About
Loxton District Children’s Centre “Woodleigh” is a community-based children’s service located in the heart of Loxton. We are licensed for 80 children and provide care between the hours of 6:30am – 6:00pm to families and children from the town and surrounding districts.
Our service provides quality care, an education and enriched program and ensures families and children feel a sense of belonging and are valued throughout their time here. The children are given the opportunity to learn, develop and grow to their full potential, whilst being in a fun-filled, play-based and educational environment.
We believe all children should feel a sense of belonging and be cared for in a nurturing, safe and caring environment. We cater for each child’s individual needs and believe that having open communication with families is extremely important. We are committed to providing quality care in a warm, safe and stimulating environment whilst continuing our play-based approach.
The service comprises of four rooms. Our age groups fluctuate and may change throughout the year, depending on the centre and children’s needs. This decision is made by the leadership team and communicated with families via email.
Possums: 6 weeks to 2 years.
Joeys: 2 years to 2 years and 10 months
Kangaroos: 2 years and 10 months to 3 years and 8 months.
Kookaburras: 3 years and 8 months to 12 years.
Each room provide a group program which is guided by children’s strengths, interests, family life and what’s happening within our community. This program is child led, child initiated, and educator supported. We also provide an individual program to all children, based on the child’s interest and their abilities. Every child is unique and has different interests and strengths, which is taken into consideration when planning the programs. The Early Years Learning Framework – EYLF is the foundation of our programs and enriches children’s learning.
Primary Caregiving is predominately provided in our younger rooms, ensuring that each child has a positive childcare experience. The aim of this approach is to provide the children with a secure base, where they can explore the environment and take risks knowing an adult (with whom they have a secure, trusting relationships with) is always in reach when needing comfort and reassurance. Primary caregiving and a sense of security provides a consistent relationship for your child and family.
This strategy is based on the ‘Circle of Security’ approach, providing a secure base to support children’s exploration, watch over them, help them, enjoy time with them and providing a safe haven – welcoming children back.
We provide base-care groups in the older rooms to help establish relationships until they feel confident within their environment and confidence to explore and engage with other educators and their peers. These groups also assist with our individual, educational program.
Philosophy
LDCC Philosophy Statement:
At the Loxton District Children’s Centre (Woodleigh) we strive to provide children and families with a warm, caring and nurturing environment to feel safe and secure. We offer a socially and developmentally enriched play based environment and program, where children are supported and encouraged to develop to their full potential.
In relation to children
We believe:
- In acting in the best interest of all children
- Acknowledging children as competent learners
- Each child is unique and individual
- In developing and maintaining respectful and reciprocal relationships with each child
- In providing support for children to feel safe, confident and included
- Meeting individual children’s needs and interests
Therefore we:
- Implement a program relating to the Early Years Learning Framework
- Base and implement experiences based on children’s interests, strengths and capabilities
- Promote children’s strong sense of identity and wellbeing
- Engage in play opportunities with passion, interacting positively and in a warm, friendly, nurturing manner
- Implement an inclusive approach, including children with additional needs
In relation to families
We believe:
- In assisting with a sense of belonging and inclusion
- Developing and maintain positive relationships
- In respecting the uniqueness of each family
- Developing partnerships
- Developing shared planning and practices for children’s learning
Therefore we:
- Will welcome, value and encourage participation from families
- Maintain open communication- sharing mutual trust and communicating positively- honest conversations
- Listen and respect family culture, lifestyles and beliefs
- Communicate about the program- encourage participation
In relation to staff
We believe:
- Building collaborative professional relationships based on trust, respect and honesty
- Acknowledging and supporting personal strengths, experience and diversity which other co- workers bring to work
- Sharing and building knowledge, experience and resources
- Professionalism
Therefore we:
- Listen and respect each others opinions and thoughts
- Provide regular meetings- staff/ room/ leaders
- Openly communicate
- Maintain consistency in each room
- Following and adhering to the Centre Code of Conduct
In relation to communities
We believe:
- Devising programs which are inclusive
- Learning together within an inclusive community
- In connecting with people, services and support agencies to support children, families and staff
- Work with others to enhance children’s health and wellbeing
Therefore we:
- Engage in local community events
- Encourage visitors to the service
- Work closely with families, services and children to provide support
In relation to the program
We believe:
- Developing a curriculum to enhance children’s learning and development
- The foundation of the program is based on children’s current knowledge, interests and strengths, ideas, culture and abilities
- Documentation is to be available to families
- Each child is to be supported to participate in the program
Therefore we:
- Ensure an ongoing programming cycle of planning, documenting and evaluating
- All educators and children participate in the program
- Encourage families, visitors and communities to participate
- Acknowledge the whole child
- Display programs, routine, learning journal, photos, artwork for families
- Support and encourage children- role modelling and active participation
In relation to the environment
We believe:
- Providing built and natural environments
- Implementing and embedding sustainable practices
- Supporting children to become socially responsible
- Providing a play based environment
Therefore we:
- Provide a variety of natural and man-made resources
- Developing the outdoor play space
- Implement natural materials/ resources inside
- Educating children and supporting the care of natural environments- plants, vegetable gardens, animals etc
- Educate children, staff and families in centre sustainable practices
Vision & Values
Vision Statement
Through our commitment to high quality care we will continue to provide a service that has a strong sense of Being, Belonging and Becoming for all children, families, educators and the community.
Mission Statement
We will achieve this by ensuring a place where children imagine, dream, explore and grow in a supportive and respectful environment and where children are happily engaged and learning is happening through a play based curriculum.
Family and community participation is encouraged to provide all children with opportunities to maximise their potential.
Core Values
Respect
Honesty
Belonging
Sustainable
Kindness
Policies
- 1
- 2
Curriculum
Our curriculum is based on the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) which is the National Curriculum covering birth to 5 years. In the early childhood setting ‘curriculum’ means all the interactions, experiences, activities, routines and events, planned and unplanned, that occur in an environment designed to foster children’s learning and development.
Our program is based around play-based learning and recognises the important of communication and language and social and emotional development. The framework is a vision for children’s learning characterised by Belonging, Being and Becoming.
The EYLF framework conveys the highest expectations for all children’s learning from birth to five years. It communicates these expectations through following five learning outcomes:
- Children have a strong sense of identity
- Children are connected with and contribute to their world
- Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
- Children are confident and involved learners
- Children are effective communicators
Play is so important for children and is what we base our program and curriculum on. Through play babies and young children explore and learn to understand the world around them as they communicate, discover, imagine and create. When children play, they are showing what they have learnt and what they are trying to understand. It is well known that children learn best when they have secure relationships with caring adults and when they have developed trusting relationships. Working together in partnership with families is important to enhance the children’s learning and wellbeing. Information that families provide about their child helps to link children’s experiences at home with the time spent at Woodleigh.
Our programming cycle is exclusive to our centre and is reflective of our community and families. The program is supported by our routines and experiences and is flexible and allows us to cater for spontaneous opportunities. The program takes into consideration each individual child and is based on developmental needs and interest of each child.
We develop, maintain and implement a child focused program, incorporating:
- Individual programs: experiences/opportunities, observations, analysis of learning, extensions of learning and outcomes.
- Group programs: created from children’s voices, strengths, and interests, family input, questionnaires, and community. Our group programs are documented on the OWNA App which all staff and families can view.
- Children’s Daily Learning
- Reflections
- Learning Stories
- Photo Pages
Program
Our programming cycle is exclusive to our centre and is reflective of our community and families. It recognises and is in accordance with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) – Belonging, being and Becoming. The program is supported by every routine and experience and is flexible to cater for spontaneous opportunities. The program takes in the individually of each child and is based on developmental needs and interests of each child.
We develop, maintain and implement a child focussed program incorporating:
- Individual programs: dispositions, experiences/ opportunities, observations, learning that is happening, how I can build on this and outcomes.
- Group programs: mind map (created form children’s voices, strengths and interests, family input, questionnaires and community), purpose and what I want to achieve, program outcomes and evaluation.
- Children’s learning journal
- Child information sheet
- Reflection form
- Room learning journal
Board
The LDCC Board is the highest authority in the organisation. The board provides leadership and overall strategy for the organisation as well as assuring everyone that the organisations finances are viable, its operations are legal and its procedures work.
The Board is the governing body of the childcare centre responsible for the effective running and management of the organisation.
The board comprises a maximum of 9 members.
Board Members
Bradley Yeomans
Kiara Hoffmann
Kelly Leigh
Sarah Warman
Other Board Members :-
Zoe Lekakis-Servin
Ella Rolls
Sarah Copeland
Leadership Team
April Watson
Tania Kurtzer
Ainslie Biggins
Kerry Hopper
Sheryl Pontt
Kelly Leigh
Rennee Scutcheon
Other Team Educational Leaders :-
Alana Cook – Possums Room
Chelsea Rogers – Joeys Room
Witley Falting – Kangaroos Room
Breanna Worsfold/Mel Vogt – Kookaburras Room