Philosophy

ATCHISON CENTRES aim to provide a safe family-like environment for all children entrusted into our care. We recognise that family and community is the most important and influential aspect in the lives of young children and the significance of this relationship cannot be underestimated.

Through our partnerships and strong relationships with families ATCHISON CENTRES will work towards complementing the home environment. Our aim is for children to feel secure, loved, respected and nurtured; ensuring each child has a strong sense of identity, trust and independence.The protective care initiated by all Educators at ATCHISON CENTRES will ensure the safety and wellbeing of each child.

The Educators at ATCHISON CENTRES recognise that the inclusion of all children provides a positive and diverse influence on children’s development. The objective of our care and education is to provide each child with opportunities; recognising and valuing the individual identity of each child and respecting their competencies and abilities.

The Educators at ATCHISON CENTRES value the ‘United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child’ and believe that children have a right to be active participants in their own learning and must be empowered to express their own views and ideas. Educators will maintain environments that allows each child to develop a healthy ego and a strong sense of self-worth.

Our Educators at ATCHISON CENTRES treat all children equitably and support children’s interests, skills, abilities, behaviours, health, nutrition and wellbeing. We believe that the relationships children form with our Educators and their peers will further enhance the views of themselves and others. Our Educators engage in interactions with children that will promote respect for diversity and value distinctiveness in the wider community .

ATCHISON CENTRES will embrace, celebrate and share traditions and cultures throughout our program. We recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been nurturing and teaching children on this land for thousands of years and acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditional ways of being and caring for children.

ATCHISON CENTRES follow the ‘Early Years Learning Framework’ (EYLF) and nurtures children from 6 weeks to 6 years. The EYLF describes childhood as a time of Belonging – living a fulfilling life, Being – Living here and in the now and Becoming – the learning and development that children experience. This is reflected through children having a strong sense of identity, being connected with and contributing to their world, having a strong sense of wellbeing, being confident and involved learners and being effective communicators.

The development of the program at ATCHISON CENTRES is guided by the children’s interests and critical reflection. The program provides opportunities and experiences that further promote children’s learning. Educators will make available worthwhile challenging experiences and interactions that will foster high-level thinking skills (EYLF).

The children at ATCHISON CENTRES are provided with the highest possible learning environment through the quality of care and teaching. Our programs reflect both planned and spontaneous experiences designed to support children’s development in all domains, including as much family and community input as we can gather and extend upon. Through the EYLF, the program sees Educators engage in intentional teaching, (it’s deliberate, purposeful and thoughtful). Educators who engage in intentional teaching recognise that learning occurs in social contexts and those interactions and conversations are vitally important for learning.

We at ATCHISON CENTRES believe that children inherit a connection to their natural world and we as educators need to foster a positive approach to the natural environment. We believe being environmentally responsible should be embedded into the operations of our service.

ATCHISON CENTRES are committed to protecting the environment to ensure a sustainable future for our children and learning about being environmentally responsible starting with everyday practices. These everyday practices will involve Educators, children and families working together to protect our environment as we educate children about the importance of being environmentally responsible.

Our curriculum at ATCHISON CENTRES acknowledges the importance of play and leisure in children’s learning, development and wellbeing. We are guided by the Principles, Practices, Learning Outcomes and theoretical perspectives of the Early Years Learning Framework. Our team is guided by the Education and Care Services National Regulations, Law and Quality Standards and are actively involved in research, inquiry and practice-based evidence to inform our high-quality education and care.

The National Quality Standard is the standard against which we self-assess the performance of ATCHISON CENTRES to deliver quality education and care whilst planning for future improvements to the service. One result of this process is the ‘Quality Improvement Plan’ (QIP) which our Educators are intrinsically involved in to develop a QIP which is unique to our service.

The Educators at ATCHISON CENTRES participate in ongoing education and training which is a critical aspect of professional development. The Educators are diligent with adhering to the ‘Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics’ to ensure that every child is always learning and thriving.

In conclusion the children of ATCHISON CENTRES will grow to be competent contributing members of our community with a good self-image, self esteem, sense of security, trust, respect, confidence and empathy towards others and all living creatures. ATCHISON CENTRES value and respect families together with the local community and aim to network with all these individuals to provide children with the opportunities to “Belong”, “Be” and “Become”.