Whatever the age of the child in care, nurturing and responsive relationships provide children with a sense of safety and security, while at the same time giving them confidence to act autonomously to pursue their own interests. Children who feel safe and secure in the presence of familiar, nurturing people within their families and community learn to develop and foster the same type of relationships with their peers. Strong, confident, and comfortable connections between educators and children is vital to children’s emotional wellbeing.

Our educators offer an inviting and dynamic outdoor and indoor play space that includes natural features which adds interest and stimulation to children’s play. This provides a variety of learning opportunities and allows children to explore and experience the natural environment. It also provides open-ended interactions with the built and natural environments, spontaneity, risk-taking, exploration, discovery and help children develop environmental awareness and a sense of custodianship of and care for the environment.

We encourage all educators to be mindful in their daily practices with children. By being present and in the moment, educators become mindful of how they engage, interact, and respond to children. Creating opportunities to be present takes planning and practice. One of the best ways educators can embed mindful moments in their daily curriculum is to document short sessions throughout the day in their program. The benefits are when educators are calm, this flows onto the children and creates a consciously calm and thoughtful way of approaching practice.

We believe that sustainability is vital and comes about through transformative change at every level; our thinking, ways of being, and ways of interacting with and caring for our environment. Our educators readily engage children in the tangible methods of implementing sustainability, such as using compost bins, recycling, using recycled materials and growing produce within the FDC garden. Implementing transformative and measurable change requires critical reflection and thinking by children and educators alike, which results in environmentally aware critical thinkers emerging from childcare.

At West Coast FDCS, children’s learning outcomes are met through play-based activities. ‘Play’ itself is a voluntary, enjoyable activity with no purpose or end goal. Activities like this lay the foundation for a child to become a curious and excited learner later in life. Children show their remarkable ability for exploration, imagination, and decision-making through play. While ‘play’ is often described as ‘children’s work’, it is intensely enjoyable for them.