Our Philosophy
Firstly, we are proud to acknowledge the Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung people from the East Kulin region as the traditional owners of this land and recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
EY@PP is a place where:
children feel happy, safe and nurtured, surrounded by warm & responsive relationships;
families feel welcome and supported, and
Community members can meet, build connections & develop a strong sense of community.
Our Vision is for strong and cohesive community in which children are central and families are supported.
Our Mission is to work together to deliver accessible, high quality integrated community based early childhood services that maximise child and family wellbeing and build and strengthen community connectedness.
Our Mission
To work collaboratively with children, families, other early childhood services, local primary schools, maternal child health and local community to ensure high levels of learning for all children. To engage in a collective inquiry for best practice in teaching and best practice in learning.
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We take a strength’s-based approach to children’s learning, focusing on what they can do, what they are progressing towards, what they are developing and provide the time and support to cater for children’s individual needs.
Child Centred
We value a play-based learning environment rich with social interactions that integrate play and learning. We promote children’s agency, enabling them to make choices and decisions that influence events in their day. This develops their self-worth as capable and competent contributors to their learning and reiterates to them our belief in their ability to make decisions and to do things independently.
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Our play base program offers a range of open-ended experiences and materials which encourage the children to self-select, transform the physical environment and play independently. Our practice ensures that children have extended periods of play and learning without interruption.
Supporting Families
Early Years @ Phoenix Park community ensures that families have the opportunity to be involved in the service and contribute to service decisions. The expertise of families is recognised and they share in decision making about their child’s learning and wellbeing.
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Educators exchange information regularly with families sharing knowledge about their child and working towards a shared goal of children reaching their full potential. Early Years @ Phoenix Park has a partnership with our onsite Maternal and Child health Nurses who share with us their knowledge and expertise around child development, milestones and referrals to other experts and practitioners in the early childhood fields such as Paediatricians, occupational therapist, speech therapist and social skills groups.
Building Communities
Early Years @ Phoenix Park is situated in a community Hub. We are very fortunate to have the Phoenix Park play ground on our door step as well as the Phoenix Park library and the Phoenix Park Community centre which have welcomed us the use of their facilities. We have also built strong partnerships with other local children centres, local primary schools who we visit and they visit us and of course the Urban Forest Reserve where our children engage when out on country
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The children at EYPP spend lots of time in the community, even our littlest learners are often seen out and about in our four seated stroller visiting local cafes for a baby chino, rolling down the hills at Treyvaud Memorial Park or purchasing resources from Chadstone shopping centre. It is an expectation that the children at EYPP are not only heard but seen in the community so will attend many excursions both big and small.
Working Together
Collaborative partnerships with families are built in an environment of mutual respect, trust and honesty which is established through effective communication. We recognise that supporting strong relationships with our families is a powerful way to improve children’s educational, health and wellbeing outcomes. We support families in their parenting roles and their values and beliefs about child rearing are respected, we recognise the expertise of families and invite them to share in the decision making about their child’s learning and wellbeing.