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our philosophy

At The Strawberry Bush we believe relationships with children are the foundation for everything. Our practices are informed by frequent, individual and intentional interactions with children. Children receive lots of one-on-one interactions with great exposure to rich language and extended discourse, which enable them to become effective communicators. We use Enriched Caregiving techniques to ensure that even routine times are meaningful for children. These techniques foster the relationships between educator and child, ensuring that children have a strong sense of wellbeing.

Family connections are essential, and we recognise that families are the first teachers in a child’s life. Strong reciprocal relationships with families enable us to learn about children to ensure that our service is inclusive and that children have a strong sense of identity.

We use a play-based curriculum with ample opportunity for teacher-initiated activities that extend upon children’s interests and ideas to support their strengths and emerging capabilities. We refer to Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development to scaffold children’s learning and build their capacity. Children’s sense of agency is promoted throughout the program, and their voices and opinions are captured to help us reflect and improve upon our practices.

We are very passionate about nature and outdoor play. We love our flourishing open spaces and natural environments and adopt the Reggio Emilia philosophy that the environment is the third teacher. We use our outdoor spaces as an extension of the classroom and operate an indoor-outdoor free-flow policy so children can access natural environments throughout their day. This enables us to incorporate risky play into our program, where children are encouraged to build upon their development and become confident and involved learners.

We are very passionate about sustainability and work hard with families and children to actively lower our carbon footprint. We love Steiner’s views on nature-based and open-ended play. We believe that our best and most innovative resources come from reused and recycled materials that provide children with options for creative and imaginative play whilst promoting sustainable practices.

We are passionate about facilitating community connections, so children are aware of how they connect and contribute to their society. We refer to Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory on the importance of a child’s connection with their environment and its positive impact on their growth and development. We strongly advocate for the importance of the early years in our community.

We are genuinely passionate about Early Childhood Education and Care, and nothing is more rewarding than building strong relationships with children to foster their development by motivating and inspiring them to be the best learners they can be.