Our Centre – Kolodong

Little Beginnings Learning Centre promotes the value of childhood as a time when children as capable learners and co-constructors begin and continue their life journey.  This is inclusive of respecting and embracing diversity and encouraging open collaboration and belonging for all participants.

Childhood is a time for children to discover who they are and how they fit into the world.  Essential to this is the freedom to explore, to be a child and to be protected.

Little Beginnings Learning Centre aims to provide children with opportunities to thrive and wholly participate in learning through guidance, relationships and resources, maximizing every child’s potential.  This will be achieved through an inclusive and respectful curriculum and open, developing learning environments.

Little Beginnings Learning Centre aims for excellence in delivering early childhood education and the framework for this ongoing improvement is outlined in the Centre’s Quality Improvement Plan. Underpinning this plan are our values as follows;

We Value Children and Childhood:

• Providing play as the most effective vehicle for learning in the early years. Therefore, providing experiences, in response to the interests and strengths of children, where children play to learn as they create, construct, problem-solve, practice, discover, improvise, imagine, experiment, research and hypothesise.
• Providing a learning environment for children to engage in meaningful, respectful play, which is intriguing and aesthetically pleasing – one that invites and cultivates curiosity, imagination and confidence.
• Providing a supported learning environment where the routines and curriculum are flexible whilst allowing predictability. This will encourage children’s autonomy and records of individual achievements and ensure access and participation by all children.
• Presenting an educational curriculum, which fosters individual capabilities and potential from infancy onwards.
• Providing opportunities to engage and participate as co-constructors in play and learning experiences within a respectful social context.
• Providing opportunities for children to be empowered as active and informed citizens, to embrace and respect diversity and individuality.
• Provision of a framework, which is founded upon children’s strengths and interests.  We value and build on each child’s strengths, skills and knowledge to ensure their motivation and engagement in learning.  Educators gauge, anticipate and scaffold the child’s learning through open-ended questioning, providing feedback, guidance, challenging their thinking and making use of spontaneous “teachable moments”.

• Providing a sense of belonging and comfort in a nurturing environment – providing children with consistent emotional support, trust and guidance to assist children to develop the skills and understandings they need to interact positively with others, to develop respectful, secure and reciprocal relationships, to learn to persevere, to take risks, empathise, value collaboration and teamwork and interdependence as learners.

We Value Families/Carers and Community:

• Parents are respected as the primary and most significant educator of the child. Therefore actively developing collaborative relationships with parents to ensure the curriculum is meaningful for each child.  Positive relationships between educators and parents lead to more secure and effective relationships with the child.

• As partners in providing the optimum care and education of children.
• Providing opportunities for families to exchange relevant information pertinent to the care and education of their child.
• Presenting opportunities to families and community to develop partnerships, which encourages and fosters collaboration.
• Providing support for families, which encompasses and acknowledges respect for their values, beliefs and child rearing practices.
• Providing information about, and opportunities to collaborate in the development and review of the centre philosophy, learning curriculum, policies, procedures, practices and goals.

 We Value Staff:

• Reflective practice promotes ongoing learning. By gathering information we gain insights to support, inform and enrich decision-making about children’s learning.  We continually seek ways to build professional knowledge and develop learning communities.

• Respecting their professional skills, knowledge and experience.
• Supporting and respecting their diverse values, beliefs and professional practices.
• Providing support and opportunities to further develop and enhance skills and knowledge through professional development activities.
• Providing support, resources and opportunity for collaboration to enable the development and implementation of curriculum and care practices.
• Engaging in an open and honest partnership between individual staff and teams, based on consultation, supportive professional relationships and interactions.
• Following and keeping updated knowledge on best practice guidelines set down by governing bodies

The philosophy of Little Beginnings Learning Centre encompasses an adoption of the principles and values outlined in the Australian Early Childhood Association Code of Ethics.

The philosophy of Little Beginnings Children’s Centre encompasses the Early Years Learning Framework – for Australia.

BEING:  Engaging environments that embrace individuality whilst being mindful of the diverse backgrounds and values of the community.

BELONGING:  To a community of early childhood professionals, who engage in open and collaborative partnerships with children, families and the wider community.

BECOMING:  Establishing life long foundations for optimum development through relationships, promoting creativeness, inquisitiveness, independence, and potential growth as confident and active citizens.

Little Beginnings Learning Centres recognises and respects the traditional custodians of Australia.

The importance of continuously developing and refining strategies to improve the connection with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities in the area of early childhood is embedded throughout the everyday at Little Beginnings Learning Centres. In particular we would like to acknowledge the custodians of the land our centre sits, the people of the Biripi Community.

Our guiding statements that form the framework though which the respect is shown are;

Statement 1 All children engage in culturally inclusive and safe early childhood education and care experiences.

Statement 2 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander cultures are recognised within the broader Little Beginnings Learning Centres culture.

Statement 3 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander perspectives and contexts are considered by all staff within Little Beginnings Learning Centres.

Statement 4 All Little Beginnings Learning Centres staff have access to training in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander understandings.

Child Goals

For children to:

• Feel safe secure and supported.
• Develop their emerging autonomy, independence, resilience and sense of agency.
• Develop knowledgeable and self identities.
• Learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy and respect.
• Develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities and an understanding of reciprocal rights and responsibilities necessary for active community participation
• Children respond to diversity with respect
• Children become aware of fairness
• Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment
• Children become strong in their emotional wellbeing.
• Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity.
• Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesizing, researching and investigating.
• Children transfer and adapt what they have learned from one context to another.
• Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, places, technologies and natural and processed materials.
• Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts.
• Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media.
• Children begin to understand how symbols and pattern systems work.
• Children use information and communication technologies to access information and, investigate ideas and represent thinking.

Staff Goals

For staff to:

• Develop warm respectful relationships with children, create safe and predictable environments and encourage children’s active engagement in the learning program
• Be respectful and ethical.
• Have professional standards to guide practice, interactions and relationships.
• Staff members work collaboratively and affirm, challenge, support and learn from each other to further develop their skills and to improve practice and relationships.
• Staff interactions will convey mutual respect, equity and recognition of each others strengths and skills.
• Maintain confidentiality with regards to issues and those concerned with the centre.
• Maintain loyal to the centre and those involved in the centre.

Parent/Community Goals

For the centre to:

• Focus on collaborative relationships with families that are fundamental to achieving quality outcomes for children and community partnerships that are based on active communication, consultation and collaboration.
• Build relationships and engage with the local community.
• Support families in their parenting role and their values and beliefs about child rearing are respected.
• Collaborate with other organizations and service providers to enhance children’s learning and wellbeing.
• Link with relevant community and support agencies are established and maintained.
• Respectful and supportive relationships with families are developed and maintained.
• Families are encouraged to be involved in the service and contribute to service decisions.
• Ensure the expertise of families is recognized and they share in decision making about their child’s learning and well being.
• Provide a service, which reflects and responds to the needs of the parents and the community.
• Accept and provide for the differing compositions of family units, being aware of and supportive to the stresses confronting families.

Environment Goals

For the Centre to provide:

• A stimulating challenging creative environment to promote and encourage learning and discovery.
• An environment, which is warm, comfortable, accepting and nurturing.
• A stimulating environment, which is safe, comfortable and spacious with a balance between hard and soft surfaces and free and contained space as to respect children’s need for social as well as private activity.
• An environment that is inclusive, promotes competence, independence exploration and learning.
• Take an active role in caring for its environment and contributes to a sustainable future.
• The environment is safe clean and well maintained.
• Design and equipment can be adapted to ensure access and participation by every child in the service and to allow flexible use, and interaction between indoor and outdoor space.
• The indoor and outdoor spaces are organized to engage every child in quality experiences in both built and natural environments.
• Children are supported to become environmentally responsible and show respect for the environment.

Program Goals

The staff are focused, active and reflective in designing and delivering the program for each child.

• The Early Years Learning Framework is embraced and implemented.
• Curriculum decision making contributes to each child’s learning and development outcomes in relation to their identity, connection with community, wellbeing, confidence as learners and effectiveness as communicators.
• Each child’s current knowledge, ideas, culture, abilities and interests are the foundation of the program.
• The program is organized to maximize opportunities for each child’s learning.
• Documentation about each child and the program is accessible to families.
• Reflection on children’s learning and development, both as individuals and in groups, is regularly used to implement the program.

Our team of educators and staff are committed to providing children and families with a coordinated approach to a warm, nurturing and engaging environment that celebrates diversity and the right of every child to have access to high quality care regardless of their individual needs.

We understand the important role the Centre plays in nurturing and educating the children in our care and through our staff development of loving relationships based on trust and security.

An emphasis is placed on children and families receiving greater individual attention through goal setting, child progress records and family involvement in centre planning and events.

We will be following the Early Years Learning Framework as per our Education, Curriculum and Learning Policy.

We have an identified Educational Leader who is responsible for overseeing the curriculum at our centre.

All Educators at our Service are trained and experienced in areas of early education and care.

Due to our high standard and commitment of our Educators, we are able to provide developmental and educational curricula for each group of children.

Information regarding our Education Team is on display in the centre foyer.

We will use the relationships children have with their families and communities to build the curriculum, working in partnership with parents, to ensure each child’s knowledge, ideas, culture, abilities and interests are the foundation of our programs.

Dannielle McIntosh

Little Beginnings Learning Centre @ Kolodong Director

As an Educator I have a strong belief that children flourish when surrounded in an environment, which incorporates a wide range of aspects. I feel that children’s learning should be a tight knit partnership between families, educators and ‘the world around them’ (community). With this as a base, children can have a smooth transition from home to care, big school and also into the wider community.

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Tell us about yourself, your interests outside of work?

I have been working in the childcare industry for over 20 years. Most of these years have been spent as an Educator in a Long Daycare Centre, however I did spend 4 wonderful years as an Educator working in an Early Intervention Service.

I am the proud mum of an amazing young man who loves the outdoors. Most of my spare time involves supporting him with his sports and I also enjoy water skiing.
What inspires you?

I am inspired by the team of Educators around me. Their input, passion and dedication is very motivational. They secretly motivate me everyday as they push themselves to grow and learn from each other and other professionals.

Tell us about the service you offer at Little Beginnings @ Kolodong.

We are a 66 place centre with a 0-2, 2-3 and 3-5 room. We are located in a rural setting in between Taree and Wingham.

At Little Beginnings @ Kolodong we have a wonderful mix of educators who all bring something special to the Centre. We are proud to learn from each other and celebrate our differences.

At Little Beginnings at Kolodong our educators use the children’s interests as the basis for planning and programming. By being responsive to the children’s interests we find that the children are motivated and involved in their learning. The Educators also see their involvement as being crucial to the children’s learning. Intentional, responsive teaching where educators listen, question and enable children to problem solve maximises the learning potential of children’s play.

Why do you think you meet the needs of the families in your community?

We are situated between two busy rural towns which allows families to drop off and pick up with ease. Our long opening hours and catered meals are desirable for busy families.

Explain in one sentence what it is like to spend a day in the shoes of a leader in the early childhood profession?

I find it rewarding, inspiring and challenging.

What’s the best thing a child has ever said to you?

The children were exploring a whole coconut by feeling it, shaking it and eventually tasting some of it. Just before we cracked open the coconut to see what was inside L (4years) has a great idea “Let’s get some coke out of the cokenut (coconut).”

At Little Beginnings Learning Centre @ Kolodong Indoor and outdoor play based experiences are an integral part of our program. Play is essential to all children’s development as moments will arise when they discover something that interests them and these become ‘teachable moments’.

Educators plan a diverse range of experiences to create opportunities for both structured and spontaneous play focused on the physical, emotional/social, sensory and cognitive developmental areas of each child.

Children learn through their own experiences using trial and error, repetition, imitation and identification. Educators use interactive strategies to support children’s growth and learning. We advocate children learning best through play – direct play, hands on experiences to discover the environment around them by exploring and playing.

Each room will follow varying, developmentally appropriate routines. A simple, flexible daily routine would apply to our infant and toddler age groups then slightly shifting to a flexible yet predictable daily routine for preschool age group/s. Our school readiness program continues to emphasise play based learning however, additionally offers structured learning times to focus on number concepts, perceptual skills and pre-writing skills such as tracing, completing patterns and reproducing patterns. The goal is to develop a foundation for basic math, reading and writing skills.

Routines and programs are displayed in each room for you to peruse and we invite you to contribute and make suggestions to your child’s Educators. Parents, Families and Guardians are invited to discuss the activities, experiences and subsequent developmental outcomes achieved that are integrated within our programs.