Wollongong Cottage Kindergarten Philosophy 2025-2026
Our Values & Vision
Wollongong Cottage Kindergarten is a small, family-owned service where relationships come first. Our home-like cottage creates a warm, welcoming space where every child and family is known and valued.
Our vision is to nurture a close community where children feel loved, families feel supported, and educators feel inspired. We connect with our local community through excursions and partnerships with local services.
Our identity in three words:
Relationships • Belonging • Respect
Our Image of the Child
We see children as capable, curious, confident, and full of potential. They bring their own strengths, personalities, and ideas, which enrich our community.
Children learn best when they feel safe, understood, and respected. They actively engage in their learning through exploration and play, asking questions, solving problems, and confidently taking risks.
Feeling safe and supported gives children the confidence to explore, learn, and grow.
Teaching & Educator Practice
Our educators are warm, creative, and dedicated. We collaborate, reflect, and use our strengths to provide rich learning experiences.
We believe that:
• Play is the foundation of all learning
• Every interaction is meaningful
• Children thrive with both independence and support
• Listening to children is essential
• Strong relationships come before routines
Our environments encourage curiosity, imagination, and discovery. We celebrate the moments that make children happy, proud, and confident, and we see ourselves as co-learners alongside them.
Families & Community
Families are central to our philosophy. We value your knowledge, culture, and experiences, and work in partnership with you to support your child’s learning and wellbeing.
We encourage:
Open, honest communication
Two-way feedback through daily conversations and our OWNA platform
Family involvement in celebrations, excursions, and curriculum
A warm, open-door environment
Our parent community describes WCK as more than a daycare—a family unit where children are loved, safe, and supported.
Culture & Inclusion
We celebrate diversity and commit to cultural safety, responsiveness, and inclusion.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives are part of daily practice through stories, art, language, yarning circles, and community connections.
Children see themselves reflected in our environment and curriculum.
Inclusion means belonging, representation, and feeling safe, seen, and valued.
Sustainability & Care for Our World
We teach children to care for their environment through gardening, recycling, composting, and looking after pets and plants.
Children take pride in learning about sustainability and contributing to a better world. We model small daily actions that make a big difference.
Looking Forward
Our philosophy grows with our children, families, educators, and community. We aim to be:
A home away from home
A place of warmth, belonging, and joy
A community built on relationships and respect
A learning environment full of curiosity, growth, and wonder
A place where every child is known, every family is valued, and every educator is celebrated
In three words:
Family • Belonging • Growth
