CHILDREN’S LEARNING

It is now widely accepted by all stakeholders in the Early Education Industry that children learn more in their first 5 years of life, than in any other 5-year period, so with this in mind 3 Bears has dedicated our programs to influence the wellbeing of all participants. There are five main areas that drive our wellbeing programs for personal health: physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual. To be considered “well,” it is imperative for none of these areas to be neglected.
Our practices at 3 Bears pay attention to what we smell, touch, hear and see. Whenever we bring awareness to what we experience with our senses, we are being mindful. The introduction of some simple rituals into the lives of our children creates numerous wellbeing benefits. Traditions of sitting around a table, preserving, and cherishing the art of conversation and togetherness are what mealtime rituals are all about at 3 Bears. Our mealtimes are a time for nourishing the body, coming together with others and provide an opportunity to reflect on the day.

 

At 3 Bears we acknowledge and advocate the fact that children, no matter what age, are respectful contributing members of the community, who’s primary learning source is through “self-initiation”. driven by play, interest, home values, and past and present experiences, where they can simply enjoy being. Educators are “co-creators” supporting the balance in providing worthwhile challenging experiences and interactions to promote higher level thinking skills, through thoughtful, deliberate, and purposeful actions. Learning through play is a fundamental wellbeing quality program developed by 3 Bears to guide and support the joy of doing, investigating and discovery, around the things that engage the children’s own unique selves. Our curriculum, including our “School readiness” program is lovingly created with attention to detail with an intention to engage our children to be active equal participants in learning and a curiosity for nature and the environment. Natural and sustainable resources create a home like environment that is calm and promotes comfort. Our wellbeing curriculum involves tuning in to the present moment with openness and our Educators work extremely hard to create hands on play activities of discovery and appropriate risk taking, where there is no right or wrong way, just one of awe.

In recent years, the number of Australian children being cared for outside their homes has increased dramatically, 3 Bears in response has been designed to act as an extension of their home. To compliment the care, guidance and education received at home, our parent’s involvement at this service creates a place of belonging.  A network of altruistic parents who are prepared to support other families are used to facilitate activities in our service community. Their efforts contribute to many meaningful outcomes that have tangible positive results. By understanding what motivates our family community we have developed compelling communications that truly resonate with our families. Ad-hoc opportunities are provided for our families to be involved in, that build emotional connections and have embedded longer family team roles in our Service.

Our strong bonds and partnerships with our families actively works to promote healthy eating and general wellbeing in and out of our service. 3 Bears is an extension of our family’s homes and Healthy eating habits are extended past our centre using supportive collaborative strategies in which all adults (Educators and Families) are recognised as role models. Families are encouraged at 3 Bears to become more involved in our wellbeing curriculum initiatives by supporting these strategies at home. Evidence suggests that children who have a “positive parental role model may be a better method for improving a child’s diet than attempts at dietary control. We also know that unhealthy food choices cause obesity and with this on the rise in young children, Education of the family is also needed to combat the social problems of society in the future to make long life differences.

Ignorance of differences is perhaps the most important challenge facing mankind when it comes to building a positive sense of identity and belonging. Intervention programs are designed and embedded at 3 Bears that highlight the benefits of experiencing and celebrating living and learning from others and communities. Children, Educators and families can not appreciate what a multicultural world has to offer without this. Our wellbeing program promotes intercultural understanding and community Harmony to meet the specific culturally diverse needs and backgrounds of our children, families and Educators.  Participation, links and partnerships with the community is a fundamental belief of this service and monthly visits from various organisations into the service are highlights that develop a sense of belonging in the children to other groups and communities.

If our program is to be good for the children and families, it must be good for the educators as well. Being Happy at work and loving what we do is an overall productivity booster. People who love their job are more likely to be motivated to ensure high quality decisions around care and education are made. An atmosphere of relaxation and happy noises from children cannot be achieved without having the most in-tune and in-touch motivated Educators, to support the acquisition of children’s skills for life and learning. The key to building positive programs is having motivated Educators that are mindful of their own physiology and energy and take conscious effort to create a calm, peaceful and stress- free environment, where children feel safe and secure. It can be too easy to end up in the hustle and bustle of the day only to be focused on moving through one activity to another, without questioning why we are here and who we are here for.

A successful program without doubt needs meticulous cooperative, collaboratively planning. However, this does not happen by chance, it takes a well-informed, professional team to lead a positive organisational culture and build a professional learning community. Informing educators of their role in the service and in the lives of the children and considering their needs is fostered and supported by the service.  This reduces high educator turnover, enabling the service to maintain a high-quality service to our families. Continuity of care is critically important and our wellbeing initiatives for our Educators, embed professional inquiry, through reflective practices and is at the fore front of our service.  Building upon Educator knowledge and a continual inquiry into a quest for learning, our educators become co-learners with children and families.

We take extra effort and focus on innovative techniques to ensure we remain at the forefront of our Industry.

THE PROGRAM – ELYF

This is Australia’s first National Early Years Learning Framework for Early Childhood educators. This framework is used by our educators to assist and provide your children with opportunities to maximise their potential and develop a foundation for future success in learning. The Framework forms the foundation for ensuring that children in all Early Childcare Education and Care settings experience quality teaching and learning. Five learning outcomes have been designed to capture the integrated and complex learning and development of all children across the birth to five year age range. The outcomes are:

  • Children have a strong sense of identity
  • Children are connected with and contribute to their world
  • Children have a strong sense of well being
  • Children are confident and involved learners
  • Children are effective communicators

The outcomes are broad and observable. They acknowledge that children learn in a variety of ways and vary in their capabilities and pace of learning.

The Program ELYF

NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARDS

In December 2009, all Australian governments, through the Council of Australian Governments, agreed to a partnership to establish a National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care (National Quality Framework).

The National Quality Framework aims to raise quality and drive continuous improvement in education and care services through:

  • The National Quality Standard for Early Childhood and Care (National Quality Standard)
  • A national quality rating and assessment process
  • Streamlined regulatory arrangements
  • A national body jointly governed by the Australian Government and State and Territory Governments – the Australian Children’s Education and Care Authority (ACECQA)