The team at Explore & Develop Annandale believe building relationships is the cornerstone of our practice. Our relationships with children, families and community inform our decision making, our philosophy and practice. We work within a philosophical framework of a sustainable future and are guided by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives.
Belonging
We foster belonging through meaningful relationships with children, families and the community. Belonging is also reflected through professional relationships between educators, and with the early childhood community.
Knowledge
We believe that children come into our world filled with knowledge. Through their relationships with others, they learn from, learn with and allow us to learn from them. We see ourselves as lifelong learners, co-constructing knowledge with children, to make meaning in our shared world.
Play
Humans learn through play. It is how people express their knowledge, communicate their emotions and make sense of the world. Play is where imagination comes to life, curiosity is ignited, and creativity is developed.
Trust
We believe that children are infinitely capable. This means that we trust in their decisions and give them the space to express their agency and assess their own risks. We also trust in each other as a team of professionals. Trust is essential to the relationships that we want to develop with children, families, our profession and the community.
Inclusion
Inclusive practice is informed by a belief that every child has a right to education and to feel safe and supported. We aim to create a culture of inclusivity through the relationships we build with each other, the children, families and our community.
Wonder
Wonder describes a state of mind where creativity and inquiry collide. It is where curiosity, imagination and opportunity come together to make meaning of the world. It is the place where new ideas are born and knowledge is built while making space for play with possibility.
We believe that in order to care for our world children need to be connected to the land as Aboriginal people have done for thousands of years. Excursions make our children visible in the community, seeing children venturing ‘out the gate’ to connect with the pockets of green in our urban landscape.
Our children participate in regular walking excursions to parks and local shops. We attend community events like NAIDOC at Glebe Public school and have created books documenting the children’s exploration and expression of Annandale.
Our commitment to sustainability comes from our continued learning from our first Australians. Being a sustainability community is essential to us; our team works continuously to make environmentally conscious choices and include children in these practices. We have a native beehive in our roof top garden, and actively participate in environmental projects including: Take Three for the Sea, The Boomerang Bag Project, Plastic Free Boy, Inner West Eco Festival, ABC War on Waste, Plastic Free July, Redcycle.
We adopt an anti-bias approach and invite all families to be a part of our community. Our team constructs curriculum and challenge each other to confront personal bias to ensure our curriculum reflects the diverse world in which we and children live.
We use tools such as Be You and other research to guide and support our community’s mental health.
We have cultivated a strong culture of critical reflection and continuous learning. Educators regularly speak at professional conferences, including the Early Childhood Australia Conference, Aboriginal Early Childhood Conference, ECEEN conference and Nature Play conference.
Su Garrett has a Bachelor of Arts (Human Movement Studies), Advanced Diploma in Accounting, Certificate III in Children’s Services and an Advanced Diploma in Community Sector Management.
“It is my goal to provide a learning environment where:
As the Approved Provider and Nominated Supervisor, I am in the service daily and work closely with lead educators in providing a high quality curriculum. Ian and I own and operate Explore & Develop Annandale and work together to support our three children.
Within our birth to 2-year environment we have 2 small groups of children: barrugin and djubi
4 educators led by an Early Childhood Teacher
Child-led ritual-based program
Indoor outdoor program
Excursions into the local community
Development of strong relationships with families
Within our 2 – 5 environment we have 3 small groups of children: Gulamany, muruduwin and binit
The Badu and Gadi rooms are open to all children
Inquiry based program focusing on focus on social and emotional learning
Regular excursions in the local community
Children are encouraged to develop independence in the transition from preschool to Kindergarten
Embedded early literacy and numeracy through real life experiences
Level 1, 6-8 Booth St
Annandale NSW
2038
Phone: (02) 8068 6439
annandale@exploreanddevelop.com.au
sug@exploreanddevelop.com.au
Monday – Friday
7.30am – 6.00pm
