Education and Care Services
Lady Gowrie Tasmania Children’s Education and Care Services comprises over 40 services including Long Day Care and Outside School Hours Care.
POSITION STATEMENT
Lady Gowrie Tasmania is committed to providing the highest quality education and care for children to give them the best start in life. Lady Gowrie Tasmania works in partnership with families, early childhood professionals and the broader community to ensure children are happy, healthy and develop a love of learning. At Lady Gowrie Tasmania children are encouraged to reach their full potential and are at the centre of all practice.
COMMITMENT TO CHILD SAFETY AND CULTURE
Lady Gowrie Tasmania has a ‘Children First’ philosophy, supporting the rights of all children to grow, learn and play in a safe place. Lady Gowrie Tasmania has zero tolerance towards abuse, neglect or exploitation of children combined with a strong commitment to the health and wellbeing of both children and our team. Lady Gowrie Tasmania strives to provide a safe and inclusive environment across our services, programs and workplaces, where diversity in all its forms, including strengths, cultural background, identity and abilities are recognised and celebrated.
PHILOSOPHY
The Lady Gowrie Tasmania Education and Care Philosophy provides a shared vision to guide our practice to ensure the best outcomes for children, their families and in turn, the community. The philosophy does not replace our mantra of ‘Children First’ but rather it works to enhance these words. The key words highlighted in the philosophy could not speak more truth to the purpose and importance of the early and middle childhood profession.
The development of the philosophy was collaborative process with invaluable contributions from the Philosophy Working Group, educators from Long Day Care and Outside School Hours Care, Education and Care Managers, Senior Leadership Team, Employee Engagement Group, Middle Management, families, friends of Lady Gowrie Tasmania and most importantly, the children. A special thank you must go to Abigail, Isabel and Mae for sharing their representations of ‘wonder and investigation’ through conversation and creative expression, resulting in the fabulous artwork used in the philosophy design.
To view the Lady Gowrie Tasmania Education and Care Philosophy please follow the link here.
PARTNERSHIPS WITH FAMILIES
Lady Gowrie Tasmania values and places a high priority on communication between educators and families. This is encouraged both on an informal and formal basis. Daily interaction and communication about individual children is vital to ensure appropriate and individualised education and care is provided.
EDUCATORS
Lady Gowrie Tasmania employs qualified, experienced and passionate early and middle childhood educators who recognise that children learn through play. They work in partnerships with families to develop learning programs that are responsive to children’s ideas, interests, strengths and abilities. Lady Gowrie Tasmania educators are offered regular opportunities for professional learning and development to extend their knowledge and invigorate their daily planning and connections with children.
CURRICULUM
Lady Gowrie Tasmania Long Day Care curriculum for children from birth to five years of age is based on the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). The Framework‘s vision is for all children to experience play-based learning that is engaging and builds success for life. It is a guide for early childhood educators who work with children from birth to five years of age. Qualified and experienced educators use the framework in partnership with families – children’s first and most influential educators – to develop learning programs responsive to children’s ideas, interests, strengths and abilities, and recognise that children learn through play. Planned play-based experiences are also influenced by current and emerging early childhood research.
Through the EYLF five learning goals, the curriculum provides children with the opportunities to develop:
- a strong sense of their identity
- connections with their world
- a strong sense of wellbeing
- confidence and involvement in their learning; and
- effective communication skills.
Lady Gowrie Tasmania Outside School Hours Care services curriculum for school age children is based on the My Time, Our Place – Framework for School Age Care in Australia. The Framework assists middle childhood educators to develop, implement and evaluate the curriculum in collaboration with children to provide play and leisure opportunities that are meaningful to children and support their wellbeing, learning and development. Educators regularly seek information from families to support the planning process and input from families is always valued and welcomed.
TOURS
We welcome and encourage families to visit Lady Gowrie Tasmania Education and Care Services for a tour. Tours provide families with the opportunity to ask valuable questions, to meet our dedicated educators and to see our education and care programs in action.
ENQUIRIES
To enquire about Lady Gowrie Tasmania Long Day Care please click here.
To enquire about Lady Gowrie Tasmania Outside School Hours Care please click here.