About

‘Abacus’, as the name implies, is an educational, colourful, creative and fun environment which opened in January 1998.

Abacus Child Care Centre is situated in a tranquil, attractive internal block with lovely views of the Tamar River. The Centre operates a ‘Family Grouping’ model whereby all ages of children have the opportunity to mix together throughout the day. There are separate areas for groups and individuals to have some space (such as the ‘secret garden’) but involvement with different ages is encouraged. The program is planned to incorporate a wide range of indoor and outdoor experiences offering a fairly flexible program to suit both the individuals and the whole group.

We provide long-day care, sessional care on a regular basis and, if vacancies occur, casual care.

We also offer Outside School Hours Care which includes:

• Before School Care to Trevallyn Primary School
• After School Care based at Trevallyn Primary School for Trevalyn Primary School students only
• Vacation Care based at Trevallyn Primary School, although available to children from other schools.

Abacus services are approved under the Education and Care Services National Law and operate with the National Quality Standard.

Please take the time to read the following information and talk to the educators about any queries or concerns. Your involvement through suggestions, comments or participation is always welcome.

We would like to recognise the traditional owners of this land, the Palawa people, on whose land we build our community today.

Here is the land. Here is the sky. Here are my friends and here am I. We thank the Palawa people for the land on which we work, play and learn. Hands up, hands down we're on Kanamaluka ground. Ya, Pulingina

Our PHILOSOPHY is to provide the highest quality education and care to enhance each child's development within our family grouping service, where children of all ages learn, play, and grow together in a nurturing environment. We are committed to creating meaningful relationships, fostering a sense of belonging, and providing an environment that supports families and their diverse and changing needs.

We believe that:

• Every child is unique and should be respected.

• Parents/Guardians/Families are the primary caregivers and that we will work in partnership with them to complement the care they provide.

• Children deserve consistently high quality education and care.

• The rights of the child are paramount consideration

• The program should provide opportunity for both play and early/middle childhood education in a meaningful and enjoyable environment.

Our GOALS and VALUES include:

• • Providing a safe, stimulating and secure environment.
  • The development, implementation and regular review of policies and procedures guide our work and ensure consistency and stability in the program.
  • The provision of experiences which enrich the learning and development of each individual child encompassing Belonging, Being and Becoming (LDC) / My Time, Our Place (OSHC), as characterised through The Early Years Learning Framework (v2.0) for Australia.
  • Ensuring that the program highlights the importance of the child’s voice, spontaneity and play-based learning.
  • The continued development of written programs which are planned, implemented and evaluated to meet the needs of the individual children and the group as a whole.
  • The employment of professional educators who have a commitment to on-going professional development.
  • The employment of suitably qualified and experienced educators with a strong understanding of early childhood / middle childhood development.
  • An environment which fosters a positive attitude and effective communication between all concerned.
  • The opportunity for parents/families/guardians to have a commitment, offer support and be involved with the program to whatever extent they wish.
  • The provision of an environment which provides high health and safety standards.
  • An environment which promotes and fosters high nutritional standards.
  • An environment which promotes sustainability.
  • The development of an understanding and respect for key social issues such as:

peace/non-violence,

diversity,

gender equity,

integration of children with additional needs,

multiculturalism and

environmental awareness.

• We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders as the traditional owners of our land and are committed to reconciliation and implementation of our ‘reconciliation action plan’ (RAP)

• An ongoing commitment to the National Quality Framework as a tool for ensuring that ongoing high quality education and care is provided.

• Adherence and promotion of the ideals of the Australian Early Childhood Association Code of Ethics and the UN Convention on The Rights of The Child.

• We are advocates and have a strong commitment to the safety of children and young people as outlined in our ‘statement of commitment to child safety’

• Embedding the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations placing the protection of children as a priority of our responsibilities and obligations.

• Adhere to the National Model Code for Early Education and Care.

Our POLICIES are written as a foundation to guide our work. We periodically review and update these policies to ensure:

that they reflect current professional thinking and trends

that educators re-familiarise themselves with the purpose and content

that families are given the opportunity to offer input

and to offer a reminder to develop new policies as necessary.

Policies are reviewed and updated in a variety of ways:

• in the newsletter

• through ideas contributed in our ‘Suggestion Box’ at reception (LDC) and inside on the programming board (OSHC)

• discussions with families

Please take the time to read these policies and procedures and to contribute your comments.

All the policies and procedures can be found in the relevant folders located at reception. Please take the time to familiarise yourself with them.