Education Frameworks
These are some of the frameworks and tools that support River Region Early Education in delivering excellent education and care for children and families.
Our Philosophy
Our home is the wide-open plains of the Riverina on the land of the Wamba Wamba Perrepa Perrepa / Wemba Wemba Barapa Barapa people. We pay our respects to the original custodians of this land and recognise their continuing connection to lands, water and communities.
Our natural landscape is one of farming and open spaces shaped around waterways. Generations of children and families have grown through their participation with our services.
We welcome everyone. We approach all aspects of our service with integrity and value social responsibility, respect for our environment and continuous improvement.
We have a deep commitment to the value of early childhood education and understand the ripple effect it has on children, their families, and communities. Early childhood education supports children to establish their sense of identity and connection to their world, to be confident and involved learners and communicators and to build a strong sense of wellbeing.
We recognise that it takes a village to raise a child and we work collaboratively to support children’s inclusion, learning and wellbeing. Our village believes that:
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Children are capable, and inspirational,
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Families are the foundations of children’s learning, and
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Educators are nurturing, empathetic, and passionate.
We believe that early education is about igniting a passion for lifelong learning.
Our approach to teaching is collaborative, reflective, and intentional. It puts children at the centre of learning and celebrates play and the natural environment, in all weather, to support children to be curious, collaborate and be adventurous.
We provide safe spaces where children have a sense of belonging and can connect and contribute to their world. We believe that childhood is a time for joy, and we help each child feel valued and confident that their voice is heard.
National Quality Framework (NQF)
The National Quality Framework (NQF) came into effect on the 1 January 2012. This has involved the introduction and implementation of the Education and Care Services National Regulations(2011) The Education and Care Services National Law Act (2010) and the National Quality Standard (2011).
The NQF is designed to provide better educational and developmental outcomes for all children, wherever they live in Australia. The NQF covers the critical areas of education, development, health and safety and provides clear and comprehensive information for families about the quality of care services available. The NQF is about ensuring services are of the highest possible quality and rated to a consistent standard. It focuses on better learning outcomes for children through improved educator to child ratios and new qualification requirements for educators.
The National Quality Standard is linked to the National Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) which recognises that children learn from birth. This framework outlines fundamental components to inform and guide educators in the delivery of nationally consistent and high quality experiences and programs.
Education Programs
Our Educational Programs evolve from the interests displayed by the children during each session and educators welcome the opportunity to discuss the program with interested families.
Each service has an educational leader who helps to support the educational program and practice in that service.
We strive to create an optimum learning environment, a love of learning in all children and a confidence in their own abilities through carefully planned high quality programs that:
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are educational and fun
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recognise that “play” is children’s work
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are child centred and build on a child’s natural curiosity
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recognise each child as a unique individual who will learn at his/her own level and pace
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are created from information gained through observations of children and communications between the educators and children, and educators and families to meet children’s needs, interests and levels of development
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focus on the child as a whole and provide a balance between all areas of development
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encourage exploration, experimentation and discovery so that children become challenge seeking and active problem solvers.
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encourage children to make choices to increase independence and provide opportunities for decision making.
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are process-oriented and focused on the children’s involvement rather than the finished product.
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provide a balance between active and passive play activities and include opportunities for interaction and solitary play so each child can appreciate and value himself/herself as an individual and as a member of a group.
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allow each child to develop positive and warm social relationships with peers and adults and promote respect for the rights of each other.
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allow children to make mistakes and feel comfortable about it, thus allowing them to learn from the experience and in so doing to create a sense of competence, confidence and worth.
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allow children to experience success so they see themselves as competent. This will encourage them to continue taking on challenges and expanding their emerging knowledge and acquiring new skills.
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meet the differing individual and cultural needs by promoting the value of acceptance and diversity through multicultural principals that have an anti bias approach to gender, race and religion.
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recognise that school is the next step in a child’s formal learning and to work with the schools in the transition process.
Written curriculum planning, including development records are kept for each child and made available to parents on request.
EYLF
Our curriculum is based around a number of key concepts which and focus points reflecting the National Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) Belonging, Being and Becoming. The key principles that guide the EYLF and our own understanding focus on creating an environment where the following are embedded in our practice:
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Secure, respectful and reciprocal relationships – with children, families and colleagues.
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Partnerships – with families, children, early childhood educators and community.
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High expectations and equity – where every child, family and educator is valued and catered for.
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Respect for diversity – where difference is acknowledged and celebrated in respectful ways that enhance our understanding.
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Ongoing learning and reflection – where we as educators take the time to reflect on what and why we do what we do and what might change and why.
Our key learning outcomes are aligned to the National Early Years Learning Framework and encompass the following key understandings:
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Children have a strong sense of identity
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Children are connected with and contribute to their world
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Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
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Children are confident and involved learners
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Children are effective communicators
The Early Years Learning Framework describes childhood as a time of belonging, being and becoming.
Belonging is the basis for living a fulfilling life. Children feel they belong because of the relationships they have with their family, In early childhood settings, community, culture and place.
Being is about living here and now. Childhood is a special time in life children need time to just ‘be’—time to play, and gradually learn to take responsibility, try new things and have fun.
Becoming is about the learning and development that young children experience. Children start to form their sense of identity from an early age, which shapes the type of adult they will become.
Individual Learning Portfolios
Meaningful information regarding each child is collected and communicated with families in an individual Learning Journal using the Storypark software. Documentation of children’s learning is done in a variety of ways: photographs, samples of art work, records of conversations and anecdotal records. Children are also encouraged to be involved in the developments of this portfolio and add to or reflect on their learning experiences. We welcome family feedback, comments or contributions. If you have any questions or feedback regarding these, please do not hesitate to speak to your child’s educator.
Transition to School
Educators work with parents and schools to make the transition to school as smooth as possible. We invite schools to visit the children at preschool the term before they start school and teachers attend the school orientation days. This provides support to children, parents and the school staff.
Partnership with Families
We believe the needs of our children are best met by working in partnership with families. We encourage open communication and mutual respect between educators and families irrespective of culture, gender, isolation, special needs or level of income. Educators respect and are mindful of each family’s values and beliefs when interacting with children and planning experiences.
We believe part of our role is to support families.
We believe that all members of the Children’s Centre community should respect the confidentiality of families and staff members.
Family Participation
We welcome and encourage families input into the operation of the Centre and the programs. Families should feel free to visit the service at any time and are encouraged to view and contribute to their child’s learning journal on Storypark. Families are encouraged to participate in their child’s learning by sharing a special skill or interest with the children, accompanying the group on excursions or attending special events. We welcome your feedback!
Funding
Each service is funded in different ways, with a combination of State and Federal Government funding.
Preschool
The Preschool receives NSW Department of Education preschool funding, which gives priority to children in the year before school, as well as those from Koori backgrounds, and children from low income families.
Childcare
This service receives a small amount of Department of Education Long Day Care funding, and is a where the Child Care Subsidy is applied to fees. Priority is given to children at risk of serious abuse or neglect, and a child of a sole parent who satisfies, or parents who both satisfy, the activity test through paid employment.
Mobile Preschool and Childcare
The Mobile Preschool receives NSW Department of Education Mobile Preschool funding. The Mobile Childcare is a CCS service where the Child Care Subsidy is applied to fees. This means there are different fee structures for the childcare and preschool.
Education and Care Services National Regulations
All of our services operate under the Education and Care Services National Regulations.
These determine what the legal requirements are for a service.
National Quality Standards
The National Quality Standard (NQS) sets a high national benchmark for early childhood education and care and outside school hours care services in Australia.
The NQS includes 7 quality areas that are important outcomes for children.
Services are assessed and rated by their regulatory authority against the NQS, and given a rating for each of the 7 quality areas and an overall rating based on these results.