Catholic Early Learning Centre (CELC)

We are situated beside the St John XXIII Church in Stanhope Gardens at 160 Perfection Ave.

The centre is located within the grounds of the Catholic Learning Community of Stanhope Gardens. We are the building with the red roof on the right hand side of the path leading to the main office.

The Fee Scale per Daily Session is as follows:

* Equity Fee is for children of disadvantaged families (low-income card) and/or Aboriginal or Torres Straight Islander children

Our centre is licensed by the Department of Education and caters for up to 40 children. We are committed to the continual improvement in the centre’s policy and procedures and endeavour to provide the highest quality care and education for each child.

The core principles in this Code of Ethics are based on the fundamental and prized values of the profession. They act to guide decision making in relation to ethical responsibilities. These core principles require a commitment to respect and maintain the rights and dignity of children, families, colleagues and communities.

• Each child has unique interests and strengths and the capacity to contribute to their communities.
• Children are citizens from birth with civil, cultural, linguistic, social and economic rights.
• Effective learning and teaching is characterised by professional decisions that draw on specialised knowledge and multiple perspectives.
• Partnerships with families and communities support shared responsibility for children’s learning, development and wellbeing.
• Democratic, fair and inclusive practices promote equity and a strong sense of belonging.
• Respectful, responsive and reciprocal relationships are central to children’s education and care.
• Play and leisure are essential for children’s learning, development and wellbeing.
• Research, inquiry and practice-based evidence inform quality education and care.

’Preschool is not a preparation for life but life itself’ - Jerome Bruner.

Together we are creating a quality learning environment where children can live, learn and grow. We value positive relationships and see this as the heart of our community. We work collaboratively to develop rich learning environments that promote inquiry and research. We are committed to fostering our image of the child as connected, creative, inquisitive, reflective and spiritual. We nurture our children in their ongoing relationship with the world around them.

Mission

'Our mission is to make visible to the whole community the rich culture of childhood and to engage in a continuing dialogue related to teaching and learning. Our image of the child is that of being competent, intelligent, a co-constructor of knowledge and a researcher actively seeking to make meaning of the world, often in collaboration with others.'

- Reflections ‘Reggio Emilia Principles within Australian contexts’. Jan Millikan 2003:33.

Goals

In relation to children…

• A variety of resources, materials and experiences will be provided to children in all areas of their development; physical, social, emotional, creative, cognitive and language.
  
  
• The program will include interactions where staff and children can explore Catholic values, social justice, equality, empathy and responsibilities.
  
  
• Children will be considered and consulted wherever possible on matters that affect them.
  
  
• Self-help skills are encouraged and facilitated by staff so that children become increasingly autonomous whereby their self-esteem and confidence will flourish.
  
  
• There will be a focus on ‘Learning to be’ and ‘Learning to grow’.
  
  
• There will be a holistic approach to learning, which includes growing; as a person, as member of their family; as a member of the community, as a citizen as well as academically.

In relation to families…

• The centre will have an open door policy, inviting families to participate at a level they feel comfortable.
  
  
• Open communication will be achieved by the use of notice boards, meetings, parent handbooks, communication books and daily interactions.

In relation to the centre…

• The centre will be kept safe and clean at all times.
  
  
• The environment of the centre will be aesthetically pleasing; it will be a positive and professional place.
  
  
• The environment will be thoughtfully set up to allow for children to be self-motivated.

In relation to staff…

• Staff will know the children, their interests, abilities, strengths and needs by using a variety of observation tools.
  
  
• Staff will use a wide range of teaching methods to effectively educate all children
  
  
• Staff will balance intentional teaching with child-initiated activities.
  
  
• Staff will use critical thinking, observation and reflection to continually improve their teaching practices.

At the Catholic Early Learning Centre (CELC) we believe that each child is a valuable and unique individual created by God. We value each child as an individual who can make choices about their own learning. We believe that children are theory builders and problem solvers, who learn best by making meaning of their world through play, relationships and experiences. We value children as social beings and recognise that they co-construct knowledge with peers, their families and our staff.

We value play as a learning process that enables each child to learn through concrete ‘hands on’ experiences such as doing, creating, experimenting, predicting, imagining, achieving, investigating, and identifying strengths.

Learning through play is how children “organise and make sense of their social worlds” Using innovative and creative activities as enriching learning experiences. Children will be encouraged to discover ‘self’ and feel safe to explore within the world around them. We will encourage children to have ownership of their learning, which will empower them and build a passion for knowledge. Children should feel a sense of belonging in their environment; we will nurture their being while celebrating their present and future and what they are becoming.

Our CELC aims to provide young children with opportunities to maximise their potential and develop a foundation for future success in learning . We work collaboratively with families in promoting children's learning by implementing the Early Years Learning Framework and applying best practice as reflective of the National Quality Framework.

We provide an enriching inclusive environment that recognises diversity, including culture and ability. We work in partnership with families, Catholic school leaders and Catholic parishes to promote Gospel values and traditions while respecting the individuality of families and children.

CELC educators work in collaborative partnerships with the school community, intervention services and families. The CELC staff members value all stakeholders’ knowledge and contributions by embedding trust and free communication in a reciprocal relationship that is respectful of one another by sharing insights and perspectives concerning each individual child.

Our Educators will:

• Listen to each child’s melody when they are using ‘the hundred languages’ (Malaguzzi), their bodies, their movement, their eyes, their hands, their silences, their words and their ‘being’.
  
  
• Observe and value the process of thinking as our children develop new understandings through constructing, investigating, and creating in their ‘becoming’.
  
  
• Develop mutually respectful partnerships with both children and families within the context of our parish community, Blessed John XXIII so as to build ‘belonging’.
  
  
• Value the child not only as an individual but also as a member of their family, cultural group and the wider community by helping them find their place in them.
  
  
• Ensure that documentation is visible through recording our children’s everyday experiences and discoveries in order to develop their individual potential and allow them to reflect on their learning journey. ‘Our task … is to help children climb their own mountains, as high as possible.’ – Malaguzzi.
  
  
• Encourage children to be self guided learners through questions, provocation and problem solving in order to empower our children to build a passion for learning. We believe ‘the mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited.’ – Plutarch.
  
  
• Create an environment that engages, captures and honours the interests of our children by stimulating their imaginations, promoting creativity and enhancing the aesthetics of the environment so it becomes the third teacher.
  
  
• Respect the needs and rights of the children to make choices by empowering them to take responsibility for their actions, their environment and their learning.
  
  
• Recognise that children are living and learning in a technology rich society by incorporating the use of digital technologies in learning.
  
  
• Value our role as educators by taking part in constant inquires, investigations and professional development around our knowledge of how children learn in order to deepen our understandings.

What we want to see is the child in pursuit of knowledge and not knowledge in pursuit of the child’ – George Bernard Shaw.

ACECQA is a national entity, which will oversee early childhood education and care and school age care in Australia. Education and care plays a vital role in the lives of Australian children and their families and we want the best possible outcomes for our children. They oversee the National Quality Standard and how it is applied across the country and ensure that services are meeting the new requirements.

For further information, please see the ACECQA website.

The National Quality Standard (NQS) sets a national benchmark for the quality of education and care services. It provides services and families a better understanding of what makes a quality service. This enables families to make informed decisions about the services providing education and care to their child. The NQS is a key aspect of the National Quality Framework (NQF). It brings together the key quality areas that are important to the outcomes for children.

The objectives of the NQF are:

• to ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of children attending education and care services
• to improve the educational and developmental outcomes for children attending education and care
• to promote continuous improvement in the provision of quality education and care services.

Our Quality Rating

Our centre has been assessed against the National Quality Standard for Early Childhood Education and Care and School Age Care and has been rated overall at Exceeding National Quality Standard (E).

The Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011 (‘National Regulations’) require that the approved provider ensure a QIP is prepared for the service that:

• Includes an assessment of the quality of the practices of the service against the National Quality Standard and the National Regulations; and
• Identifies any areas that may require improvement; and
• Contains a statement of philosophy of the service.

Belonging, Being & Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF) is a national early childhood curriculum which all early learning centres must follow. It describes the principles, practice and outcomes, which enhance young children’s learning from birth to five years of age, as well as their transition to school. The EYLF has a strong emphasis on play-based learning, as play is the best vehicle for young children’s learning providing the most stimuli for brain development. The Framework also recognises the importance of communication and language (including early literacy and numeracy) and social and emotional development.

A copy of the EYLF can be found in the front foyer and on the ACECQA website.

The Catholic Early Learning Centre is committed to engaging in and promoting sustainable practices. We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment for the sake of future generations.

Our goals are to:

• Promote respect for, and an appreciation of, the natural environment among all at the service
• Foster children’s capacity to understand and respect the natural environment, and the interdependence between people, plants, animals and the land
• To develop positive attitudes and practices in relation to sustainable practices, which includes recycling, reusing and reducing rubbish
• Participate in and promote current council sustainability programs for preschools and the community.

There are many ways you can engage in sustainable practices at home too.

If you want more information about caring for our environment please click on the following links:

• Gardening
• Easy Recycling
• Fact Sheets
• Responsible Waste Disposal
• How Can I Conserve?

The system of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Parramatta is one of the largest employers in the western Sydney region.  

Our recruitment, selection and appointment processes reflect the core values of the vision statement for the Parramatta system of schools. Our system of schools seeks to be:

• authentically Catholic
• inviting, inclusive and just
• committed to quality teaching and learning
• supportive of the ongoing development of staff

Principles of equal opportunity apply at every stage of our employment processes.

Work with us!