Our philosophy

At Friends Child Care Centre,

We acknowledge the Widjabul Wia-bal People of the Bundjalung Nation as the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet and learn each day. We are committed to exploring, learning from, and including the perspectives, knowledge, and traditions of Indigenous Australians in our everyday curriculum, and to learning more about our shared history to support the process of Reconciliation.

We believe that nurturing respectful and harmonious relationships between children, families, each other, and the wider community provides the strongest foundations for early education and care, and that maintaining supportive, respectful relationships enhances everyone’s sense of wellbeing and belonging.

We recognise early childhood as a vital stage in human development and see children, from birth, as capable, resourceful, and active learners. These beliefs are expressed in all aspects of our work as we strive to build a community that values childhood, play, and the rights of children as our youngest citizens.

We believe that positive outcomes for children are best achieved in communities that are safe, inclusive, and free from discrimination. Our belief acknowledges both the social and physical environments as powerful contributors to children’s learning, and welcome the diverse cultures, knowledge, abilities and perspectives that every child, family and educator brings to our learning community.

We believe that encouraging and expanding children’s connections with the natural world plays a significant role in enhancing their wellbeing and holistic development. Our programs therefore encourage all children to learn about, in, and with nature in ways that support them to develop livelong, positive attitudes towards sustainability and the responsible care of our planet.

We acknowledge the importance of play in the lives of children, and advocate for every child’s right to play in line with the UN Rights of the Child. We believe that play promotes knowledge building and skill development, as well as providing children with enjoyment and challenges that support their holistic learning.

We believe that children’s wellbeing and development is significantly enhanced within a play and inquiry-based program where each child’s natural curiosity to explore the world is supported and encouraged. Within this framework, we engage in play and learning alongside children and encourage them to share their thinking, make decisions, test their theories, and learn about the world in relationship with others. Our environments and learning experiences are also planned in open-ended/flexible ways to inspire children’s imagination, problem solving, self-expression, and creativity, and to ensure that each child can participate based on their individual interests, learning style, and abilities.

We believe in working in partnerships with families, each other, and the wider community to broaden our perspectives and enhance learning outcomes for children. We encourage the participation of families and community members in our curriculum and welcome the sharing of knowledge, resources and expertise to support the practice of continuous learning.

We believe in working with integrity and maintaining high standards of ethical behaviour in all aspects of our work.

We value the important role we play in the lives of children and families, and are inspired by the values of ‘Compassion, Respect, Integrity, Courage, and Kindness’ that underpin all St Vincent Hospital services.

We are committed to professional growth, development and learning to support our goals for continuous improvement and to ensure the best possible outcomes for all the children, families and staff of our service.

This shared philosophy guides our practice and reflects our commitment to providing quality education and care programs for the children and families of our community. It draws on the Principles and Practices of the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia, the UN Rights of the Child, the Australian National Quality Standards. and our collective understanding of best practices in Early Childhood Education and Care.