Our Philosophy

At Little Apple Tree it is our belief that children in childcare should be truly cared for. They should be nurtured and taught by educators who love children and thoroughly enjoy working with them.

It is within our philosophy that educators form strong bonds with children to get to know them as individuals and develop programs which incorporate the interests, learning styles and needs of each child being cared for. Children feel that Little Apple Tree is a beautiful, fun, warm place where they know they are cared for, listened to, respected, stimulated and have the chance to give input into their learning. Little Apple Tree provides a calm environment for the children where they can learn to be responsible, confident and independent.

At Little Apple Tree family members of children at the centre are involved in their child’s out of home care and also have a strong bond with both educators and management of the centre. Both children and family members contribute to all aspects of the centre and feel excited and happy to do so. It is within our philosophy that families of children at the centre will get to know each other well. There will be a Little Apple Tree community of support, idea sharing and friendship.

The Montessori Philosophy, The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the QLD Kindergarten Learning Guide (QKLG) inform the curriculum and programs at Little Apple Tree. Children, families, educators and management work together to create wonderful programs which embrace the 5 Learning Outcomes and 5 Learning and Development Areas contained in the EYLF and the QKLG.

Outcome 1 is for children to have a healthy and strong sense of self. They are confident and resilient as well as caring and respectful. Learning outcome 2 is that children feel connected to groups, communities and are aware of respectful behaviour within each. Children also develop an understanding of the world they live in and show respect for the environment. Outcome 3 is that children have social and emotional strength. They take increasing responsibility for their own wellbeing. Learning outcome 4 is that children are active learners. They are curious, involved learners who call on a range of skills such as investigation and experimentation to gain knowledge and understanding. Finally, outcome 5 is that children are competent communicators. They can express themselves both verbally and non-verbally for a wide range of purposes.

In mid 2017 management of Little Apple Tree purchased extra land to expand the playground for the children at the centre. This has provided even greater opportunity for the children to spend time in nature on real grass with space to run, find bugs and play with natural objects like sticks, leaves, rocks and flowers. The educators at the centre will continue to support the children’s nature play and allow for risky play. Within the learning programs the educators will also intentionally support children’s learning about the environment and how to care for it.

Children’s health and safety is of paramount importance and policies and procedures in relation to this are strictly adhered to by all staff members.

It is our philosophy that educators and management are kept up to date on laws, regulations and standards within the National Quality Framework. Little Apple Tree consists of a team of people all working together to ensure that the centre is of the highest quality in every area. The relationships between educators are trusting, supportive, encouraging and honest.

At Little Apple Tree we maintain the belief that all children no matter what ability or cultural background can have access and participate in all daily routines and activities in both indoor and outdoor spaces.

Within a team of dedicated individuals working together, there will be differences of opinion on a wide range of areas. We maintain that this is a healthy situation as long as ideas are shared, considered, reflected upon and respected. Each individual will also bring unique personal strengths and professional experience to the centre which is the making of a wonderful team. Team members are encouraged to work together and support one another.

There is a commitment to continuous improvement in all areas of the service. Families, educators, community members, professionals, management and most importantly the children of the centre will guide the improvements.

Finally, Little Apple Tree is a beautiful place where children play, learn and grow. They are nurtured, taught and cared for by committed educators.
The essence of the philosophy at Little Apple Tree is that children always come first.