Our Philosophy
The principles that drive First5Years
First5Years acknowledges the traditional custodians of this land, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Their culture is embedded in our Centre, our practices, and our learning, as we honour and care for their land.
Making every child belong
At First5Years, we apply Bowlby’s (1958) theory of attachment and the Circle of Security to build relationships with children from the moment we meet them, getting to know their individual personalities, creating a sense of belonging, and ensuring they feel protected and valued. We are honoured to be role models in children’s lives and approach this task with purpose, care, and respect.
We appreciate that each child has unique needs, interests, and strengths; therefore, each child is catered for as an individual to ensure they feel safe, loved, and supported. Understanding that all children develop at their own pace, following an identifiable sequence of physical, cognitive, social, and emotional changes, allows us to provide care and education best suited to them and their personalities. We empower young children to develop independence, resilience, and empathy as they grow with us.
As educators, we are here for the children through their successes and challenges during their first five years.
A Team Dedicated to Early Years Education
The educators and teachers who care for your children have a genuine love, passion, and commitment to early years education. We are a culturally diverse team that utilizes our past experiences to shape the future of the next generations. The team works to protect the rights of each child, challenging bias and empowering them to be themselves.
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We have a strong focus on professional and personal development to ensure our educators are continuously learning and bringing new ideas to share with the team and children. We regularly reflect critically on our practices and pedagogy to ensure we are offering a quality program and a caring environment.
Inclusive environment to support our children's growth
The team works hard to provide an environment that fosters children’s ability to become the best version of themselves, creating a sense of becoming within both the Centre and the wider community. Role modelling, patience, clear and consistent guidelines, positive reinforcement, and a caring and nurturing attitude inform the practice of all our educators and encourage a sense of being for all children.
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We provide an inclusive environment without bias, respecting the cultural, religious, and social values and beliefs of each individual, and ensuring an equitable world for all. We hope this lays the foundation for a sustainable and harmonious future for everyone.
Collaborating with Families
At First5Years, we are passionate about the fact that family is the greatest influence in a young child’s life, which is why we actively collaborate with you to form connections and build our knowledge about each child’s culture, family, and community. We strive to support our families wherever possible in all aspects of raising and educating our future generations.
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Through this collaboration, we ensure a smooth transition between home and our Centre, enabling children to feel safe, secure, supported, cared for, and loved at all times. We value your input greatly and love to have you involved in all aspects of your child’s care and education.
It takes a village
Our Leadership Team is committed to offering support to families, children, educators, and the wider community. We have strong links to allied health services and inclusion support, which empower us to help your child achieve the best outcomes. We work to bridge the gap between families and these vital services.
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We are advocates for young children, becoming their voice when they are unable to use their own.
We have an open-door policy, so please feel free to visit us or your child at any time. We are here to have open and honest conversations, support you and your family, and listen whenever you need.
Learning through play
Depending on the children’s interests, we explore creativity, music, gross and fine motor skills, language, literacy, and mathematical and scientific thinking. All our experiences are planned through careful observation and input from families, giving more meaning to each child. The range of experiences we offer helps children express their ideas, solve problems, build relationships, and develop a sense of agency within their environment.
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Most importantly, we provide a fun and happy environment that sparks joy in each child. We are passionate about fostering respect for the environment in the early years, instilling a love and value for nature in each child by embedding sustainable practices into our program.
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By proactively connecting with the natural world, both indoors and outdoors, we teach the importance of caring for our planet, as well as for the plants, animals, and communities that inhabit it.
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