Mountain Community Children's Centre
Mountain Community Children's Centre
providing quality care in a fun, safe & educational environment
Philosophy
Philosophy
At Mountain Community Children's Centre:
* We believe that every child has the right to be cared for in an atmosphere that provides a friendly, fun, safe, relaxed and nurturing environment. This environment should be designed within a developmentally appropriate profile for children that conveys respect and support for every unique individual.
* We believe that children learn through play and that families know their child best. Therefore, we strive to incorporate the observed interests and abilities of each child together with the input we gather from their family to develop an individualised play based curriculum referring to the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia 2009. The programs we develop are designed to respond to the whole child, offering unlimited opportunities for social or individual spontaneity, repetition, imagination, problem solving and creativity. Families are encouraged to be actively involved in our programs to the level they feel comfortable to participate in. We will include where possible and relevant Early Childhood Theorists in the educational program and children’s individual developmental records.
* We believe routines support the children’s sense of belonging, needs and expectations as to what happens next. These positive transitions will encourage the children’s sense of predictability which promotes their feelings of safety, security and support. We will encourage children to participate in small and large group experiences and discussions. This engages children and encourages them to listen and respect others, take turns and share ideas and experiences.
* We believe to respect and celebrate the diversity of individuals within our local and wider community, it is necessary for educators and staff to work towards developing partnerships with parents, family members, community groups and organisations. We contribute to our local community during many social events. The Centre is considered an important and vital part of the Mountain and surrounding districts community. We uphold this aim because we value the attributes that can be incorporated to further our ideals of excellence in care and learning.
* We believe that outdoor play is very important to the development of the children at the Centre. We acknowledge that the children are constantly surrounded by the outdoor environment due to their rural upbringing therefore they often choose to spend a lot of time in this outdoor environment. We believe in the children’s right to make choices and decisions in regards to their own learning experiences and opportunities. In particular in relation to their involvement in the indoor and outdoor environments. We will endeavour to provide these free choice opportunities where ever possible. This will be provided we have the correct staff/educator ratios for safety purposes in our large outdoor area and allowing for our varying mountain weather conditions. Quiet activities will be provided in our Covered Outdoor Learning Area (C.O.L.A.) for children who prefer less active play.
* We believe that effective communication and cooperative teamwork between early childhood educators, staff and professionals are vital components of a high quality service. We also acknowledge that it is very important for educators and staff to remain up to date with the latest recommendations for early childhood education and learning techniques. In view of this conviction we support and encourage ongoing professional development for educators and staff within our Centre. We believe that to deliver a service that fully supports the individual needs of our families, it may be necessary at times to work with families to access appropriate professional expertise to help maintain the well-being of each child in our care.
* We believe that to deliver a service that fully supports the individual needs of our families, it may be necessary at times to work with families to access appropriate professional expertise to help maintain the well-being of each child in our care.
