Integrated Leardership Team:
Goodstart Early Learning Child Care Centre Woongarrah is located in a safe and quiet residential area, close to schools, shops and public transport.
Our's is an EChO centre which stands for Enhancing Children’s Outcomes. We have a child and family practitioner at the service 2 days a week (Monday and Wednesday). We have a speech therapist attend the centre weekly to support educators in language development. The centre has commenced a partnership with Ngroo and will be having an Aboriginal mentor attend the centre fortnightly.
Key Educators:
This a special co-operative relationship between educators, child and family, where educators are assigned a small group of children for the majority of the day, responsible for most of their routine times, greetings and departures, indoor and outdoor play. This approach builds on a stronger relationship through these times and enables educators to work closely with each child’s family to develop a more effective partnership from enrolment.
Research states that ‘Babies who are in a primary care relationship with an adult form more secure attachments, freely explore their environment and develop a sense of security that their needs will be met by someone who knows them well’. (Kovach & DaRos-Voseles, 2008)
The idea behind this approach is that if educators are responsible for a smaller group, then attachments will be stronger & more focused, therefore benefitting the child’s sense of identity and development. It will also offer predictability for the children and creates a secure base for babies and children to explore their world confidently.
Our curriculum is developed in line with the Early Years Learning Framework and through platforms such as Storypark we can work closely with families to ensure the children's individual needs, interests and strengths are worked into their programs.
Play Stations:
During outdoor free flow we have established play stations. Educators are allocated a play station each week to provide consistency and predictability for children. Play stations give educators the opportunity to primarily focus on building relationships with the children whilst learning is occurring.
It is important to build a connection between you, your child and a staff member, we call this making a triangle. Making a triangle at the start of the day helps your child feel safe and secure and positively influences the rest of their day. We also implement the Circle of security where educators provide a secure base for children during the day to watch over them, delight in them and help them welcoming them back in when needed. Educators are always bigger, stronger, wiser and kind. Whenever possible they follow your child’s lead and whenever necessary they take charge.
Walking Group:
We have a walking group at the centre fortnightly where educators from the nursery take 2 children on a pram walk within the community to observe their surroundings including the wildlife. This is for families and community members to meet and enjoy this experience together.