Philosophy of
Ewin Early Learning Centre Inc.
“A safe space to wonder and grow”
The Ewin Early Learning Centre strives to provide a welcoming, high quality Education and Care service for the children and families of Kununurra. The commitment of our team allows every child the same opportunities to grow and develop as individuals, as well as provide them with respectful relationships and experiences that develop and promote life skills; all while meeting their daily care needs.
Our team are passionate about ‘children being children’. Our service is an investment into your child’s future. The National Quality Framework; the Early Years Learning Framework and its key elements ‘Belonging, Being and Becoming’ guide our daily practices and our profession.
We provide a safe, hygienic, aesthetic and stimulating environment where we meet the individual needs of our children and families. Our Educators and staff strive to dedicate their love and energy into enhancing, supporting and nurturing each child’s time with us.
We promote a sense of ‘belonging’ for all through building strong, reciprocal relationships with all families, and like them to feel comfortable and confident when leaving their children in our care. We encourage day to day communication with families to ensure all needs are being met, and there is consistent, continuant care and education for each child. Mutual respect for each other is also important to us; families being respected first and foremost as the decision makers in their child’s life, and their most vital teachers, and Educators being respected for their professional knowledge and experience.
We are respectful of each child’s development, and ensure that age appropriate expectations are tailored for each individual. We are passionate advocates for slowing down childhood and the importance of ‘being’ in the moment, allowing children the time and space to be the age and developmental stage that they are, avoiding pressures to prepare for future steps to come before their time.
We aim to support the children to reach their full potential through showing genuine interest, practicing patience and using descriptive praise. We support children to learn about responsibility, their own actions, and the effects of natural consequence. We foster children and educators to enjoy the little things.
We identify the significance of children ‘becoming’ during their childhood years. They are influenced, changed and shaped by their environments and experiences each day. Our program is guided by the children’s interests and strengths, allowing the time and space for children’s right to meet with other children and engage in a wide range of leisure activities including relaxation and play. We believe that children learn about themselves and the world around them through play based learning, and this assists in developing their own identity.
We help children maximize their own potential by respecting their right to make choices in matters that affect them, showing trust and offering guidance through warm and nurturing relationships.
We promote children’s resilience and confidence through fostering safe risk taking and encouraging them to experiment with trial and error.
We understand the importance of maintaining strong connections with local Government departments, enabling us to develop support mechanisms for children who are living away from home. We appreciate the importance of connection to family and community in the reunification process for these children and their families.
We respect and value Educators and Staff as professionals and as individuals who bring with them their own life experiences to share. With most employees living away from their families, we foster a sense of community amongst our team by providing a support network for each other, sharing aspects of our lives with one another and spending time together outside of the Centre.
Our Management team is made up of professional role models who use their expertise and leadership to guide, mentor and support our Educators and staff; we promote positive team work and a good sense of humor. We encourage and support on-going personal and professional growth and development through further education, workshops, training and on-the-job support.
We work with local organisations to assist in the development and employment of local people, in particular Indigenous educators. We seek support to incorporate local Indigenous culture into our programs, and engage different organisations and practices to support us to be an inclusive and respectful service for all.
Our program is unique in allowing the children to freely flow between our indoor and outdoor environments throughout the day, dependent on where their personal interests lead them. We endeavor to educate children about the natural environment and we deeply value the opportunities, possibilities and benefits that playing outdoors provides us. Our children learn from the land and recognise the great impact that the seasons and weather have on guiding family culture in our town, together this inspires us to explore and embrace the Kimberley lifestyle.
We believe that children have much to learn from connecting with other living things, including opportunities to grow and maintain gardens and learning to interact with local wild life with empathy and respect.
We are endeavoring to explore the many possibilities that loose parts play can provide for the children and how they can be used to create inspirational play spaces which promote curiosity and a sense of wonder.
Educators strive to embed many different sustainable practices from an early age. Reusing everyday items, recycling materials and providing authentic resources inspire our children to care for the environment, respect objects, and help care for the planet we live on.
We benefit from living in a unique, diverse and well-connected township, rich in local culture, where children are immersed in the positive community spirit, spending their days surrounded by familiar peers and their families. We support families, educators and the community to become actively involved in the centre by encouraging them to share their interests, talents and professional skills (eg cultural experiences, environmental knowledge, community services); through joining our Board of Directors, by accessing their child’s online documentation and providing feedback, visiting and interacting with children and Educators during centre open days, participating in surveys, feedback and discussions.
All members of the Ewin community will respect our shared space, shared responsibilities, values, and practices that are followed daily which make our centre a quality, unique and highly sort after service to be a part of.
Reviewed May 2019