A Gymea Bay early childhood provider is encouraging children to appreciate and celebrate diversity while having fun at the same time.
Bay Road Kindy, which turns 25 this year, has developed strong community connections, which is supporting children’s educating in understanding culture.
Aboriginal elder, ‘Aunty’ Deanna Schreiber, has painted an art mural in the children’s yard.
She nominated the kindergarten for the Narragunnawali Awards 2017, for its efforts in respecting and promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and customs.
Bay Road Kindy also teaches Mandarin, run by a grandmother, Lillian Fung.
Service director, Jamie Byrne, says community partnerships are significant to building solid family relationships.
“This topic is close to my heart as it focuses on the importance of embedding meaningful practices to promote and celebrate diversity and inclusion,” she said.
“We recognise the benefits and effectiveness of enhancing our educational program through collaborating with community and family members.”
The kindergarten, which recently rated ‘exceeding’ in the National Quality Standard, was also invited to participate in an educators study, funded by the Australian Research Council .
The study aims to identify the work, skills and knowledge of exemplary educators.