It is the philosophy of the Management Committee and Staff of The Cottage to value and support parents and guardians as primary carers of their children by providing affordable childcare of the highest quality and by upholding the principles of the ‘UN Convention on the Rights of the Child’.
Goals:
- To place the highest value on input from all children, families, staff and community resources; thereby operating upon a philosophy of open management that reflects the values of the school community and encourages formal and informal participation in programming, feedback and review on all issues via the staff and The Cottage Management Committee.
- To provide a happy, stable yet stimulating, free-choice environment that is inviting, comfortable and inclusive regardless of age, gender, additional needs, diverse backgrounds, practices or beliefs.
- To foster an informal, relaxed and trusting atmosphere. A culture where children are allowed first and foremost to be themselves; yet are encouraged to extend their interests, develop friendships, take responsibility and grow in confidence, independence and respect for themselves and others.
- To offer children a flexible program of structured and unstructured activities including expressive art, construction, active and passive play, sports, games, dramatic play, cooking, crafts and reading; all tailored to address the requirements of middle childhood development and to augment and cultivate the aforementioned goals 1 to 4.
Note: The Cottage Philosophy and Goals are consulted and reviewed regularly in conjunction with the Management Committee’s on-going policy reviews.