Glen Education McKinnon

Partnerships with Families and the Community

Wida Tausif, Early Childhood Educator  

By taking a collaborative approach, our education team works in partnership with children and families to support better outcomes for children in our community and high-quality programing.

Through the development of strong relationships between families and educators, we are able to reflect on each child's individual identity and support their unique developmental needs.  This supports educators to provide a learning environment in which children are supported to engage in challenges, to question, investigate, and evaluate through opened ended learning experiences.

Collaborative partnerships with families are essential to providing high-quality care in early childhood education and care. Grounded in Quality Area 6 of the National Quality Standards (NQS), collaborative partnerships call for open, honest and respectful communication.

A child’s first experiences and interactions shape the world they see. With this in mind, families are children’s first teachers, and as educators, our role is to work with families to support a shared vision of learning and growth.

As educators, our role is to provide families with direct support and help them discover ways to meet their needs. When we build collaborative partnerships with families, we empower them to give their child the best start in life. It’s important to recognise the central role families play in children’s lives. 

At Glen Education McKinnon Kindergarten, we see every family as unique with different values, experiences and priorities. In the same way, our partnerships are also unique. We respond to every family’s situation with respect and understanding. We believe that families are the first and primary influence in the lives of children and are knowledgeable of their child. Trusting, respectful partnerships with families are a critical component of the way we establish a sense of belonging consistent between kindergarten and home. 

As a team at Glen Education McKinnon Kindergarten, we have successfully been able to build a partnership with our families based on trust and respect. This partnership has enabled us to obtain information about the children’s strengths, what they find challenging, and their learning in the home environment. It also has enabled families to share and revise their goals for their child throughout the year with the educational team to ensure that both educators and families have an understanding of how their child is engaging in the educational program and meeting developmental milestones.

Glen Education McKinnon Kindergarten is committed to ensuring children’s learning at the service is integrated and interconnected with their learning at home and in the community.

At Glen Education McKinnon Kindergarten, we have always ensured our families and community members feel welcome to participate in our programs. Our doors are always open for families to participate in and enrich our programs. We understand that time is precious and value even the smallest visit into our programs. We believe that children’s learning and wellbeing are enhanced when the kindergarten develops positive partnerships with families, community groups and individuals.

There are many ways to become involved in our kindergarten, whether it is through a discussion on their experiences (e.g. occupation) or reading a book, sharing cultural heritage, sharing an interest or skill such as art and craft, cooking with children during the program, or bringing in an item from family or cultural backgrounds or song to share with the children and educators. 

In the past, we have had families come in and share their cultural heritage with the children during Cultural Diversity Week. We have had families have open discussions with the educators about their home language and culture. Families have brought in food to share with the children and educators. 

Family and community connections are valued and appreciated and ensure our programs reflect our diverse learning community.