OUR PHILOSOPHY
At Marulan Children’s Centre- “Little Treasures” we nurture a sense of belonging through a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment. We foster secure, respectful and reciprocal relationships between children, families and educators. Each child is valued and appreciated as a unique individual, respected and recognised by educators for their diversity and differing needs.
Educators have the belief all children should be allowed to be children and learn and play in a safe, secure environment. Children have the right to give their opinions freely on issues that affect them in their learning and care. Educators have the understanding Children have the right to their own identity and have the right to share freely with others what they learn, think and feel.
Our centre recognises and respects that families are children’s most influential teachers. We value their knowledge, insight and perspectives and encourage them to contribute to and be a part of our teaching decision making. We believe that children thrive when families and educators work together in partnership to support children’s learning and have mutual respect and trust between families, children and educators. This can be achieved through conversations between educators, families and children, and by participating in this educators gain an understanding and build on strengths, aspirations and priorities of children and families. This in turn makes education and care programs, practices and policies meaningful, inclusive and child centred.
We encourage families and educators to work together to promote children’s growth, self-confidence and value, through the Belonging to the Little Treasures community, We believe in respecting and honouring each family’s values, beliefs, cultures, language, traditions and practices. We believe in equality and equity for all families through promoting inclusion, participation and a sense of self for all children.
We strive to achieve growth and development through providing a warm, homely and secure environment with learning spaces that promote curiosity, risk taking, captivation and collaboration. Our welcoming indoor and outdoor environments promote a sense of being through reflecting children’s individual needs and interests and encouraging open-ended interactions, challenges, independence, creativity, spontaneity and imagination. Our teachings encompasses sustainable and environmental practices that encourage discovery and exploration of the world around us and understanding of becoming socially responsible and show respect for the environment.
As educators we believe Play-based learning: is a context for learning through which children organise and make sense of their social worlds, as they engage actively with people and objects.
Our centre acknowledges the Gundungarra peoples as the traditional custodians of the land and their continued relationship with the land. We pay respects to the Elders past, present and future and acknowledge their spiritual connection to Country. Our curriculum integrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learning experiences and awareness and nurture ongoing respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legacy.
Our educators consider themselves role models for children and always conduct themselves in a way that exhibits this. We are proud that we have a low turnover of educators and are able to become very familiar to all the children and families that attend the centre with many families returning over the years and recommending our centre to family and friends.
All educators are encouraged to self-reflect on their individual performances and practices and are given the opportunity to further enhance their skills and knowledge through professional development. Staff appraisals are carried out every twelve months to support this practice.
Our daily practices involve educators in critical reflection of our philosophy, ethics, practice and programming, allowing us to strive towards the best possible outcomes for children, families, and educators. As a centre we adhere to the Early Childhood Code of Ethics and Early Years Learning Framework. We ensure the centre follows the appropriate decision making process from service provider, nominated supervisor, and educators, including families for overall professional compliance of the centres’ philosophy and duty of care.