Nambour Early Learning Centre

Nambour Early Learning Centre Philosophy

Developed through the collaboration of Educators, families, and the children who attend the Nambour Early Learning Centre (NELC).

Community

We celebrate the diverse community and recognise the integral role that building authentic relationships and partnerships with local community groups has on the education of our children.

Through our development of sustainable relationships with the local community, we seek to improve the learning and wellbeing outcomes of our children, while fostering the knowledge of their role in the wider community.

We promote the meaningful development of partnerships for our centre with local businesses and community groups through an engagement framework, based on:

1. Effective communication
2. Partnerships with parents to extend the learning process
3. Collaboration with the community for a bi-directional relationship
4. Meaningful decision-making
5. A culture built on respect and promotion of positive wellbeing and learning of children

Relationships with Children

We believe in learning through the inclusion of social development theory to promote authentic, meaningful, and respectful relationships with every child, and family.

Through relationship building, we maintain a collaborative inclusion with families for the positive learning outcomes of all children. We believe in supporting our educators and families by promotion open communication channels, respect towards others and cultural diversity, as well as appreciating the personal routines and beliefs of others.

We ensure that from no matter which area of our centre, our educators afford all children the opportunities for social interaction as a pivotal role in cognitive development, with self-initiated discovery and collaborative dialogue through the inherent curiosity of our children as important aspects (Vygotsky, 1978).

“Social interaction is the origin and engine of learning… We become ourselves through everyone else.” - Lev Vygotsky

We encourage respectful communication practices with our younger children and infants, through the encouragement of active communication in daily experiences with an Abecedarian approach.

Sustainability

We maintain sustainable practices throughout our centre to ensure that daily operations are effective and that we are promoting positive behaviours to our children for the future.

NELC takes an active role in caring for the environment to contribute to a sustainable future for our communities and children. Our curriculum includes the sharing of knowledge with children to become socially responsible and showing respect for the environment, which becomes the foundation for extended learning opportunities and ongoing development of how to improve and benefit our communities.

Wellbeing and Mindfulness

At NELC we introduce the importance of wellbeing and mindfulness to our children through their daily habits and activities.

We promote a state-of-mind of awareness to be in tune with the present moment, to contribute to the development of cognitive and performance skills, as well as general executive function.

Through subtle understanding, we help children to practice mindfulness in their general activities and considering how things feel and what the sound or sensory input means to them.

Learning Environments

We are committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for all persons that are part of the wider NELC family. Through simple practices like greeting, offering support and comfort, as well as guidance and encouraging safety through reliability.

Our curriculum promotes personalised learning experiences which recognise and respect that all children learn differently while providing an equal opportunity for all children to reach their potential.

“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” - Albert Einstein

Our educators and management work collaboratively to develop a meaningful program which is engaging, while allowing children to interact through fun and building an interest in the content.

We appreciate that all our children are competent and capable learners, and draw on our professional experiences and skill to develop real learning experiences for children which provide opportunities to challenge their understanding while building and extending on learning too.

“Our Image of the child is rich, in potential, strong, powerful, competent and most of all connected to adults and other children.” - Loris Malaguzzi

Pedagogical Approach

We follow pedagogical developments in education to ensure that our educators are always at the forefront of the latest in learning theories and professional development.

With our consistent approach to pedagogical development, we can develop a deeper understanding of what contexts inform our practice, and why we work in particular ways. This approach allows our team to be visible to both others and ourselves.

At NELC, we deliver our learning of the Early Years Learning Framework through a play-based learning context, of which children are able to make sense of their world, and organise as they engage actively with people, objects, and representations.

Partnerships with Families

At NELC, we utilise the digital layer to provide families with access to data, which in turn encourages families to extend on their child’s learning at home. Through our modern systems, we share:

• Information on the children and their learning journey
• Resources which can be used to foster relationships at home and promote engagement with children
• Information on the daily operations of the centre
• Community engagement aspects, including being present in our community and connecting families with services and support

We foster our relationships with families with an underlying foundation of approaching the learning of all children collaboratively. NELC provides opportunities for families to engage with their children and our centre to promote the learning journey.

Culturally Competent

We respect the traditional owners of the land, the Gubbi Gubbi (Kabi Kabi) people and their cultures over the past 18,000 years.

Our team share a comprehensive approach to ensuring that we develop an understanding with our children, as to the importance that a strong foundation of being culturally competent and having respect for all views and backgrounds has on development.

Our curriculum introduces Australian culture and history with belonging, being & becoming by offering all learners an understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ knowledge and diversity of culture, as a significant part of our history.

Commitment

Our focus here at NELC is to provide a welcoming environment, with a wholesome approach to education and a connection to the natural world while fostering social responsibility and respect towards our environment and the cultures within our communities.

With a supporting commitment from the management team, all educators and team members are encouraged towards pursuing personal development opportunities and ongoing professional growth. The active support provided at our centre, we are able to strive to continuously reflect and improve our professional practices, to ensure that our commitment towards providing innovative and engaging early learning opportunities will remain at