Our Philosophy
Our written philosophy sets out the values and beliefs that define the community of Anne Sgro Children's Centre, it's staff, children and families. It explains how the Centre will approach it's first purpose (as set out in it's Rules) of facilitating the provision of the best possible child care for children attending the Centre by:
- enabling children to develop to their full potential
- providing cultural ethnic relevance, and
- taking into account the individual needs of the children.
Our philosophy was created by the staff of Anne Sgro Children’s Centre, with input from the Committee of Management. Staff are encouraged to use the philosophy as part of their daily practices and when reflecting on their programs, routines and practices.
Philosophy Statement
At Anne Sgro Children’s Centre we believe in providing each child with a strong sense of belonging within our community, forming secure respectful and reciprocal relationships with peers and educators.
We feel it is important to build positive partnerships with each of our families recognising the parents/guardians as the child’s first teachers and forming an open ended relationship that will help us provide for the “whole child”.
Our Centre strives to provide a quality, interest-based program that reflects and collaborates in accordance with the Victorian Early Years Learning Framework.
We value the importance of reflective practice, where all involved continually develop their skills and professional knowledge to provide the best opportunities for all children and families within our service.
We believe having high expectations is especially important in achieving the five Learning Outcomes, which we incorporate into our program.
Victorian Early Years Learning Framework
Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity
Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world
Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of well being
Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators
Inclusion, Equity and Diversity
We believe all adults and children at Anne Sgro Children’s Centre are to be treated equitably and with respect, regardless of their background, ethnicity, culture, language, beliefs, gender, age, and socioeconomic status, level of ability, additional needs, family structure, sexual diversity or lifestyle.
We recognise and respect the importance of the cultural backgrounds of our children, families, staff and our community.
Partnership with Families
We believe forming a relationship between an early childhood educator and the child’s parents/guardians is the first and most important relationship.
We feel it is important that parents/guardians and educators build and maintain a reciprocal relationship based on respect and understanding, in order for them to work in collaboration with one another.
Learning Environment / Value of Play
We understand that children are capable of investigating and exploring their environment to further their own learning experiences. Their ideas, opinions and values are highly respected and the child’s interests are taken seriously, to form the basis of our play based curriculum.
Educators support engagement within the early learning setting through the setup of permanent learning areas. This allows for solitary and group learning where children are encouraged to experiment, explore and investigate through play at their own pace.
Evaluation
In order to assess whether the values and purposes of the philosophy have been achieved, the Centre Director:
- regularly seeks feedback from everyone affected by the philosophy regarding its effectiveness
- monitors the implementation and compliance with the centre philosophy
- encourages staff to use the philosophy as a reflection of their programs, routines and practices
- reviews the philosophy to ensure that it reflects the Anne Sgro Children’s Centre community
Authorisation
The Philosophy of the Centre was adopted by the Anne Sgro Children's Centre Committee of Management in September 2015