Our Philosophy

PHILOSOPHY OF CANTERBURY COMMUNITY CHILD CARE CENTRE

We acknowledge the original custodians of this land, the Dharawal people, and their language and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the community.

The educators at Canterbury Community Child Care Centre provide high quality care and learning, according to each child’s own needs, interests, strengths, and stage of development within a flexible environment. We believe that all children are unique, and tailor individualised programmes for all children.

We are dedicated to creating a nurturing environment, not just for children, but for everyone connected to the centre. This dedication ensures that children can thrive and grow at their own pace, fostering independence and a positive self-image in a community setting.

We believe play is important in the lives of young children, and provide opportunities for children to explore, experiment, create and problem solve. We support and engage in shared decision making with the children and ensure their voices are heard. We use open ended questions to build on and extend interests while building on independence and life skills. Intentional teaching guides goal setting in collaboration with families to meet children’s needs. We also provide a programme of community engagement and cultural experiences, reflective of the centre’s participants and the broader community.

We believe that educators must be active in developing strong respectful relationships with families around the ongoing care, nurturing, and education of their children. Active involvement by families in the life of the centre is encouraged to allow the transition from home to pre-school to be as smooth as possible. Educators and families are supported to keep each other informed of the children’s progress through open and meaningful communications processes about the children's development and progress.

We believe in ongoing professional learning, to ensure we are up to date with current research and practices.  Ongoing professional development enables our educators to feel valued and provide programs which reflect current theories, approaches, best practice, and ideas. We believe we should continually strive to improve our educational program and environment, through ongoing reflective practice. A firm commitment to ongoing education by educators ensures the highest quality of care and pride is maintained at all times.

We believe all involved at the Centre should be respected and valued as individuals, regardless of their cultural background, gender, beliefs, and attitudes. As educators we are culturally responsive and respectful, and endeavour to embed these ideas into our daily practice. We value and respect diversity, acknowledging each family’s qualities by honouring the cultures, languages, celebrations, and lifestyle choices of the families within our preschool community. We strive to support families to feel like they ‘belong’ and are included as part of our preschool family. We promote social justice, equity and are advocates for the rights of children.

We believe the environment we provide should help the children to gain an appreciation of, and respect for the natural and built environments. We provide both active and calming times during the day and allow for group and individual play. As educators, we believe we have a responsibility to introduce the children to an awareness of sustainability and to show respect for all living things around us. Our children share the role of caring for our environment and being active participants by voicing their ideas and taking a proactive role in caring for their environment as a shared responsibility.

We believe teamwork is top priority as educators work together to support each other and fulfil a variety of tasks. Educators are respectful of each team members ideas and perspectives and value their strengths and knowledge while working in collaboration to achieve the best outcomes for all children. Individual efforts and skills are recognised and appreciated. Open communication is encouraged in order for educators to gain a variety of viewpoints and solve problems constructively. (updated November 2023)

Our philosophy is inspired and guided by our knowledge of current research, The Early Childhood Association Code of Ethics, United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (United Nations 1989), The National Quality Standards and The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia – Belonging, Being and Becoming V.2. 2022