About Us
Our Vision
We seek to nurture well-rounded children who will have the life skills to succeed in an ever-changing world. We strive to foster enriching values in each child to ensure that they are best equipped to become leaders who work to better their local and global community.
Our Mission
Leading Leaps is committed to providing children with creative and interactive learning experiences. Through play-based learning, we foster a love of learning in each child so they become self-motivated learners. By creating strong partnerships with families and the community, we also strive to cultivate a positive environment for children to develop strong moral values in each child.
We believe in caring for each child as a unique individual. We respect each child’s own pace and passions, and believe in feeding their innate curiosity in the way most natural to children; through play and exploration.
Our Philosophy
At Leading Leaps, we advocate for the whole child by aiding each child’s physical growth, guiding their emotional maturity, developing their social connections and feeding their curious mind. In a supportive and safe environment, we ensure every child can blossom and by creating a rich environment, full of opportunities for children to experiment, play and understand more about themselves and the world around them. We understand that a part of caring for a child holistically is including and celebrating their family, community and background and so we prioritise creating collaborative relationships with each child’s family. Ultimately, we aspire to nurture children into being well-rounded, conscientious and caring individuals who genuinely find joy in learning and believe in their capabilities. Our program is dedicated to maintaining high-quality care and education and will do so adhering closely to the following frameworks:
· The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF)
· The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF)
· The “My Time, Our Place” Framework
Our service is directed by the National Quality Standard. Our philosophy emphasizes on:
Children
We understand that there are many layers to a child’s wellbeing and support each child’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive development. To contribute to their holistic health, we facilitate sensory outdoor experiences including gardening and cooking, guiding children through our school-readiness program and incorporating yoga and mindfulness practices.
We believe that empathy is a highly valuable trait in our children’s generation and foster compassion, consideration and kindness in children and reflect these values in our employees. We aim to teach children how their actions affect those around them, from their friends in the playground to the birds in the trees. By strengthening these traits, our children can become better equipped to face an ever-changing world.
Families
We believe that each child brings a wealth of knowledge, skills and culture into our centre and we celebrate the things that make them unique. By creating strong partnerships with a child’s family, we incorporate cultural diversity into our program and strengthen confidence in each child’s sense of identity. We are also committed to fostering respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures in our children.
Community
Being placed within a community hub, the Grand Mosque complex, allows us to participate directly with broader community initiatives and projects and allows children to benefit from the many wonderful community facilities just steps away! Being an active part of the community can be an enriching and fun way for children to learn about diversity and the wider society. We believe it truly takes a village to raise a child and having close ties to the community is a wonderful way to ensure each child gets the support and knowledge they need to succeed in the environment they are in. Our additional language learning program aims to serve the focus of diversity in a fun and hands-on manner.
Educators
Our educators listen and engage with the children, modelling to them how to treat each other with kindness and respect. We believe in lifelong learning, and equip our educators with professional development and reflective opportunities for them to continuously improve their practice.
Environment
We teach children about caring for the environment by modelling it through our own choices and practices. We build an appreciation for nature by incorporating many outdoor experiences and engaging in sustainable practices with them. We strive to provide a safe environment, ensuring a physically comfortable space and supporting children to find peace and joy at our centre, allowing them to feel secure in our care.
Our Values
Love of learning
Respectful Relationships
Inclusiveness
Community