Glendore Childcare Centre Values & Beliefs
The Child
It’s a period filled with wonder, learning, and growth. The memories and experiences from childhood often shape who we become as adults. Early childhood care and education now plays a pivotal role in most children’s early years. The young people we care and educate today will become responsible for our future. We believe we have the responsibility to help make our world a more connected, hopeful, stable and peaceful place for our children. We see children as successful, competent and capable learners. We believe that each child is unique and should be viewed and respected and treated as such. The rights of the child are paramount to all that we do. We believe connection is key to fostering respectful relationships to learn, grow and thrive. “Each individual is unique, and has the power to express himself in his distinctive way.
Families, Community and Belonging
We believe the key to belonging is connection and to create a safe homelike environment. Our routines and transitions reflect an unhurried approach, that values the present moment. We value working in collaboration with families and our community to build positive relationships, that enable us to have a holistic, integrated and interconnected approach to each child’s learning and care. Here at Glendore we believe it takes a village to raise a child, so we aim to ensure that our relationships with families and the community are of high priority Glendore provides a home away from home ensuring children feel warm, secure, safe and most of all, loved and respected. We take great pride in our centre and value the little things that make it extra special and homely. We understand and respect that families are the child’s first influential teacher. By working in partnership, families, carers, and educators can enhance a child’s learning and wellbeing.
We respect the uniqueness of each family and strive to learn about their culture, beliefs, structure and acknowledge the rights of families to make decisions about their children. The relationships between children and families are at the heart of this community and our service. We believe strong family and community connections inspire children to think deeply about their world and their interests.
Glendore is fortunate to be amongst a strong community. We believe the relationships that are built within each child’s time at Glendore last far beyond the years spent with us. We believe scaffolding children’s learning and development through quality interactions with peers, families and community enables them to develop a deep understanding of themselves, the world around them and their place in it. We believe the rights of the child to be active citizens in their community.
Education & Documentation
At Glendore we place an extremely high value on the environment. For this reason, careful attention to detail is encapsulated in its design as to allow for rich, authentic experiences to occur on a full-time basis. We believe in a being responsive and a child led approach to learning. Placing value on the now encourages us to value the present moment, encourages deeper learning, observation, listening, reflection and documentation. We empower children to make their own discoveries by freely enjoying the materials that have been placed in the environment, allowing for meaningful learning. We believe in empowering each child to have ownership, autonomy and independence throughout all aspects of their day. We see the Educators role is meet each child exactly where they are, respecting their needs, honouring their interests and then planning the opportunities for learning to develop.
We believe in simplistic documentation that is practical and meaningful. We value the importance of educators being alongside the children every day. We view children as capable and competent learners, and our role is to support each child to develop to their fullest potential.
We place great value on taking our time when implementing the planning cycle and the practise of critical reflection. At Glendore we aim to provide an educational program that enables children to revisit their ideas, learning, creations, places and stories. We create time and opportunities for children to go deeper into their learning, supporting time for observation, listening and reflecting. We encourage unhurried everyday routines with wonder and care, allowing children to have ownership over their day and their learning. Our children are encouraged to find wonder and learning in the everyday and ordinary, where our educators can be attentive to each child’s pace, rhythm and interests.
Management & Educators
We embody a Collaborative Leadership and Teamwork approach. In the constantly changing world of education, we promote a culture of lifelong learners We see ourselves walking together to learn and grow on a journey of continuous improvement, best practice and quality outcomes, principle and practices Together we aim to create a dynamic family that can work together to create an environment where Management and educators are valued and respected for their knowledge and experience. We believe that childhood is beautiful and magical, and that it creates the foundation for life’s journey
Sustainability
We believe the environment tomorrow is dependent on how we manage the environment today. We see it as our role to provide education around sustainability and the importance of caring for our planet. We aim to embed a sense of responsibility and care for our environment. Small changes today can make a significant impact tomorrow. To maintain a clear focus on our sustainability goals, we have a trained Sustainability Officer at our Centre who drives and maintains this commitment.
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Perspectives
.We believe embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives is a shared responsibility within management and educators at Glendore. As a service we acknowledge that we are on a journey to recognise, listen, advocate, acknowledge and understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. We aim to build partnerships with Indigenous community members to learn and understand local cultures, environments and heritage. Our hope is to and develop children’s understanding of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and practices and ensure Aboriginal perspectives are fixed firmly, deeply and centrally within the program and our everyday. To maintain a clear focus on embedding Indigenous perspective, we have a trained cultural diversity officer at our center who drives and maintains this commitment.
Respect For Diversity & Inclusion
Equity, inclusion and diversity underpin the foundations of all we do. We believe in creating a more socially just community for all. Glendore believes all children should be treated equally and each child’s social and cultural background are valued and respected. Positive outcomes for children can best be achieved in environments and communities that are free from discrimination. We strive to foster an environment where children can feel they belong and can be safe, where their rights and views are respected. We support our staff to challenge discrimination, advocate for children’s rights, and to extend their learning and development they need to contribute to equality of outcomes for children. We believe All children and families have the right to experience quality childcare and to grow in a safe and nurturing environment.
