At St. John’s Kindergarten, in the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge the traditional owners of our land. We recognise the Wurundjeri People, past, present and emerging, whose lands and waters we continue to build our community on today.
The aim of St. John’s Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten is to provide a high quality, innovative educational program for all children in a nurturing, trusting and caring environment with a focus on celebrating and encouraging children’s enthusiasm, creativity and cultural diversity.
Our philosophy is guided by the practices to:
- Provide a warm, caring and welcoming environment where children feel safe, worthwhile and important
- Be a child advocate and value each child’s individualism by following their interests to develop appropriate open ended activities and experiences, which are stimulating, nurturing and presented in an engaging manner
- Provide learning opportunities that are play based and are facilitated by extended periods of uninterrupted, child-directed play, and intentional teaching strategies.
- Initiate warm, trusting, collaborative partnerships with the families, communicate honestly with parents regarding their child’s child progress and documentation progress, maintaining confidentiality and encouraging parent feedback.
- Having high expectations for all children and providing a supportive learning and inclusive environment for all abilities children.
- Staff critical reflect on all aspects of the curriculum in order to provide the best possible environments and outcomes for the children.
- Valuing the contribution of children, parents, staff and committee in developing the program and facilities.
- Children and families have a right to feel recognised, respected, and valued as members of our community. It is vital for children and families to feel safe and supported within the preschool environment regardless of ability, gender, race, religion, and sexuality.
- Children’s learning and development is best fostered through providing a play-based curriculum, which encourages children to explore and investigate, stimulates curiosity and the senses, and fosters confidence and independence in a safe and supportive environment to provide the foundation for life-long learning.
- The kindergarten recognises and commits to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), and Early Childhood Australia’s Code of Ethics as a standard of rights for all who attend the service.