Mission, Vision and Philosophy
Our Mission
Our mission at Crestwood Child Care Centre, a Montessori inspired pre-school, is to connect and partner with all of our families in providing holistic learning experiences which address the uniqueness of each child and empowers them to develop and achieve a strong sense of self; of innovation and understanding; of wonder and curiosity and respect for others and the natural environment.
Our Centre (the Children’s House) is dedicated in providing inspiring learning environments based on the Montessori philosophy and principles of learning which encourage independence, develop confidence and nurturing each child's individual development.
We acknowledge and honour the sense of belonging of each family and their children from all cultures that they bring to the pre-school’s experience. To nurture and develop this sense of belonging and to embrace the children’s wider social community. We recognise and understand that children come to our centre with individual capabilities, strengths, learning styles and interests and build further on these by developing collaborative learning environments.
We respect children’s individual emergent skills by providing them with opportunities which allow for autonomous learning. We prepare interesting indoor and outdoor learning environments where children can freely explore their natural sense of wonder and choose their own work with enthusiasm and great interest. We provide an environment and guidance which encourages the children's development of respect, kindness, grace, courtesy and self-discipline.
Our Montessori inspired centre embraces a community of children, families and early childhood educators who work together to build and maintain a culture of caring where respect, integrity, honesty and tolerance are created and nourished in a holistic environment.
We aim to:
- Provide an exemplary environment with a Montessori inspired education.
- Implement and maintain a respectful and supportive partnership amongst the stakeholders through the supportive triangle of students, parents and pre-school.
- Continue and maintain a pre-school that is well governed and environmentally sustainable.
Our Vision
Our vision is to instil in each individual child, the wonder in the world and a love of learning, providing opportunities to develop their confidence and to independently and collaboratively explore their environment.
Our Philosophy
Our approach to early childhood education and care focuses on creating an environment where children become independent learners, enabling each child to reach their fullest intellectual, emotional, physical, and social potential in a peaceful, non- competitive situation. We believe in creating an inclusive, homelike, welcoming atmosphere that is a safe, secure, calm and consistent. Our holistic pedagogy contributes to the development of a healthy, balanced confident child with a strong sense of identity.
Our scientifically based educational philosophy inspired by the principles and practice developed by Dr Maria Montessori. It is child centered learning which fosters independence and choice within limits and enables freedom, allowing the child to become an active explorer. We believe that each child has an innate capacity and drive to learn and will flourish given a stimulating environment and active, meaningful experiences.
Our Montessori equipment addresses practical life skills, fine motor development, hand eye coordination, development of all the senses, writing, reading, numeracy, geography, history, biology, science, art and music. By combining all these areas, we give each child a strong foundation for later learning.
Our quality learning materials isolate concepts and allow mastery to develop at the child’s pace, building on prior skills and knowledge. Work with our natural, self-correcting materials and the value given to intrinsic reward inspires confidence, ensures motivation and engagement and nurtures a love of learning.
Our belief in our multi-age class ensures that children learn in a dynamic community which teaches them to connect and contribute to their world. Co-operation with each other, supported by the adults, permits relationships to deepen and allows the knowledge, understanding and sense of responsibility of each child to grow.
Central to our philosophy is the belief that children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and, or a key person. We believe that building and nurturing partnerships with our families and the community is essential to create a sense of belonging and connectedness for each child. Our cross cultural, caring community recognises each child and family as unique and considers and provides for differences in ability, language and culture. Our philosophy encourages caring and respect for one another and the environment.
We see our educators as guides and role models for each child’s learning. They are responsive to the children’s needs and interests, ensure their safety and wellbeing and facilitate and support their learning and development. They evaluate, track and document each child’s progress and encourage family contributions.
We believe self–reflection, incorporation of current research and working supportively together is important to ensure a high quality learning environment. As we observe, interpret and plan challenging, achievable experiences based on each child’s interests, we also reflect on our own principles and practices. We acknowledge the importance of ongoing professional development and the need to continually strive towards quality improvement and to provide each child with “an education for life.