Heathmont East Preschool would like to Acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, the traditional owners of this land where our kinder sits and where we gather to learn and play. We pay our respects to the elders who have raised children, taught them about the world around them and given them the gift of culture and language.

We at Heathmont East Preschool believe that children learn by ‘doing’. We have developed a ‘Play based’ program with many open ended activities that inspire children to explore, to wonder, to use their different senses, and to engage in learning.

We work to provide flexibility within a routine that provides security and develops the child’s cognitive, social, physical and emotional skills and capabilities in a safe and stimulating environment.

Heathmont East Preschool believes in nurturing a sense of belonging and inclusion for all children and families and assist children to develop confident self identities. We recognise the importance of families as the child’s first educator.

Educators provide individual supports and tailor the learning environment to enable each child to reach their full potential. Each child is recognised as a valuable member of our learning environment in which we all learn, grow and share together. We expect our children’s learning journey will be supported by strong partnerships between home, preschool and the community.

Role modelling kindness and respect for other people and for the environment are at the forefront of our daily intentional teaching and helping children to develop and express social and emotional skills allow children to successfully interact with their peers and build strong connections with the group as they become ready.

Our indoor and outdoor learning spaces are set up to reflect the interests and needs of individuals and the group, guided by the Principles and Practices of the National and Victorian Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Framework.

We encourage Sustainable practices through the centre’s use of resources, planting and harvesting edible produce, recycling, composting and connecting with the natural environment. We embed regular discussion about healthy eating, giving the children an understanding about ‘everyday healthy food’ and ‘sometimes treat food.’

Educators believe learning should be visible to families so we can all celebrate who their child is and what they are achieving. We facilitate this through conversations, newsletters, children’s art work, learning journals, half year learning outcome reports and interviews with families, Transition to School reports at the end of the year. Parents are actively invited to participate in the day to day program, giving parents further insights into their child’s learning.

Heathmont East Preschool believes that in helping young children to achieve resilience, positive relationships through social and emotional competence and a love of learning, we can help to set them on a learning journey that will create citizens who will contribute positively to the community and the environment.


Commitment to Child Safe Standards

Heathmont East Preschool is child safe organisation.
We want children to be safe, happy and empowered.
We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers.
We are committed to the safety, participation and empowerment of all children.
We have zero tolerance of child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently with our robust policies and procedures.
We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously.
We are committed to regularly training and educating our board members, staff, contractors and volunteers on child abuse risks and how to interact and behave with children.
We are committed to providing and promoting safe environments for all children, including vulnerable children, where they feel safe.
We are committed to providing and promoting the cultural safety of Aboriginal children and the cultural safety of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds.
We are committed to ensuring that LGBTIQ+ children and families feel included.
We have put in place processes for responding to and reporting suspected child abuse.
We have specific policies and procedures in place that support our board members, staff and volunteers to achieve these commitments.
We are committed to ensuring that staff, contractors and volunteers understand that child safety is everyone’s responsibility.