CHEERIOKIDS Heidelberg Childcare Centre

CENTRE PHILOSOPHY

We will always strive to achieve and maintain a high quality of care for the children entrusted to us.

We believe it is essential to provide educational and developmentally appropriate programs delivered with the highest quality of care to each child that attends.

We value the role of play in the children's development. Through play children learn about the world around them, they experience various feelings. Play also supports children's inventiveness, creativeness and individuality. We also encourage the use of open ended experiences and for the children to learn about environmental issues. We value the use of natural resources.

We encourage positive behaviour in our children by taking into account their developmental stages and abilities. We use strategies such as re-direction and reminding of limits to guide children to behave appropriately.

We will provide a learning environment that is safe, secure and stimulating.

We believe in the importance of encouraging each child to discover, explore and develop at their own pace. We feel it is important to allow the time and patience for skills such as sharing, taking turns and learning about each other to develop.

We believe it is important that children are provided with quality care regardless of age, special needs, gender, cultural and religious backgrounds. We promote positive acceptance of cultural diversity of our families, children staff and the community.

We believe the communication between parents and carers plays an important role in the well being of the child's growth, learning and development. We value families' input for our policies, philosophy, programs, menu and we encourage parents to share special skills and attend our meetings.

We understand that respecting others and caring for others is a process which develops as children grow. Therefore we believe it is important for children to express their emotions freely, laugh, cry, show frustration or be sad as they learn about each other.

We truly believe that each child has the right to be treated with the respect and dignity that they each deserve.



Reviewed October 2011

Kindergarten Teaching Philosophy

Here at CHEERIOKIDS Heidelberg we support the provision of quality care by providing an educational program which meets the needs of the children, their families and the community and promotes active learning through play. The children are cared for within a safe and stimulating environment which fosters their well-being and self-esteem and where children are able to reach their full potential. To encourage positive behaviour we use strategies such as re-direction, reminding of limits that we have compiled as a group and providing positive feedback for appropriate behaviour. Our program also prepares the children for a positive transition into primary school.

The following beliefs are the foundation of the kindergarten's philosophy:

We acknowledge each child as being their own, unique self, each having the right to achieve their full potential. We plan and accommodate for the children's individual needs, abilities and interests. When the curriculum matches the children's interests and experiences, it is more likely that they will be engaged in the learning experiences provided.

At kinder we encourage active learning- children are doers and enquirers. When we allow them to be active learners- that is to ask questions, to be curious, to explore, to solve problems for themselves, to think and discuss, we are capitalising on their natural learning abilities and avoiding the danger of boredom. We encourage active involvement where children are able to assist in daily routines such as meal times, packing up after experiences, displaying work etc. We believe that enabling children to take responsibility fosters independence. The children need to sense that they are valued and important. The children are stimulated and encouraged through the balance of structured and spontaneous play. The learning experiences implemented offer the children the chance to play collaboratively, which builds teamwork and communication skills and self-confidence, or play individually where children are able to release any tension or have time to themselves if they please.

We feel that a high self-esteem and confidence is vital throughout a child's life. We ensure each child feels valued by praising their efforts and working together to improve areas which need strengthening. This builds individuality and creativity.

We provide a safe environment which the children feel comfortable to be a part of. The room is lively and full of motivated, interested children. The physical features of the room reflect the children's lives- appropriate furniture size, children's work, birthday chart, photos and books of various genres. Children are able to make use of resources in the room, just like they may at home. Because our room will most likely be their second home, it needs to feel like one. We make available important resources that the children are able to refer to such as books, play activities and have displayed words, symbols and posters around the room.

We feel that parental involvement is imperative in children's learning and education as this reflects on the child's view on learning. Parents who value learning and their child's education promote a positive attitude and this could be an attitude for life. Our kinder room is always open and welcoming to parents. Parental assistance, concerns and/or feedback are welcomed and addressed. Working in partnerships with parents is vital to each child's development and to support this we encourage effective communication between parents and staff and keep parents informed of their child's developmental progression.

At kinder we embrace multicultural diversity. All of the children, regardless of their religion, racial or cultural background or any language barriers have the right to our early childhood program which reflects and respects their background. Let's not forget that it is not only the children from non-English speaking backgrounds that learn and benefit from their time at kinder, but also the children with English as their first language and the staff. Within the kinder room we are responsive and accepting of all cultural backgrounds. Staff always display a sense of understanding, acceptance and responsiveness to the need of the individual child.


Reviewed October 2011

Toddler Room Philosophy

In the Toddler Room we provide a loving, caring & secure environment for every child. Our program fosters all areas of development, physical, cognitive, language, emotional & social & is based on the needs & interests of each child.

To encourage positive behaviour in our room we use redirection to other activities & remind children of their limits that are set for both inside & outside play.

In our program we foster children's independence skills by encouraging children to dress/undress themselves, & be actively involved in setting & packing up the room.

We promote multicultural activities in our program to respect & give awareness to other cultures.

We also encourage parents to be actively involved in our program & we welcome any suggestions they have to improve our "FUN LEARNING & GROWTH".


Reviewed October 2011