Childspace Philosophy
Established in 1988, Childspace is the realization of a vision to provide children with an environment that fosters holistic development to the highest calibre. Our aspiration is that each child who leaves Childspace does so empowered with manaakitanga and the perception of themselves as a confident, competent individual, with a love of learning and a sincere appreciation of reciprocal love and respect.
Childspace is a truly authentic and unique approach to early childhood education. We do not characterize ourselves as Reggio Emilia or Montessori, rather we draw on a diverse range of developmental theories and practices and contextualise them in a curriculum delivered with our community and learners in mind . With no other title to describe who we are, and what we offer, we ask that we be referred to as a Preschool or simply Childspace.
The needs of the children are our primary consideration. As Early Childhood Educators, we accept an enormous responsibility. We must provide experiences of the very best quality, so that the children are able to take advantage of the formative years when learning takes place at a phenomenal rate.
The opportunities for play and learning need to occur in an environment that fosters a deep sense of security, basic trust, acceptance and respect of self and others. We provide an environment where every child is safe, accepted as a unique individual, learning at his/her pace, whose emotional, social, physical, mental and spiritual needs will be provided for.
To encourage creativity and independence in all of their development, and enjoyment in doing and learning, will be the key to the programme. Monitoring of each child’s development will ensure that our planning meets the child’s needs, strengths and interests. Child initiated projects will ensure that activities are purposeful, goals are set and the programme will ensure positive learning outcomes based on the early childhood curriculum, “Te Whāriki”
The calibre of the Childspace educators is of paramount importance. We maintain a high teacher/child ratio to again ensure that we are confident in the knowledge that we can “practice what we preach”.
The Childspace programmes are rich in experiencing and learning - embracing our philosophy to enrich and empower children to become inquisitive learners, who then take this learning with them into all aspects of their life. The children are actively involved in the diverse creative arts (including music, dance, drama, art) that promote individual aesthetic growth and fulfilment. We are constantly reviewing, motivating and resourcing an environment that enables the children to make responses that are imaginative and show originality.
The educators at Childspace are committed to the Childspace philosophy, practices and policies. We share our responsibilities, ideas and strengths, and support each other - important visible role modelling for the children.
Childspace is a family, and educators are committed to ensuring that together with Whanau our children’s formative years will be rich and meaningful.