Our QA3 Strengths
Our wonderful physical environment provides a variety of interests for our Small Friends that are changed regularly indoors and out. Our free flow environment allows children to play spontaneously and individually as they transition between learning areas inside and outside our house.
Resources are plentiful and when breakages occur resources are replaced like for like immediately or an alternative is sourced. Our Team vigilantly checks all equipment for breaks and wear, which are noted on our WHS checklist and our Team chat book to allow for repairs or to note that the equipment has been thrown away.
We recycle, re-use and repurpose whenever we can, focusing on sustainable practices where possible, such as using wood ends at the woodwork table, recycled boxes, cartons and materials at our collage table. We ask families on a regular basis to collect and pass on recyclable items and materials that we can use to create art projects or can be used at our collage and woodwork tables. Many of our families ‘pass on’ books, toys and clothes for us to use, and if we have a surplus, we always pass on to local charities such as The Foster Share Shed.
Our pet rabbits provide an opportunity for our Small Friends to learn about the needs of others and how to care for housemates that are smaller than them. We grow vegetables and herbs in our backyard for our rabbits to ensure that they have a healthy and well-rounded diet. Snack and lunch food scraps are collected every day to be taken home by members of staff as feed for their chickens and worms.
We collect rainwater in our backyard which is used to water the gardens and pot pants, and if in surplus we can use it for cleaning our bigger pieces of equipment.
Practice Is Embedded In Service Operations
Our House Truly feels like a home with an open plan that allows for free flow for our Small Friends to explore all areas open to them. Different areas are created to provide a variety of play options – passive, energetic or creative, and inside activities can often be followed through outside – role play, dressing up, construction and painting.
Our Small Friends have access to a wide variety of resources, both manmade and natural that are changed regularly, and are given plenty of opportunity to engage with to a range of real, commercial, natural, recycled and homemade materials to support their learning in a range of ways, e.g. sort, categorise, order and compare collections of materials, use their imagination to make up their own games, and we have plenty of resources to ensure that children can share amongst larger groups, or do not have to wait for long periods to participate in activities or play on equipment.
Our Small Friends have their own bathroom, which has ample toilet and hand-washing facilities allowing them to develop on their toileting independence.
Our small but well equipped kitchen provides adequate areas for food preparation and storage. Equipment is stored in an orderly fashion and is cared for to be used daily by our Team to prepare morning and afternoon tea; their own meals, plus prepping ingredients for baking/cooking sessions.
Sustainable practices are embedded in our daily routines and program such as cutting down on paper usage by endeavouring to utilise digital formats for administration documentation wherever possible and using our website to store documents that in the past would have been printed such our QIP and newsletters; sorting and recycling waste; food scraps saved for chickens and worms owned by our Team; using recycled materials for art and craft activities; efficient use of heating and cooling systems; bathrooms have water control taps and the toilets are dual flush; harvesting of rain water and storage in tanks to be used on garden; keeping our gardens mulched at all times, plus many aspects of our outdoor area are made from repurposed items.
Our Backyard Is large with varied spaces and levels with all elements of nature with a pleasant combination of natural and man made elements. It is a safe open space that provides more than adequate space for our Small Friends to play and chat together in small and large groups. The open design of our yard allows us to move equipment freely to allow for new learning spaces to be created regularly.
We have many natural shaded areas provided by our large pepper tree and bushes, plus constructed shelters for our Small Friends to play and hang out with their friends. Our backyard and Bunny Den are fully fenced with lockable gates.
The free flow set up of our backyard provides our Small Friends with suitable challenges to help scaffold their learning and development, and we are so fortunate to have such a large space allowing us the room for everyone to be out in the fresh air for the majority of our day no matter the weather. Our tree and pergola protect us from the sun in the heat of summer and our large pergola means the children can be outside even in wet weather.
Our Small Friends are encouraged and supported to become environmentally responsible and show care for the environment by being involved each day in maintaining the outdoor area by sweeping, planting, watering and putting rubbish in the bin. And with sustainable practices embedded in our program we all practice good habits to help environment showing the children how to recycle, reuse and repurpose whenever we can.
Our rainwater tank sits in our backyard and is accessible to our Small Friends with help from our Team to water our gardens, and at times clean equipment i.e. sorting our Small Friends carwash to wash our trikes. The automatic watering system operates as per our watering day, and our Team recycle water used in water play onto the grass and garden beds to model water conservation.
Learning Areas Different areas are created to provide a variety of play options – passive, energetic or creative, and inside activities can often be mirrored in our outside space including role play, dressing up, construction and painting. Many opportunities for loose parts play and exploring elements of nature are included in our program.
Furniture and equipment in all areas is upgraded as needed. Resources are stored in tidy areas and cleaned regularly, with two sheds providing safe and suitable storage for all equipment, toys and furniture.
Practice Is Informed By Critical Reflection
A daily WHS checklist of our house and backyard is completed each morning, and our Team immediately correct or document hazards on the checklist to be actioned immediately by the Team or to be followed up by Natassja. Major WHS issues are discussed at team meetings if required.
As a Team we plan a balanced range of activities outside to embrace all areas of the curriculum and ensure varying levels of physical competency are catered for, providing both natural and processed materials and resources for children to explore and use in their play.
Learning spaces are flexible and regularly re organised to stimulate children’s play, and in most cases child lead inquiry and discussion will lead to staff changing or adding to a learning area.
All spaces in our house and backyard are designed and organised to provide a variety of ways to engage every child. Our Small Friends are given opportunities to select their own activities and resources with supervision and guidance, with our Team taking any opportunity to extend the children’s interests and play by scaffolding with available resources, toys and materials, and where applicable ensure that the chosen change of play experience continues on in subsequent sessions.
Utilising our daily evaluation notes, changes are made if certain learning spaces and/or equipment/resources are not engaging to our Small Friends, or in turn recording that a particular space is well loved and a child’s learning and play is being completely supported in the space created.
We take photos of successful learning areas and post them on our Gaggle Zone Facebook wall that only our Team access. This record helps us with future planning and reminds us of the resources, toys and equipment that helped in creating a successful and engaging area.
Practice Is Shaped By Meaningful Engagement With Families, And/Or Community.
Families passing on equipment and furniture to us often enhance learning areas within our house, and we appreciate all that is donated. Those pieces surplus to our needs are passed on to charities such as The Foster Share Shed.
Our office is functional and well equipped for our Team to work and study in, and our cosy Team Room is a space where we eat lunch, run one on one or small group meetings; allow Therapy Teams to utilise the space for sessions, and chat with families in private if required.
We always support local when it comes to the maintenance of our house. Where we can we support our families who run their own businesses or employ local trade teams to help us to complete maintenance or construction work within our house and in the backyard. Natassja prides herself on the professional relationships we have with local businesses, many of whom have helped us to maintain our house and yards for many years.