Everything we do is in the best interests of the child. We advocate for children’s voices to be heard and we honour and respect their rights, perspectives and ‘being’, as the foundation of our program.
Relationships:
We seek to build and nurture trusting, reciprocal relationships with children, families, and each other. We firmly believe that these connections enable children to form secure attachments -to each other, to educators, and our environments, whilst honouring the relationships with their families.
We honour their individuality and acknowledge them as capable and competent individuals. We value and respect the members of the FOOSHC community in all of their diversities, recognising how their involvement greatly enriches our service. Using culturally responsive approaches, we actively advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in our community, embedding their perspectives into our practice. Operating without bias, we endeavour to create an environment where every child feels a sense of belonging and ownership, empowering them to become confident decision-makers. We believe that children who experience kindness, trust, and respect will, in turn, embrace these values within themselves and towards others.
Play:
FOOSHC prioritises play as an essential right for all children and our program is planned for the possibilities to play. Guided by a Playwork approach, we perceive children as the architects of their own experiences, thriving within an environment where they are supported and encouraged to flourish and grow. Our practice ensures that educators maintain the necessary physical and psychological conditions conducive to play—a process we believe is characterised by personal choice, self-direction, and intrinsic motivation. Through this approach we move with intentionality to positively affect the environment in support of the children’s well-being and ability to play.
Professional Development:
We hold our educators at FOOSHC to high standards and expectations. We embrace opportunities for innovative practice, critical reflection, and embed professional development into our everyday practice. FOOSHC strives to create a culture of professional inquiry, in which educators are encouraged to engage in robust discussion, self-reflection, and critical reflection. Our educators operate with integrity, compassion, respect, and kindness, embodying the values we demonstrate to the children.
Advocacy and Leadership:
We are committed advocates for the children of FOOSHC, advocating for their right to a childhood rich in play, freedom, exploration, and growth. We provide opportunities for children to take risks and develop their abilities to help navigate their world. By sharing our practices with the wider community and inspiring innovation, we champion the cause of all children, ensuring they too have access to these opportunities.
Reviewed February 2008 with comments from parents, children and staff, reviewed 2013-September 2014 with comments from parents, children and educators. Parental comments incorporated and P&C executive review November 2015. Reviewed by children, families and Educators. All comments incorporated and endorsed by P&C December 2018. Reviewed April 2020. Reviewed August 2021. Reviewed Term 1 2024. Reviewed by children, families, P&C August 2024.
Our philosophy is based on a playwork approach where children are empowered to take risks and lead and control their own play. Do you want to know more about Playwork? Please read the Playwork Principles here.
We uphold the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child – It’s explained here beautifully. Particularly Article 2, 3, 12 and 31.
Our professional practice and pedagogy are guided by Early Childhood Australia (ECA) Code of Ethics- You can read more about them here.
Do you want to understand more about our Playwork approach – this clip explains what underpins our philosophy and our loose parts playspace.
