Our Centre Philosophy
Our philosophy has been put together with the thoughts of what our center’s parents, staff and children believe is important in everyday life at childcare. These thoughts have become the foundation of what we strive to achieve while caring for children and working alongside staff and parents on a daily basis.
Our House Early Learning World is a project established to service the growing needs of the local community.
Our House Early Learning World endeavours to create a unique, warm and friendly environment – welcoming families from all walks of life to its Centre. The programs at Our House Early Learning World arise from a common desire to establish a love for learning, a fascination with holidays and life cycle events and a passion for approaching the world in an ethical way.
Current thinking in the field of Early Childhood education echoes the statement by King Solomon, found in the Book of Proverbs: “Educate a child to his way and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
The basic philosophy behind our program is that children learn best by doing. The program activities are therefore designed to help children learn more about the world, their heritage and their values through hands – on activities and active involvement. Children are treasured for their uniqueness and individuality and are encouraged in self-expression.
We strive to provide a warm, positive and cooperative environment, which children from diverse backgrounds can grow and learn. A nurturing environment is deemed vital for the development of self-esteem, confidence and happiness of children. We are sensitive to the cultural values of families and aim to promote cultural diversity to support and celebrate our individual families and blend them into a unique Our House Early Learning World family that respects all.
Our program provides a balance of social and general themes as well as life skills to promote the child’s complete development. We encourage and stimulate the children’s areas of development as based on the Early Years Learning Framework. We recognize that a key way children develop during the early years is through play, and therefore we will provide the children with opportunities, experiences and activities to further their development in a fun, yet educational way.
We have a child-centred approach where the needs, abilities and interests of individual children are met through a developmentally appropriate and culturally based program.
The Centre will involve members of the wider community to participate in our program in order to broaden the children’s awareness of various roles in the community. The children will develop an appreciation for members of the wider community and respect their importance and contribution to society.
The program provides a balance between safety, security, interests, encouragement and challenge for the child, within both structured and unstructured environments.
We encourage the inclusion of all children, families and staff, to work in partnership to obtain a Centre that promotes gender equity, non-stereotypical roles and expectations, and encourages equal recognition of all ages, genders, abilities, social status and family structure and diverse cultures.
The Centre values parental involvement in the program, and in making and evaluating the Centre’s policies.
This philosophy will act as a basis for our Centre’s operation, goals, policies and procedures. Given that the Centre is constantly progressing and improving it’s service, we are committed to make this an ongoing process of evaluation by reviewing our written procedures and policies, including the philosophy of the Centre.