Philosophy
"Working together to create a safe and inclusive place to play, grow and learn."
Cara Armstrong Kindergarten has had lengthy history and connections with the local community along with dedicated family involvement since 1945.
We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people who are the Traditional Custodians of this Land. We value the diversity and cultural backgrounds of our families, we respect their strengths, knowledge and needs in our practice. We acknowledge families as children’s first educators, support them in their parenting role and work in partnership with them to support children’s learning, development and wellbeing.
Our learning program and practices are based on the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework, and the Early Years Learning Framework, and educators are also guided by Early Childhood Australia’s Code of Ethics, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the National Quality Standards.
Our play-based curriculum encourages each child to be a competent and confident learner, and fosters communication, exploration, independence, respect for others, curiosity, imagination and creativity. The environment offers stimulating experiences and open-ended materials which children are encouraged to use creatively rather than prescriptively. Children are supported to discover at their own pace in an unhurried atmosphere, where their discoveries and achievements are valued. We nurture each child to reach their full potential and we recognise that children learn in many different ways and styles.
Staff establish respectful and warm relationships with children and families, and empower children to pursue their interests, extend their knowledge through experiential learning, and build foundations for lifelong learning. We encourage children to become independent, solve problems for themselves, and to be compassionate, respectful individuals.
We take a holistic view of children’s learning and growth, and our program reflects the interests, strengths and needs of each child. We are committed to creating a safe environment for children where the health, wellbeing, rights and best interests of every child are paramount.
Our Mission Statement: "Belonging, Being and Becoming"
"The Cara Armstrong Kindergarten community strives to provide a quality learning environment where children, staff and families can develop a sense of...
Belonging - knowing where and with whom you belong, and acknowledges our interdependence with others and the basis of relationships in defining identities.
Being - recognising the significance of the present, and knowing yourself, building and maintaining relationships, engaging with life's joys and complexities , and meeting challenges in everyday life.
Becoming - reflecting the process of rapid and significant change that occurs in the early years as young children learn and grow, and recognising that we continue to learn throughout our lifetime."
"As educators, we believe that learning is a social activity - we learn from each other and through engagement with the environment. We embrace the view of children's lives being characterised by belonging, being and becoming. The three inter-related elements contained in the Early Years Learning Framework of Principles, Practice, and Learning Outcomes inform our early learning pedagogy and curriculum decision-making."
As a community kinder which is run by a voluntary parent committee of management, we have a philosophy of parental participation and community building. There are many different ways that you can volunteer at Cara Armstrong to enrich our children’s learning and be part of our vibrant and inclusive community.
Volunteering opportunities include:
· Joining our committee of management
· Volunteering at fundraising barbecues, cake stalls and other events throughout the year
· Attending working bees to participate in the upkeep of the kindergarten
· Stay and play sessions with the children at kindergarten
· Organising social events for our kindergarten community
· Sharing your professional knowledge or unique skills – let us know how you can contribute
By volunteering you help shape our kindergarten and have the opportunity to connect with and be supported by our Cara families. Fostering this community is beneficial for our children’s development and sense of self, as well as their enjoyment and memories of their time at Cara Armstrong.
At Cara Armstrong Kindergarten we believe that the child’s learning and fulfilment should guide our approach and philosophy. We believe in running shorter days in comparison to extended day care programs as our programs run enriching and engaged learning experiences which are typically more tiring for children.