Gwandalan
Early Learning Centre

 

Our connection to culture

We believe in creating a culturally aware community and acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land. We believe that through respectful and meaningful experiences we are able to provide the children with an understanding of the rich history that makes up Australia.

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Our connection to theory and the child

We believe in a play-based learning approach that supports each unique individual child through their many stages of growth and development. We view each child as a capable and competent learner with the ability to construct their own understanding and knowledge. We believe we are able to achieve this by providing every child with the opportunity to explore, grow, learn and discover through play. As the children are valued individuals, we promote agency and encourage the child’s right to make choices and decisions. We believe in providing a safe and nurturing environment which promotes a sense of belonging and security where children are encouraged and supported to be actively involved in their own process of learning and sculpting to how they will grow their own journey.

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Our connection to families

We acknowledge and value the families as the child’s first and most influential teacher. We value working in partnership with our families and recognise the importance of this. We support and welcome family involvement and strive to maintain open communication, respect and collaboration. Through this we are able to create a consistent transition from the child’s home life to the preschool environment, which we believe is the key to success. We believe in building the foundations of partnership from the enrolment process and throughout the child’s time at Gwandalan Early Learning. We view our families as valued partners, collaborators, influencers and advocates for their children and therefore respect, support and encourage each family’s input in the curriculum.

Our connection to our educators

We as educators value the importance of our role in the early years and believe that constant improvement is very important. Educators place a strong emphasis on professional development, and we believe that through strategic plans we as a team can provide a high-quality learning environment for all children. We value the individual strengths and passions of our educators and promote this through their roles and responsibilities within the early learning environment. 

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Our connection to community

We value the environment as a third teacher and believe that it provides many opportunities to extend upon a child’s sense of belonging, being and becoming.  In order to achieve a child’s sense of belonging we believe that incorporating the community into our curriculum is integral. We believe that through these constructions, children are able to develop a deeper sense of connection to their world and the role in which they play.