Service Philosophy
Buderim OSHC Service Philosophy
A home-away-from-home is the environment we endeavour to create, within a collaborative school community on the land of the Gubbi Gubbi people. Buderim OSHC is situated in an environment where each individual (child and adult) is encouraged to explore and find their identity within a community based on acceptance and equality.
Children are still developing and exploring their identity and sense of belonging. We are not here to mould them, but to give them their sense of agency by guiding and supporting their individuality. We encourage our children to develop their independence and autonomy, whilst inspiring them to become leaders at all ages. All children are included and are treated equally without discrimination towards race, culture, religion, or gender. Fairness is not based on all children receiving the same resource, but giving them the resource they individually require to all be successful. Buderim OSHC provides an environment where children feel safe and have their voice heard. The “Conventional Rights of a Child” is embedded, ensuring all children understand their human rights. To foster positive interactions and relationships, our “Behaviour Support Process” provides a foundation in which individual children feel valued, while providing educators with the tools to be consistent, positive and fair.
As we value our children, we value our families. We encourage effective communication between the service and families, as this assists us in providing quality care that is tailored to their child/ren. Educators and families come together as one, to ensure a smooth transition between both environments. Their culture and experiences are respected, as we feel our families add extensive value to the service. As members of the Buderim community, we encourage their involvement to allow us to connect to the wider community.
Our collaborative approach to our community allows us to create and establish ongoing relationships to support in all aspects of our service. We promote the value and importance of our wider community to the children, educating the beneficial role that all community members contribute in our society.
Our dynamic and highly qualified team of professional educators form another part of our community. Through collaboration and reflection, it is evident that our team possess a wide range of skills, expertise and experiences to add value to the community and the lifelong learning process for our children and families. Our team consists of positive and energetic educators from a diverse range of cultures and geographical backgrounds.
The framework that guides all aspects of our curriculum is the nationally recognised “My Time, Our Place”. This leisure based and child initiated program incorporates the foundations of “Belonging, Being and Becoming” ensuring all children develop a strong sense of identity; connect with and contribute to their world; possess a strong sense of wellbeing; become confident and involved learners; and effective communicators. To assist in the effective transition process from Kindergarten to the Buderim school community, we have developed an additional program for our Prep children called “Ready, Steady, Grow”. This program incorporates the required confidence, skills and learning outcomes to provide strong foundations for their transition to schooling years in a collaborative environment. Buderim OSHC also offers a program called “Involved & Independent” that caters for the individual needs of children in the upper primary years, encouraging our children to be independent and take responsibility. To support the development of autonomy and to promote independence, the program is situated in an outdoor environment that provides opportunities for self-discovery and child directed learning.
Our environment, also known as our third teacher, assists with facilitating a positive learning environment for individual, small and large groups of children. The service utilises an assortment of play spaces within the school community, which assists with the flexibility in providing a wide range of activities and resources for our children. With a large emphasis on sustainability, the service is responsible for the conservation of the school’s community garden and compost program. As this forms part of our daily routine, this allows our children to gain knowledge and discuss other components of sustainability. It is evident within the service that we guide and educate our children to become environmentally sensitive in the way in which they connect and contribute to their world.
Whilst educating the children in regards to how we can look after our planet, we also encourage the children to take increased responsibility for their personal health and wellbeing. With our educators guiding positive practice through role modelling, children are provided with a safe environment; embedded hygiene practices; nutritious meals; and an emphasis on mental health. Our educators take on an enquiry-based approach to health and safety, ensuring the children develop a sense of agency in regards to their health, which also contributes to the effective learning opportunity.
Our service continually aims to improve on our practices through regular reflections, observations and evaluations. With our collaborative approach with the community (children, families, and school) all feedback and suggestions are valued before investigation and/or implementation.