ELC News

Lyn Pewtress, ELC Coordinator

Community

“It really takes a community to raise children …  Nobody can do it well alone. And it’s the bedrock security of community that we and our children need.”  - Marian Wright Edelman

A community is more than just a location. When we talk about a ‘sense of community’ in the ELC, we are referring to the quality of the relationships and connections that bind our educators, students and families together. 

During the current COVID-19 climate, this connection has never been more vital. It is important for the children and their families to remain bonded with their educators, peers and School. As early childhood educators, creating a ‘sense of community’ is an integral part of what we do. 

It is central to the core themes of belonging and identity that run through the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). For young children, a sense of community plays a pivotal role in the development of their feelings of security and belonging. Children thrive in a spirit of mutually supportive and caring relationships. 

Here we pay tribute to all the educators, children, families and School members who contribute to the making of our wonderful ELC ‘village’.   

Finding resilience during COVID times

I recently wrote an article that was published in the June 2021 Independent Schools Victoria Early Childhood Services (ISV) newsletter. It offers my insights and reflections on how we can navigate through COVID.  

I was sitting in a waiting room when I learnt that we were about to enter another lockdown. ‘When does it end?’ I thought. My mindset instinctively returned to crisis management mode, but is this such a bad thing? Can I view this past year affirmatively, as a time of reinvention and change?  

Personally, I like to see the positive in most challenges I face. While the past year has been a rollercoaster, it has also allowed me to rethink my approach to management and reinvent how we deliver quality early childhood education. 

It’s been a long journey, but most definitely a significant one. When I consider the year ahead, I wonder how long I will still need to be reactive and prepared for change? Perhaps it’s a year of opportunity – a year to metamorphosise. 

Resilience is the key for this process to be successful, both for educators and the children we teach. At our Centre, we have just begun participating in the webinar series ‘Building Resilient Children’ from KG Learning as part of our School Readiness Program. 

While the objective is to challenge our way of building resilience in young children, it also offers ways for reflecting on our own sense of resilience in this post-COVID world. While I am in no way advising on how this should be done, I do believe this is the key concept I would like to aspire to this year. 

This is what I wish for in 2021: resilience for my students and families, team, Centre, School and colleagues.