Hopskotch Kindergarten 02

Statement of Intent (Philosophy)

As we share our own knowledge, teaching and research practices within Hopskotch Kindergarten; may we also pay respect to the knowledge embedded forever by the original custodians of this land, the Darug people, their language and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our community.

Our image of child* views children as being capable, intelligent, valued, social and unique.

Being valued, capable members of our community, children co-construct knowledge through continual collaboration, and creativity by exploring their own ideas.

Our educators pride themselves in building and maintaining trusting, secure and caring relationships with each child. These relationships foster the growth of each child's emotional intelligence. This enables children to learn, feel valued and loved, in an environment that honours diversity.

Our families’ culture and viewpoints will be recognised and celebrated through effective partnerships. We acknowledge our families as their child’s first educator, we encourage them to share and participate in their child’s education and learning experiences. This partnership fosters our belief that it takes a village to raise a child.

The environment, as our third teacher, will be reflective of each child’s and educator’s voice. Creating familiar and calm play spaces will nurture each child’s sense of well-being, providing opportunities for continual in-depth investigation and innovative challenges. Inviting the children to engage with open-ended and natural resources will allow for the expression of personality and uniqueness.

We will encourage and advocate for play, as we believe through play children learn to interact with others, communicate with the hundred languages, recognise and solve problems and discover their potential. Play helps children make sense of, and find, their place in the world, enhancing their innate intelligence and leading them to be curious investigators.

We will teach children to express empathy for others, actively challenge bias and promote social justice. Children are given the time to think and create hypotheses, whilst respectfully listening to their peer’s voices. Importantly, children are given the time to just be.

Reasonable risk in the environment teaches children resilience. Our expectations for each child will be high. We will acknowledge and encourage their capabilities, developing autonomy and ability to self-identify and assess risks; growing each child’s confidence in exceeding everyday challenges and outcomes.

We advocate for enough for all forever, this being the driver of our sustainability program.

Active community participation and daily practices assists us to promote a culture of reduce, reuse, recycle; creating awareness and teaching children to be discerning in our commercial and consumeristic world.

Exposure to seasons and natural elements is crucial for young children to develop lifelong respect and proactive attitudes to the environment. Children will be given the freedom to play outside daily, experiencing a sense of wonder, love of the land and a strong connection to nature and animals.

We have a responsibility to our community to establish and maintain a sense of belonging and connection to the land, with our shared Aboriginal history and culture, actively embracing and advocating for reconciliation.

It is our core belief that ongoing professional development, combined with continual improvement and reflective practice, enables us to be an educational hub within our community. Through collaboration and consultation we will extend and share our knowledge. Our educators, as professionals, will be given a voice in each child’s education; celebrating the extraordinary within the ordinary, through meaningful documentation, intentional teaching and critical reflection.

Research confirms the importance of quality education within the early years of a child’s development. We take this seriously when determining outcomes for learning and when advocating for young children.

We will inspire children to develop a love of learning, through thoughtful agency, co-construction and play; in an environment that promotes the process over the product.

Image of child*

Our image of child is how we perceive children.

Children are:

• Capable, strong, independent, determined and resilient.

• Intelligent making them curious investigators of their world.

• Valued members of our society from birth, having the right to be heard and respected.

• Social beings, co-constructing knowledge.

• Unique

* “‘Child’ refers to all children and young people under the age of 18”
As stated in the Office of the Children’s Guardian ‘Guide to the Child Safe Standards’.