About Us

Acknowledgement of Country:

Balwyn East Kindergarten acknowledges the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the traditional owners of the land on which the kindergarten stands. Balwyn East Kindergarten respectfully recognises Elders both past and present.

Our Philosophy & Child Safety Statement

The philosophy of Balwyn East Kindergarten is underpinned by the guiding principles of the National Quality Framework as informed by the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework, for the immediate and long term benefit of the children in our care.

Philosophy:

We believe in taking an holistic approach to children’s education, where experiences are supported by reflection and critical analysis to advance the children’s development in the areas of cognition, wellbeing, social & emotional development, communication and health. The children are immersed intellectually, emotionally, socially, spiritually* and physically in an inclusive environment where the child may experience success, failure, adventure and risk-taking.

We believe that play is an active learning process, essential for stimulating children’s intellectual, social, physical and creative abilities. We believe that within a collaborative and respectful environment, the synthesis of child-directed learning, guided learning and adult-led learning engages the children and encourages exploration of issues such as values, relationships, diversity, inclusion and community.

We recognise that all children, their families and staff are part of a wider community. We believe in the value of building collaborative connections between children, their family and staff, where the children are valued as members of a group who develop relationships with others, their communities and their environment. We believe that supporting these connections helps children to develop a sense of belonging and self worth, knowing that staff and their family have a shared interest in what is happening in their world.

We believe in forming connections with people and places outside Balwyn East Kindergarten. We believe that it is important for children to have an understanding of what it is to belong to a community. We believe that children are citizens in their own right and as such are afforded the opportunity to participate, contribute and engage meaningfully within their various communities.

*feelings of awe and wonder

Our Commitment to Child Safety:

Balwyn East Kindergarten is committed to child safety.

We want children to be safe, happy and empowered. We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers.

We are committed to the safety, participation and empowerment of all children.

We have zero tolerance of child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently with our robust policies and procedures.

We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously.

Balwyn East Kindergarten is committed to preventing child abuse and identifying risks early, and removing and reducing these risks.

Balwyn East Kindergarten has robust human resources and recruitment practices for all staff and volunteers.

Balwyn East Kindergarten is committed to regularly training and educating our staff and volunteers on child abuse risks.

We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers. We are committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, the cultural safety of children from a culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to providing a safe environment for children with a disability.

We have specific policies, procedures and training in place that support our leadership team, staff and volunteers to achieve these commitments.