The Hawthorn Childcare and Early Learning Centre Team will create and promote:

• Acknowledging our Centre is on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people and encourage our centre community to respect and acknowledge the strong multicultural connections we all have.
• An inviting and caring environment where all children, families, educators, and wider community members feel welcome, safe, respected, and valued.
• A community that embraces and celebrates all cultures and beliefs and promotes inclusion of all.
• Policies and practices that reflect the values and quality of the centre and promotes the health, safety and wellbeing of all children, families, and staff.
• An educational program that sets children up for success and encourages their ongoing learning and development through reflection and the use of the Early Years Learning framework and National Quality Framework.
• An environment that encourages children to flourish and build strong, positive, long-lasting relationships with their peers and educators, through play-based learning and child led experiences.
• The importance of transparency, accountability, and commitment to our stakeholders in the governance of the service. We embrace, and are committed to, continuous quality improvement in all areas of our practice.
• We foster deep connections with nature, the environment, and both our local and global communities, aiming to make a positive and lasting impact. Through excursions and incursions, we provide opportunities for hands-on learning and meaningful exchanges, with the classroom and the real world.”

For Our Children

We will provide an environment and opportunities where children:

• Can play, learn, and grow in an environment that is nurturing and promotes holistic development.
• Are supported to create a sense of belonging to our centre community and feel safe and secure in their relationships with others.
• Are fostered to be confident, capable, creative and active learners. We support them to be the navigators of their own learning.
• Are encouraged to participate, share their ideas, strengths, opinions, interests, likes, and dislikes.
• Have their individual needs and development met and respected.
• Can participate in an environment where Educators recognise, respect, and support the rights of each child and provide an environment where each child can be themselves.

For Our Families

We acknowledge that every family is different, and we strive to support all families to:

• Feel welcome at all times and treated with respect, empathy and equity.
• We believe that families are the first teachers and we view them as essential partners in their child’s learning and development.
• Be treated without bias regardless of their ability, gender, sexuality, age, economic status, family structure, lifestyle, ethnicity, religion, language, culture, or national origin.
• Share their knowledge, beliefs, culture and values with the team and the centre community.
• Be a part of their child’s learning journey and be supported to have input in the centre through conversations, feedback and participation.
• Bring their cultures into the centre and learn and celebrate with them.

For Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility

• We are committed to promoting environmental sustainability in all aspects of our Centre’s operations, from daily routines, intentional teaching moments, reducing waste and energy consumption to encouraging children to engage with nature and develop a deep respect for the natural world.
• Our educators and children are encouraged to explore and understand the importance of environmental responsibility, integrating eco-friendly practices into everyday activities.

Created in conjunction with children, families, and staff along with reference to professional documentation.

Reviewed November 2024.  – Next Review November 2025.