Overview

Centre Philosophy

We at Carmody Drive Kindergarten believe that children learn best through play. Play provides opportunities for children to follow their interests and learn at their own pace. Through a combination of interest based learning, spontaneous discoveries and intentional teaching, the educational programme is developed as a team approach with partnerships between educators, children and their families as well as the wider community where we share decisions.

We respectfully acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which we play and learn, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to the Elders, past, present and future. We believe in the importance of learning about our indigenous cultures as part of learning about our shared heritage. We promote the cultural safety of indigenous children.

We believe that the learning potential of each child is harnessed by promoting a sense of Being, Belonging and Becoming, and the child’s agency is supported through interactions with the educators, peers and the programme.

We value parents as first educators and are attentive to their beliefs and knowledge of their child.

We value children as capable, adept and competent learners. Each child’s efforts are acknowledged and children are encouraged to extend their own ideas, explore new options and reflect upon their own actions and observations. Opportunities are provided for children to participate in reflective practice which is incorporated into the Educational Programme.

We celebrate diversity. We encourage children to embrace difference and we promote tolerance and cultural safety. Sharing traditional, cultural and family experiences allows children to better understand themselves and others and to explore the world around them. We believe children develop a strong sense of belonging when they feel they are part of a group or community of learners.

We value the importance of the learning environment both indoors and outdoors. We believe aesthetically pleasing experiences promote participation and deeper learning opportunities as children engage in play, develop independence, have open ended interactions, embrace spontaneity, become better world citizens, challenge themselves with risk taking and foster a connection with nature and living things.

We encourage children to play in and with nature and to develop awareness about their responsibility to care for the environment for a sustainable future.

We believe the role of the adult is to provide a responsive and thought provoking environment where positive reinforcement, respect and encouragement makes learning possible and valued.

We believe in providing a holistic approach for the children coming to us from varying contexts and with differing needs, abilities and interests. Patience and tolerance are important values for us.

We recognise and value the knowledge and commitment of our educators. We provide an environment of learning and continued professional development. We facilitate critical reflection, open discussions, and philosophical and theoretical debate.

We believe in providing a supportive environment where the health, safety and well being of the educators, children and families is fundamental. We are committed to the implementation of the Child Safe Standards and the rights of all children to feel safe, and be safe at all times.

Centre Vision

We believe that the statement of philosophy and our educational programme is not static and that they evolve and change as new insights are gained, current practice is examined and reflected upon, and new children, families and educators join our community.

We believe in the importance of inclusive practice and equity for all children. Individual children’s needs are planned for with open ended experiences, more structured tasks, safe alternatives and modifications regularly occurring to ensure that they are appropriate for each child.

We have established our Core Values which guide our practice in all our interactions with children, families, each other and the wider community.