We follow the Early Years Learning Framework as per our Education, Curriculum and Learning Policy.
Our Educational Leader is Bruna Sardenberg Campista .
Our Centre has qualified and experienced Early childhood educators who provide a balanced educational program for the children.
We provide a comprehensive Preschool program which focuses on encouraging children to gain skills in pre-literacy, pre-numeracy, concentration, language, socialisation and independence.
If your child’s Educator feels there is an area of concern, they will inform you and advise where help may be sought, e.g. speech therapist. Educators are willing to discuss any aspect of development with parents.
Philosophy:
We at St Stephen’s Children’s Centre honour the rights of all children to learn, explore and discover through play and interest-based learning. We have an ongoing commitment to best quality and embedding our values into everyday practice. We value positive respectful interactions and collaborative relationships through strong partnerships and communication between children, families, educators, and our local community.
Our documented curriculum based on Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework of Australia (V2.0, 2022), monitors children’s individual interests and learning to inform provision and support children in achieving learning outcomes. We believe children learn through their play, interests, and meaningful interaction with others. Gaining independence and maintaining a positive wellbeing will support the children to become confident, competent, and involved learners within their environment.
Our stimulating outdoor and indoor learning environments support children to direct their own learning and curiosity. We seek to enrich the children’s lives through nature and their natural surrounding world. Our Centre prides itself on a nature rich environment which encourages ongoing learning opportunities in educating children to develop respect and care for their environment and living things. Play is at the forefront as we learn through experiences that are spontaneous, intentional, scaffolded and extended.
We believe that families are the most influential teachers in a child’s life. We work in partnership through strong open communication, make shared decisions, and use their knowledge and skills to support our program. Educator’s support children’s continuity of care between their home environment and the Centre. Parents are encouraged to join the Management Committee to be directly involved in the decision-making process of the centre.
We Value the cultural and social contexts of children and their families. All families attending the Centre are respected for their cultural background, gender, traditions, and beliefs. We create a safe place of belonging for all children. We uphold the meaningful participation of all children in our Centre, valuing their unique qualities and abilities.
Educators engage in ongoing critical reflection of our curriculum, practices, and program to inform decision making, support professional confidence and enable individual children’s learning. This supports the best possible outcomes for all children. Educators recognises the importance of supporting each other in a team environment to fulfil a variety of tasks. Commitment to professional development is shared by Educators as we continue our lifelong learning journey.
Early Years Learning Framework Learning (EYLF) Learning Outcomes:
Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity
- Children feel safe, secure, and supported
- Children develop their emerging autonomy, interdependence, resilience and sense of agency
- Children develop knowledgeable and confident self-identities
- Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy and respect
Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world
- Children develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities and an understanding of the reciprocal rights and responsibilities necessary for active community participation
- Children respond to diversity with respect
- Children become aware of fairness
- Children become socially responsible and show respect of the environment
Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
- Children become strong in their social and emotional wellbeing
- Children take increasing responsibility for their own health and physical wellbeing
Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners
- Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity
- Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, enquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating
- Children transfer and adapt what they have learned from one context to another
- Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies and natural and processed materials
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators
- Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes
- Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts
- Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media
- Children begin to understand how symbols and pattern systems work
- Children use information and communication technologies to access information, investigate ideas and represent their thinking