At Evesham Road Kindergarten, we provide children with a high quality, play based educational program. We value the importance of play, every child’s right to play and we know that children learn best through play. We believe kindergarten is a very special time in a child’s life!
Our Vision
To uphold our high standards in all that we do, creating a sanctuary of calm, promoting the health, safety and wellbeing of all in our community, and supporting the development of best learning outcomes for each individual child.
Our Philosophy
At Evesham Road Kindergarten, we provide children with a high quality, play based educational program, that is guided by the Victorian Early Years Learning development framework (2016), the Early Years Learning framework (2009) and the National Quality framework (2018). We value the importance of play, every child’s right to play (it is their work), and we know that children learn best through play. We believe kindergarten is a very special time in a child’s life! At Evesham Road Kindergarten……
- We recognise and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the land, on which our children learn and play. We are committed to demonstrating respect for our indigenous heritage.
- Our play based programs are open-ended, child initiated, encompass intentional teaching and are responsive to spontaneous teaching moments.
- We provide a learning environment that is meaningful to the children, based on their interests, strengths and experiences, and which is rich in opportunities that encourage the development of skills, knowledge and creativity.
- We create an environment that is safe and secure, warm, caring and nurturing, WELCOMING, exciting, fun, stimulating and INCLUSIVE.
- We see children as competent, capable, and active learners, who learn best through experimenting and discovering for themselves. We encourage them to take the initiative, to be independent, and to make their own choices.
- We offer opportunities to discover, explore, question, problem solve, imagine, create and reflect. We provide children with long periods of uninterrupted play and time to explore at their own pace, and in their own individual way.
- We support children to make sense of their world through play, and to discover the unknown; always fostering their natural sense of curiosity.
- We believe the ‘process’ is more valuable than the end product because of the learning that takes place.
- We respect each child as a unique individual, and celebrate children’s individuality, efforts and achievements.
- We believe the development of a healthy self-esteem is paramount to a child’s development and is vital to learning, being happy and coping with challenges.
- Children have the right to get messy, muddy, dirty, wet, and slimy in their play.
- Children will be supported, encouraged and empowered to take risks.
- We promote sustainability in our programs, and everyday practices. We demonstrate a strong commitment to environmental practices and taking care of our environment, by using natural and recycled materials. We value the natural world and all the learning that can take place as children connect with their natural environment.
- We are committed to creating relationships and strong links between the kindergarten and home.
- We acknowledge that our families are our children’s first teachers and the best source of information in a child’s life. We work together in partnership, to support and nurture every child’s learning, growth and development, by developing open, trusting and respectful relationships with our families. Collaboration and open communication between children, educators and families, achieves a better understanding of the whole child, and leads to better learning outcomes.
- We value family involvement and welcome active participation in our programs. We embrace and respect the diversity that our families bring to our kindergarten. We strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all, with every family feeling represented at our kinder.
- We want our kinder to have a presence in the local community, as well as a sense of belonging to it.
- We are committed to laying down the foundations so that children develop a delight in, excitement for and life long love of learning, and to sharing the enjoyment of learning with the children.
- We pride ourselves on our positive and warm interactions with children, that are based on trust and respect; offering encouragement, praise, respect, acceptance, support and guidance.
- Our team of educators are enthusiastic, dedicated, professional, and experienced. We promote a culture of professionalism; encouraging and supporting all staff to grow professionally and to strive for best practise, through professional conversations, engaging in professional development, critical refection, and regular team meetings.
- We aim for diversity amongst our team to be celebrated, and met with respect, acceptance, kindness and support. It is when working together as a team, that we are able to provide the highest quality of early childhood education, as well as quality outcomes for all children and families.
- We value the right of all in our kinder community, every child, family and educator, to feel safe, secure and supported, treated with respect and accepted for who they are, and the skills, abilities and cultures they have.
Our Child Safety Commitment Statement
At Evesham Road Kindergarten, the Staff, Committee and Parents are committed to the rights of all children to feel safe, and be safe, while in our care. We work hard to meet child safe standards, providing a safe environment for all children including Aboriginal children and their families, which ensures their safety, health, and wellbeing, and to promote
- The cultural safety of Aboriginal children
- The cultural safety of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and
- The safety of children with additional needs
We will always act in the best interests of every child and take responsibility for creating safe and inclusive environments for all children and their families, through policies and procedures, education, professional learning, reflective practice, and positive action. The Staff, Committee and parents are committed to best practice, and we have a zero-tolerance approach to child abuse, harm, racism, and discrimination.