at Centre and community events and celebrations;
- providing open communication on any concerns or suggestions for improvement through regular and productive collaboration; and
- participating in parent-teacher meeting to identifying learning goals for their children.
In relation to the educators
We believe:
- the role of the educator is to support and facilitate the learning of each individual child within their care by providing opportunities for children to explore ideas, solve complex concepts and make ethical decisions that are relevant to their lives and local community;
- educators should support families in their decision-making and plans for their child’s growth and development;
- our team of educators bring with them diverse cultures, strengths, talents and interests which contribute to the Centre’s environment and curriculum;
- educators and staff will promote sustainability through their own actions and within the activities and programs they present to the children;
- respect and appreciation for the valuable job that our educators do with children and the community on a day-to-day basis; and
- our educators are able to provide the best care through ongoing professional development and educational support.
In relation to the community
We believe:
- Australia is a society comprised of diverse cultures and the community of children, families and educators in our Centre seeks to reflect and promote this diversity;
- we aim to draw on this diversity as a strength to engage our children in meaningful learning experiences and to develop each child’s sense of belonging and connectedness to their world;
- that engaging in the community allows us to foster and promote harmony for future generations within our educational community;
- in fostering the connection between home, the Centre and support groups within the community;
- in actively seeking ways to connect with and support the local community;
- in actively seeking ways to bring the community into our Centre in various ways to enhance our learning curriculum and experiences for our children;
- in promoting sustainability within the community;
- in actively seeking ways to engage children to support the local and wider community through learning projects, fundraisers and Centre run initiatives in collaboration with parents and the community; and
- in actively working in collaboration with local schools to assist with the smooth transition of our children to the next stage of their education.