Our Philosophy

We strive to nurture, inspire and educate children to become confident, resilient, and independent learners.

At Birralee Extended Hours Preschool we believe that each child, family and educator is unique and a valued individual. We embrace diversity and celebrate differences in people. We recognise that each individual’s values, culture and abilities should be acknowledged and celebrated.

We acknowledge that families are the children’s most influential teachers and believe that educators need to work as partners with families to help children reach their full potential.

We believe learning is enhanced in an environment where a child feels they belong and for them to feel confident, valued and respected. A secure sense of belonging assists in building a strong sense of identity and encourages children to develop positive social and emotional skills, such as resilience, confidence, empathy and respect.

At Birralee we recognise that children are capable and resourceful and should be encouraged by education to learn through play. We view play as essential in a child’s life and believe that it should be fun, exciting, stimulating, comforting and challenging.

We recognise it is important to provide opportunities for children to experiment, discover, explore, create, investigate, solve problems and express ideas with the support of other children and educators.

We believe children should be offered an interest-based, challenging environment where they are encouraged and supported to make their own decisions and choices, thereby developing positive problem solving skills and sense of identity. When a child feels capable and confident they are ready for the transition to school and on to the next phases in life.

We also hold dear the need for educators to continually build their professional knowledge and engage in reflective practice. Our educators actively challenge bias and promote social justice. These skills, when put into practice, can unite and improve communities.