Our Philosophy

We believe nurturing young minds is the key to each child's growth and development and the fundamental foundation of lifelong learning. At Little Seedlings Early Learning we have created an environment that is warm and welcoming, that feels like home away from home. We ensure each child feels a sense of belonging, encouraging the foundations needed to build self-confidence, trust, and acceptance. We pride ourselves on working collaboratively with our families to achieve individual milestones, allowing our children to achieve their own unique potential.  

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Our play, strength, and interest-based educational programs promote a holistic, child-led approach. This allows children to express themselves through choices, exploration, and interactions with flexibility and tenacity. We encourage a positive foundation of learning by enhancing each child's desire to participate and create. Our approach allows children to construct their own understanding and "make choices in all matters affecting their lives" (United Nations, 1989).  

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We see children as confident and involved learners with their own funds of knowledge. Our Early Childhood Educators respond by intentionally supporting children's learning, development, and wellbeing. We view children's learning as continuous, dynamic, complex, and holistic. We promote the principles outlined in the 'The Early Years Learning Framework" and implement them into all aspects of our education and care.  

 

At Little Seedlings, our educators take pride in finding teachable moments through rich engagement, meaningful relationships, and effective, purposeful play. This allows Educators to critically reflect, extend, and enhance each child's learning journey.   

 

We strongly believe in 'third-teacher environments' attuned to each child's ideas, understandings, interests, strengths, and culture. These environments ignite children with the curiosity and urge to explore, learn, and thrive. Loris Malaguzzi believed, "There are three teachers of children: adults, other children, and their physical environment". Our relationships with children, families, and the local community shape a meaningful and diverse setting. As Bronfenbrenner said, "a person's development was affected by everything in their surrounding environment", and as an experienced team, we live by this mantra. 

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We are proud to play and learn on Darkinjung Land. We aspire to collaborate with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to embed perspectives into our setting, planning, and program implementation. We contribute towards 'Closing the Gap' by sharing Australia's First Nations' histories, knowledge systems, cultures, and languages through the '8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning'. We take an active role in caring for our land, country and all living things. We achieve this by promoting a sustainable future, reducing our environmental footprint, and role-modelling responsible practices to empower the next generation of caretakers.  

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We value the wide range of beliefs that make up our community. We encourage and embed this diversity (social, cultural and linguistic) into our programs. This supports a strong sense of self, aiding children to further discover their individual voice and identity. Our inclusive and culturally safe service ensures children and families are heard, seen, and included in our setting, experiencing acceptance, connectedness, and pride. We aim for children to deepen their understanding of themselves, others, and the world around them. Vygotsky believed, "Through others, we become ourselves". 

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Our School Readiness Program is integrated into our daily experiences, routines, and environments. It focuses on all educational outcomes and developmental milestones outlined in the 'Early Years Learning Framework'. Our passionate early childhood teachers utilise the 'Australian Professional Standards for Teachers' to deliver tailored educational programs to suit the needs of each child best. We believe in immersing children in a world of literacy and numeracy to create excitement and positivity, the foundations of successful lifelong learning. We work with families and primary education providers to ensure a smooth and seamless transition into each child's next phase of schooling. 

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Our management values the unique contributions of each educator on our team. We care for their wellbeing through appreciation, celebration, support, respect, and open communication. Our Educators work hard within a team environment and with respect to create an environment for children, families, staff and the community to thrive. At Little Seedlings, we support professional development in all its forms, equipping educators to demonstrate best practices and positive outcomes. Across our service, we have a culture of learning through reflective practices that amplify the quality of experiences for children, families, and educators.