OUR PHILOSOPHY

Children:

We believe childhood should be treasured and each child’s achievements celebrated. That children make sense of their world through play-based experiences which are meaningful to them.

Our program is influenced by our community: the children, their families, our educators’ and important pedagogical standards, including The National Quality Framework (NQF) and the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). Our program is inclusive and is based on acceptance of, and respect for the diversity of our community regardless of ability, sex, gender identity, ethnicity, language, religion, economic status, sexual orientation.

Through our play-based curriculum we endeavour to equip the children with life skills while building on their strengths, interests and abilities and also to introduce them to new experiences.

Community:

At the foundation of our organisation is the community. At OCK, we believe that all children and families have a place and want them to feel a strong sense of belonging, and that their contributions will be welcomed and respected.

We acknowledge the importance of the partnership between staff, children and families and without this congruence we are unable to provide inclusive, engaging and accessible education for all. Given this we encourage family participation and input.

We strongly believe that the kindergarten experience should be a fun and happy for both children and their families and encourage a sense of co-operation and friendship amongst everyone

Environment:

We respectfully acknowledge this lands’ first inhabitants and all those who continue to choose to make Australian their home. Through increased awareness of sustainability and biodiversity as well as understanding the importance of a healthy environment we aim to improve the OCK community’s overall health and well-being. We embrace both flora and fauna, as it provides us with an important understanding of nature’s cycles and our connection with the environment.

The children’s learning is scaffolded by their interactions with both the physical and social environments. Given this, our learning environment encourages engagement, exploration, discovery, creativity, questioning, and problem solving in a collaborative and positive manner.