Our Philosophy
NewHope Baptist Preschool is committed to providing a high quality educational program for preschool children. Our Christian foundation will ensure a caring, nurturing environment where each child is given the opportunity to develop and grow a positive and healthy self-esteem and discover many new things about themselves, others and their world. The NewHope Baptist Preschool community endeavours to create collaborative partnerships with families and strong connections to the local community.
At NewHope Baptist Preschool we believe that building meaningful, collaborative relationships with families is the foundation to a positive Kindergarten experience for children, families and Educators.
We are committed to creating an environment where children feel safe, secure, respected and supported and where their beliefs, ideas and decisions are valued
Children are empowered as active and capable learners with agency, who are genuinely consulted in decisions that affect their daily experiences, learning and wellbeing.
We believe that Children’s learning is dynamic, complex and holistic. Physical, social, emotional, personal, spiritual, creative, cognitive and linguistic aspects of learning are all intricately interwoven and interrelated. (P.10. EYLF)
We aim to provide open-ended learning experiences that are inviting, engaging and promote thinking and learning.
Our program supports children to explore ‘big ideas’ such as sustainability, children’s rights, reconciliation, social justice, Inclusion, wellbeing, and diversity.
NewHope Baptist Preschool is committed to:
- A child safe environment
- Providing an environment where each child can explore current skills, establish and develop new skills and gain knowledge of themselves, others and the world around them
- Ensuring a stimulating educational environment, based upon the individual needs of the children and uphold issues of wellbeing, safety, health and individual care
- Providing a Christian-based program where God’s love, grace and truths are interwoven throughout the curriculum
- Foster an environment that encourages learning and adherence to issues of social justice, equity and inclusion
- Creating a place where young children and their families experience a sense of belonging and are given the opportunity to participate actively within the learning environment
- Supporting and partnering with parents and working collaboratively with families and other professionals to ensure respectful relationships based on trust, open communication and consistency and that support children and their families with key transitions
- Professional planning, documenting, analysing and responding to children’s learning
- Aligning with the NewHope Baptist Church mission:
- Proclaiming the kingdom of God.
- Making Jesus known.
- Making disciples.
- The ongoing acknowledgment and respect of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
- Respecting and celebrating the diversity and inclusion of every child, family and educator
- Supporting children’s agency
- Advocating for the rights of children
- Implementing sustainable practices and caring for the physical environment, with an emphasis on natural and sustainable resources.
- Advocating for the early childhood profession and supporting professionals learning and development
- Modelling an environmentally and ethically responsible program
- Establishing a collaborative working environment
- Encouraging Educators to be innovative, reflective and to base their pedagogy on research, theories and critical reflection
- embracing and responding to the cultural and linguistic diversity of the Victorian community
NewHope Baptist Preschool shares the vision of the Victorian Early Years Learning Level Framework. They guide early learning childhood professionals to work together with families in support of their children.
To support children in this journey, we provide a play-based environment where each child can experience a sense of ‘Belonging’ and ‘Being’, valuing childhood as a time for young children to simply just ‘be’ as they explore, create, interact and make sense of their world. We encourage active inquiry and problem solving, fostering discovery, persistence and success in each child’s ongoing journey of ‘Becoming’.
Our curriculum observes and reflects on the learning outcomes in the areas of: Identity, Community, Wellbeing, Learning and Communication. Children learn about themselves and construct their own identity within the context of their families and communities. This includes their relationships with people, places and things and the actions and responses of others (Belonging, Being and Becoming – The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia p.20).
NewHope Baptist Preschool is committed to meeting the needs of the community in which we operate, by providing a quality service. We are a ministry of NewHope Baptist Church which has a focus on CARE and CONNECT. Families have the opportunity to access services such as Playspace, mainly music, Pastoral Care, Kids Church, Healing Prayer, Food Hampers, Courses, Soccer, NewHope Medical Centre including Counselling and the Middle Ground Café.