The philosophy recognises and acknowledges the Gunai Kurnai people, the local traditional owners of this land, and the Yarram Early Learning community is committed to providing learning experiences that reflect the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and traditions. It incorporates the image of the child as being strong, resilient, and intrinsically motivated to explore the world through play.
Children are recognized as being curious learners and educators foster this disposition by providing rich and stimulating play environments that promote multi-sensory explorations that support the development of thinking and understandings, fine and gross motor skills, language and communication, personal and social awareness, emotional well-being, and creativity.
Yarram Early Learning provides a welcoming, safe, and nurturing environment where the rights of the child are acknowledged and respected. Educators acknowledge each child as a unique individual who brings his or her profile of strengths and abilities that are woven into the tapestry that becomes a vibrant community of learners.
Together children and educators enjoy relationship building and learning and growing alongside of each other in an environment that fosters children’s motivation to learn and reinforces their sense of themselves as competent learners.
The philosophy acknowledges children as people who are active members of families, communities, and societies. Educators acknowledge the family as the child’s first teacher and educators work in partnership with parents to ensure that learning experiences reflect individual family cultures, values, and needs.
This partnership is based on mutual respect and trust and as such children are enabled to feel safe and secure. The strong partnership provides a solid foundation for the advancement of children’s learning and development and supports them to develop confidence and resilience to meet any challenges that may arise. way.
Everyone is encouraged to be proud of who they are and to share and celebrate their day-to-day life cultures, family values, interests, and points of view. As such the philosophy recognizes the significance of presenting an inclusive and welcoming environment, one that reflects and promotes diversity and challenges bias through the inclusion of carefully considered resources and learning that promotes perspective-taking and thinking about difference.
The significance of adult and child relationships is at the core of the philosophy. In the broadest sense the principles articulated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child that honour the right of children to a healthy, happy, and productive childhood that encompasses educational opportunity that supports the holistic development of the child’s personality, abilities, and mental and physical talents to their fullest potential, is at the forefront of the educational experience at Yarram Early Learning.
Within the philosophy engagement in the arts plays a central role in helping children to be involved in independent decision-making, expressive and aesthetic communication, and collaborative learning Also, the principles of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) underpin the teaching and learning framework that supports children’s learning in, about and for the environment.
Through the ‘Nature Kinder’ and ‘Walking Out’ Programs, children and educators engage in learning in the natural world and in the built community. As Yarram Early Learning is located within walking distance of Wetlands, the Yarram Botanical Gardens, the Central Park, and the main street where many interesting architectural and artistic features are present, the children have the opportunity for experience multi-modal learning beyond the centre.
Yarram Early Learning philosophy is underpinned by the National Early Years Learning Framework, Victorian Early Years Development Framework, the Guiding Principles of the National Quality Framework, and the National Quality Standards along with contemporary theories of pedagogy and practice.
The overarching values of ‘Belonging, Being and Becoming’, are at the centre of the philosophy and enable the development of meaningful learning experiences that promote children’s health, safety, rights, and agency and provide opportunities for children to question and construct new understandings about their relationship with people, places, and local environments. Planning for children’s learning and development is systematic and ongoing. Across age groups this includes scaffolding and intentional teaching for individuals, small and larger groups.
Educators assist and guide children to learn new knowledge, develop new skills, solve problems, carry out tasks and achieve goals which would be beyond unassisted effort. Educators design sensory rich learning environments to give children the freedom to explore, investigate, experience, interact and discover through many and varied play-based experiences. These environments are valued for their capacity to organize, to promote choices, to stimulate deep involvement and to support the development of respectful relationships between individuals and materials.
Learning experiences, routines and resources are presented in such a way to stimulate sensory perception and open-ended play, encourage creative thinking, and enhance opportunities for collaborative learning. The primary aim is for Yarram Early Learning children to develop their understandings of the world in which they live through the development of broadly based knowledge, skills and attitudes that enable them to take the prerequisite steps in preparation for lifelong learning.
Yarram Early Learning provides best practice. Educators are continuously engaged in professional development and embracing critical reflections, to ensure their practices reflect contemporary theories and pedagogies. Whilst being respectful of each other’s diversity of skills and knowledge.
“Our task is to help children communicate with the world using all their potential, strengths and languages, and to overcome any obstacle, presented by our culture” Loris Malaguzzi.