2022

Reflections
Intentions.

This book belongs to:

________________________

Includes
Organisational Tasks - Supervision Reviews - NQS Reviews - Room Meeting Minutes – Environment plans
Learning Journal Assessments - Key Events - Calender of Events – Reflections – Provocations – Readings
 At Headstart Ocean Grove we believe in;
• honoring the traditional owners of the land through acknowledgment and education;
• fostering a love of learning amongst staff, children and families;
• ensuring the personal safety and wellbeing of all children;
• encouraging a respectful environment;
• developing responsive and meaningful relationships;
• cultivating an inclusive community and
• sharing leadership and decision making.
Our early education program includes culturally significant programs and practices that honor and give thanks to
the traditional owners of the land on which our service has been founded upon.
Our educators inspire meaningful learning for children by embracing the value of ‘play’ and fostering strong
reciprocal relationships through primary caregiving. As Educators we strongly advocate for children as capable
and confident learners and empower their decision-making skills centering our programs within the Victorian
Early Years Learning and Development Framework. We have incorporated the beliefs and values of our
educators when revising the service philosophy and reflect on our shared vision to explore what is important to
our children and families. Holding shared intentions enables the educators to guide and support children equally
and with consistency within our pedagogy we create a reliable nurturing environment.
We collaborate with industry leaders to ensure our policies and procedures are responsive to the protection of
children, staff and families and that the rights of children are safeguarded. We support children, families and staff
to make choices that enable them to lead healthy and safe lives as we believe this is central to each person’s
sense of wellbeing. Through our social and charitable activities we encourage the children to see themselves as
valued members of the wider community.
We understand that delivering the best education is a collaborative endeavor. Our environment celebrates the
varied identities of the learners within them. It is with respect of cultural diversity, responsiveness and warmth
that we develop family and children’s sense of belonging. We view parents as children’s first teachers and
endeavor to facilitate shared understandings for learning through effective communication processes to ensure
we honor diversity and each family’s cultural capital. These responsive relationships support children’s positive
self-identity and encourage every individual to express their ideas. Each child is encouraged to explore their
natural world and learn about ways to care for their environment and the world we share.
Headstart Ocean Grove believes it is the people within our service - the children, families and educators are what
make our service unique. We invest time into skilled personnel, supporting continual development, professional
enquiry, reflective practice and shared understandings.
The vision we hold for our center and for your children, is a shared vision. We believe in a consultative approach
and operate a cycle of continual improvement where families are encouraged to partner with us in the center and
share in decision making.
This philosophy guides our decision making, our purpose and the way we develop our programs. By honoring
this philosophy Headstart Ocean Grove provides a nurturing environment that promotes each child’s
development in a way that brings joy and equips them for life.
Provocations which educators support:
“ engaging with children on the floor
taking in turns with educators.”
“when we make the time and effort to slow down, be fully present and mindful of our experiences, then we give
each child a gift that will last a lifetime.”
“involving our families into our program is critical for supporting their children.

PURPOSE
Reflect & Review

Staying engaged as an educator and providing programs that are responsive to children and families requires opportunities in the
year to stop – pause – reflect.

As we know working with children can be a busy time so it is with this in mind that we are trying to create at least 4 times in the
year that you are able to spend some of your planning time to reflect and form intentions that are meaningful to your professional
practice and to enhancing outcomes for children in your program.

It is only when we do this that we can begin to take a professional look at our own practices, what informs our decisions and how
we are able to ensure we honour the feedback, conversations and consultation of our children and families.

Our pedagogy is firstly informed by principles and practices of the Early Years Learning Framework and it is with these insights
we are able to drive quality, improve our teaching, notice learning opportunities and collaborate authentically.
There are many complexities to reflective practices and in order for this to be authentic we need to be guided with our professional
judgement about what is valuable to reflect on. This is also guided by what we know and understanding of key documents such as
the Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Standards. You have the autonomy as a member of our team to
guide your own reflections each term.

What does Reflective Practice Mean?

Reflective Practise is a form of ongoing learning that involves engaging with questions of philosophy, ethics and practise. Its
intention is to gather information and gain insights that support, inform and enrich decision making about children’s learning. As
professionals, educators examine what happens in their settings and reflect on what they might change or develop.

Critical Reflection involves closely examining all aspects of events and experiences from different perspectives.

DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS
1. X1 or 2 group learning stories per week – all year round
2. Emergent interest program – all year round – this program can be weekly/fortnightly or 3 weekly
3. Assessments per term as detailed in this book
4. School holidays – Evaluate/reflect on learning stories systematically (as relevant)
• Reflection (detailed)
• Intentions (detailed)
EDUCATION POLICIES
1. Educational Program Policy
2. Educational Program Procedure
3. Relationships with Children Policy
4. Behaviour Guidance Policy