Glen Education Caulfield Primary

Building Connections with Our Families and Community

Nora Crameri, Early Childhood Educator

Carissa Macky, Early Childhood Educator

The relationships and experiences a child has in their early years is critical for their development and their ability to reach their full potential. Kindergartens play an important role in child development, not only by providing quality learning environments, but by building partnerships with families and communities to work together in the best interests of the child. These partnerships should be positive, open-minded and respectful of the culture, values and expertise each brings. After all, families and educators are working towards the same goal of providing the best possible start for children. Research shows that when a child feels connected to their learning environment, they will feel secure and confident, ready to get on with the important work of learning through play.

One of the most significant impacts of the pandemic on kindergarten has been the imposed distance between families and services. We used Zoom, phone calls and emails and tried our best to be creative to maintain engagement and relationships. Now that restrictions have eased, we are welcoming families back into our kindergarten, and are concentrating our efforts to reestablish these crucial partnerships, not only with families, but with our wider community.

Glen Education Caulfield Primary Kindergarten is fortunate to share a building, a Japanese/English bilingual approach, and a community with Caulfield Primary School. We have families join our kindergarten and continue with their Prep year in the classrooms next door. This unique arrangement is important to our community and means that the connections we make with families continue from one sibling to the next, right through the primary years. We love seeing older siblings visit kindergarten when they do drop off in the morning! Opportunities to connect with school can occur informally throughout the day, such as waving to the school principal as he passes by or when former kindergarten children come to the school fence to chat during outdoor play.

Some of the planned ways we connect children and families with our kindergarten, Caulfield Primary School, and the wider community include:

Greeting children and families each morning and encouraging them to enter the Kinder to spend time with educators, children and families
Displaying family photos of children and educators to spark conversation and bring a smile to faces when they may be feeling overwhelmed
Incorporating Japanese language and culture to provide different perspectives and strengthen connections with children and families from Japanese cultural backgrounds
Inviting parents with interesting skills or experiences to talk with us and share their knowledge
Inviting families to view our art gallery and enjoy group picnics
Participating in school activities, such as Book Week, concerts and ANZAC Day
Visiting the school library and playground
Walking excursions to local community services, such as parks and the post office