SERVICE PHILOSOPHY

Erina Kindergarten was formed on the lands of the Darkinjung People. We acknowledge Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the Traditional Custodians of this country and their connection to the land, water and community in which we operate. We pay our respect to them, their cultures and customs both past and present.

We value Early Childhood as the foundation for lifelong learning. All children will have an equal opportunity to learn and will be respected and not discriminated against no matter what gender, age, ability, economic status, family structure, ethnicity, lifestyle, religion, culture or language.  As the welfare and wellbeing of each child is paramount, we strive to provide holistic support of the child’s exclusive requirements and interests in a nurturing environment that fosters the child’s development across all developmental domains.

By providing children with freedom of choice and offering a wide variety of opportunities, materials and interactions, we are creating and facilitating a developmentally appropriate educational program where children are encouraged to develop at their own pace. Our program, which is based upon the principles and outcomes outlined in the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), encourages children to share thoughts and ideas, collaborate, explore, experiment, imagine and problem solve whilst developing their skills, resilience and independence. We believe in celebrating children’s play discoveries and our programs reflect planned and spontaneous experiences along with intentional teaching opportunities that are deliberate, purposeful and meaningful. Our learning is communicated through both written and verbal forms.

Erina Kindergarten recognises that families are the foundation in children’s growth and development. Educators will develop positive relationships with families hence working in partnerships based on mutual trust and a high level of open communication – verbal, email, newsletters, social media, Story park, SMS broadcast and parent information sessions.  We will make decisions together with the families to ensure the children are learning to their best ability. We will help to guide and support families in their role, while also learning from families in order to achieve the best outcomes for children.

We value community involvement in all aspects of our program and yearly events &calendar.  At Erina Kindergarten we strive to utilise community resources effectively to enhance the growth and development of individual children, families and Educators. We pride ourselves in contributing to our wider community to assist the children in achieving a sense of being, belonging & becoming.

We aim to achieve a sense of wonder, a feeling of belonging and a love of the land, nature and animals so that children develop a lifelong, respectful relationships as well as a positive and proactive attitude toward the environment and a sustainable future. We also participate in yoga and mindfulness with the children and educators weekly and are a part of the Be You Program, enhancing children’s awareness of positive mental health and promoting self-worth, relaxation and practicing self-regulation strategies. 

Our centre aims to promote healthy lifestyles, good nutrition and the wellbeing of all the children, educators and families engaging weekly in munch and move program with the children and educators. We also aim to support and provide adequately for children with food allergies, dietary requirements and specific cultural and religious practices.

Erina Kindergarten has a commitment to continuous improvement and maintains a culture of ongoing reflection and self-review from outside consultants and services. Effective evaluation and self-review enable’s our service to continuously improve our policies, procedures and practices, which in turn enables the Approved Provider, Nominated Supervisor, Educational Leader & Educators to improve their practice, which contributes directly to improved learning outcomes for children.

Our Service Participates in the National Quality Framework (NQF) including the National Quality Standards (NQS), The early learning Framework (EYLF) and the national regulations. The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) conducts scheduled site assessment visits and where appropriate spontaneous visits. The Services aims to provide the highest quality education and care available across all areas.

The NQS provides standards of quality practices for care provided in our service as well as guidance and support from the service’s self-evaluation through our Quality Improvement Plan (QIP). The system allows educators to continually improve practices by identifying the quality aspects of care the service is already providing and assisting the service in developing goals for further improvement through QIP. If you have any feedback or suggestions for improvement please complete a Feedback Form.