They say it takes a village to raise a child, and when a new family starts at a Goodstart centre we do everything we can to become part of that family’s village.
We understand the important role that our teachers and educators play in supporting the lives of families at this most wonderful, yet challenging, time in their lives.
Secure relationships between educators, children and families are known to support better early learning outcomes.
To help build these relationships, Goodstart is progressively rolling out the ‘Key Educator Approach’, at all centres, which gives families and children one or two people in their centre who are deeply connected to the child, their development and their specific needs.
For families, this means they always have a ‘go to’ person in the centre to discuss their child, ask questions or raise concerns while for children, key educators help to form strong and secure relationships which are essential for learning and well-being.
The lives of families are changing, technology is transforming everything we do and jobs and education will look very different in the future.
These are just some of the challenges facing families, and it’s why we have been trialling a range of new service offerings in a small group of centres around the country.
These ‘incubator centres’ have engaged deeply with families to understand their needs and re-imagine the ways in which early learning can be delivered in modern Australia.
Some of the ideas being trialled include:
Our centres also use their own initiative to extend their services and create access and connections within their community in response to child and family needs.
Here’s just a few examples of how our centres go the extra mile to support their families:
We understand the important role that our teachers and educators play in supporting the lives of families at this most wonderful, yet challenging, time in their lives.
A dedicated educator for each and every family
Secure relationships between educators, children and families are known to support better early learning outcomes.To help build these relationships, Goodstart is progressively rolling out the ‘Key Educator Approach’, at all centres, which gives families and children one or two people in their centre who are deeply connected to the child, their development and their specific needs.
For families, this means they always have a ‘go to’ person in the centre to discuss their child, ask questions or raise concerns while for children, key educators help to form strong and secure relationships which are essential for learning and well-being.
Innovating to meet the needs of families
The lives of families are changing, technology is transforming everything we do and jobs and education will look very different in the future.These are just some of the challenges facing families, and it’s why we have been trialling a range of new service offerings in a small group of centres around the country.
These ‘incubator centres’ have engaged deeply with families to understand their needs and re-imagine the ways in which early learning can be delivered in modern Australia.
Some of the ideas being trialled include:
- Date night care – offering parents an opportunity to spend time together while their children are receiving high quality care in their Goodstart centre.
- In-home educators – families have told us that they’re not confident about supporting their child’s learning at home, and it’s from insights like this that the concept of ‘Goodstart in the home’ was developed to support families in a range of areas outside of the centre environment.
- Activity boxes – these take-home kits, which are supported by expert advice from centres, are packed full of fun and educational ideas and resources for families to use together at home to support children with things like biting, play-based learning, toilet training and emotional regulation.
Support for families beyond child care
Our centres also use their own initiative to extend their services and create access and connections within their community in response to child and family needs.Here’s just a few examples of how our centres go the extra mile to support their families:
- The heartbeat of a community: when a child enrolled at Goodstart Blackman’s Bay with a heart condition, the centre purchased a defibrillator and undertook staff training to ensure they could support the child and their community. Read more…
- Connecting families with vital services: the Wide Bay area of Queensland was hit hard with cuts to services, so the team at Goodstart Kingaroy formed a support group of service providers to help provide quick referrals for families in need of assistance. Read more…
- Creating welcoming spaces: Goodstart Marrickville is in the heart of one of Australia’s most culturally diverse areas. The centre embraces this and has created welcoming spaces and a sense of belonging for all children and families in their centre. Read more…
- Helping children affected by trauma: Goodstart Narre-Warren Pound Road South developed vital community partnerships to ensure children and families who’d experienced trauma had access to specialised support. Read more…