Children thrive when families and educators partner together to support their learning.
Educators using Foundations for Success actively engage children, families and communities in the teaching-learning process. They work with them to develop the rules, boundaries and policies of an early learning program and the conventions of everyday living. They build strong relationships and understand and share expectations and attitudes. They respect the diversity of families and communities and the aspirations they hold for their children. This fosters children’s motivation to learn and their sense of themselves as competent learners.
'Family is the cornerstone of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, spirituality and identity. As an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child grows up, maintaining their connections to family and community forms the basis of the development of the child's identity as an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person, their cultural connectedness and their emerging spirituality.'
(Priest, K, 2005, Preparing the ground for partnership—exploring quality assurance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child care: a literature review and background paper, Department of Family and Community Services, Government of Australia.)
Successfully engaging children, families and communities requires you to:
- understand that your practices and the relationships you form have a significant effect on children’s learning
- share the learning and teaching process with children, their families and the community, while still maintaining a clear learning focus
- commit to ongoing learning and reflection.
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