Our philosophy

Urunga Community Preschool was established in 1983 and has strong and historic links to the local community, with a continuity of staff that spans generations of families who have attended the Preschool.

Our Preschool reflects the ethos of the North Coast and those who choose to live here:  a love of the outdoors, the rivers, the oceans and a relaxed way of life.
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We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which the Preschool is situated, the Gumbaynggirr people.

Our beliefs

About children:
​The principles founding the Early Years’ Learning Framework guide us in our beliefs:
  • Children are capable and competent
  • Children actively construct their own learning
  • Learning is dynamic, complex and holistic
  • Children have capacities to be active participants and decision makers in matters affecting them
  • Children learn by testing, experiencing, hypothesising, practising and investigating in a play-based way
  • Children come from diverse backgrounds and cultures
  • We encourage the full participation of each child regardless of ability or background
  • We share with our children our knowledge of Aboriginal history and of international cultures
  • We foster children’s acceptance that many people have different needs and beliefs
About families and communities:
  • We understand that children learn best when they have secure relationships with caring adults and that learning stems from the family, community and culture.
  • We value the expertise in families and engage in shared decision making about children’s wellbeing and learning.
  • We know that lifelong friendships and associations between families often start at Preschool.
  • Families place a great value on participation at Preschool in preparing their children for school.
About the environment:  
  • We believe that the environment is a strong educator of children and natural and man-made environments need to invite exploration, investigation and sustained play.
  • We believe that sustainability is everybody’s responsibility and that we will continue to examine our practices to best support and promote sustainability.
  • Educators will foster children’s capacity to understand and respect the natural environment and the interdependence between people, plants, animals and the land.​
About our role as educators:  
  • ​Our role is to engage, facilitate and scaffold learning whilst providing challenges and provocations.
  • Our curriculum decisions will provide a balance between child led, child initiated and educator supported learning.
  • We believe in being reflective practitioners and dynamic in our own learning to include current theories and best practices.
  • We believe that children’s learning takes different pathways and that the doing and discovery is just as important as the endpoint.
  • We engage in frequent conversations with parents to share the joy in each child’s achievements and to best meet their interests and needs.
  • We model social responsibility.

Our goals and aspirations

​It is our desire to continue to provide an open and supportive place for children and families to experience Early Childhood education. We strive to continually do our best in service provision.