Our Philosophy
At Our Family Early Learning, we place a high value on providing a family environment where our children, families and teachers feel safe and secure to express and explore.
It is important to us that all our families, from a wide range of backgrounds, feel valued, respected and accepted. We acknowledge and value the Treaty of Waitangi.
We strive to provide a challenging environment with a high level of self-choice, independence and empowerment. The teaching team has a strong belief in Te Whariki- this leads and guides us through our planning, assessment and evaluation.
We believe in open communication and have an open door policy.
Our Curriculum Statement
At Our Family Early Learning, we believe curriculum represents everything we do, see, hear and touch. The curriculum is both visual and hidden. It impacts a child’s development, learning and their holistic well-being.
At Our Family Early Learning we are guided by Te Whariki, New Zealand Ministry of Education Early Childhood Curriculum, along with other learning and development theories, our centre philosophy, cultural makeup of the centre and our teacher's life and teaching experiences.
For a successful curriculum, the partnership between the child, teacher, parents and whanau need to be strong. Therefore we believe and seek regular contact with our families to hear and learn about their child’s ongoing interests, strengths and our families aspirations.
Our Family Early Learning's teachers support a child’s learning through individual observations and discussions with the child, families and their colleagues. Individual Learning Plans are created with regular individual evidence documented to show the child’s individual ongoing learning journey. We love our families to comment and to hear what our families think.
As part of the centre's life and learning the children, teachers and families engage in significant events both cultural and community-based. These events further strengthen our belief of all feeling valued, respected and accepted.
At Our Family Early Learning, one of our core values is communication - between our staff, between the children and staff, and between you and our staff. We aim to keep the lines of communication open at all times so that you are aware of how your child is doing and so that you feel free to give us your input and feedback as to how we’re doing.