Sustainability

Sustainability practices are incorporated into our curriculum as we are committed to protecting our environment to ensure a sustainable future for our children.

We're committed to protecting our environment

Our mission is to ensure a sustainable future for our children and through continuous improvement, we strive to be better tomorrow than we are today.

Each of our Centres actively participates in caring for our environment and promotes sustainable practices through educating and working with the children, families and wider community.

Learning about sustainability starts with everyday practice.

Babies and toddlers can begin by watching adults model these behaviours and they may learn through song or rhyme as educators verbalise what they are doing.

As children develop awareness and understanding, they begin to reason why practices are needed and to understand the impact that their actions have on the planet.

We're committed to protecting our environment

Our mission is to ensure a sustainable future for our children and through continuous improvement we strive to be better tomorrow than we are today.

Each of our Centres actively participates in caring for our environment and promotes sustainable practices through educating and working with the children, families and wider community.

Learning about sustainability starts with everyday practice. Babies and toddlers can begin by watching adults model these behaviours. They may learn through song or rhyme as educators verbalise what they are doing. Children over three can begin to reason why practices are needed and to understand the impact that their actions have on the planet.

Our children are our future and will be the caretakers of our environment

Sustainable practices are embedded in the children’s daily routine and in their day-to-day activities, these may include:

Using recyclable materials where possible
Encouraging children to use half flush on the toilets
Encouraging children to turn the water off when they have washed their hands
Encouraging children to recycle paper and rubbish within their rooms, at home and when in the wider community
Talking with the children about electricity and encouraging them to turn off lights
Educating children in the natural decomposition cycle through exposure and participation in worm farms and composting food scraps
Educating children and having them participate in ‘garden to plate’ activities i.e. seed sprouting, weeding, vegetable gardens, cooking amongst other activities
Educating children on how to care for pets and letting them actively participate in caring for centre pets
Educating children on caring for plants and our waterways, such as, recycling water

Our families and wider community are the guardians of our most important assets

Our families and the wider community are encouraged to adopt sustainable practices and share ideas as a commitment to our children and their future, these may include:

Accessing the displays and literature provided about environmental protection at each centre
Promoting the use of environmentally friendly products in the home (where possible)
Recycling to reinforce centre practices around sustainability
Participation in centre activities, events and forums relating to conservation
Providing materials for reusing or upcycling, such as, boxes for creative experiences
Building partnerships with our educators in teaching our children sustainable practises at home i.e. turn off taps when brushing teeth, having shorter showers, turning off lights putting on a jumper instead of turning the heater on etc.

Our families and wider community are the guardians of our most important assets

Our families and the wider community are encouraged to adopt sustainable practices and share ideas as a commitment to our children and their future, these include:

Accessing the displays and literature provided about environmental protection at each centre
Promoting the use of environmentally friendly products in the home (where possible)
Recycling to reinforce centre practices around sustainability
Participation in centre activities, events and forums relating to conservation
Providing materials for reusing or upcycling, such as, boxes for creative experiences
Building partnerships with our educators in teaching our children sustainable practises at home i.e. turn off taps when brushing teeth, having shorter showers, turning off lights putting on a jumper instead of turning the heater on etc.

Our Educators - are the early learning framework that scaffolds the future of our children

We will embrace the learning opportunities we provide to our children, families and the wider community, these include:

Using natural resources where possible such as drying washing outdoors in the sun
Promoting awareness of the environment through ‘green housekeeping practices’ such as healthy eating, gardening, minimising waste, recycling and reducing water and energy consumption
Assist children in developing an understanding and respect for the environment and encourage critical thinking
Working with children and families to research the native wildlife

Role modelling practices that encourage sustainability through recycling, water conservation, electricity usage etc, this includes:

Educators, educating children about caring for our environment
Recycling water from water play into the gardens
Emptying the children’s drinking bottles onto the garden
Asking families to bring in recyclable items to use for arts and craft
Utilising environmentally friendly products (where possible)

Planning excursions and incursions focussed on sustainable practices, such as:

Engaging with local recycling centres to learn about what happens to recyclable materials
Accessing resources from places such as, It’s Not Garbage to repurpose and reuse landfill
Contacting local councils to present educational opportunities for sustainability workshops or events
Visiting the zoo and learning about the animals and conservation (perhaps sponsoring an animal)
Inviting families and other community members to share their sustainable ideas and practices

Hear from families who have attended our Stepping Stone Childcare (SA) & Early Development Centres...

My daughter has been going here for a bit over 2 years and we love it. The staff genuinely care about the children like they would their own. Highly recommend

Vicki Porter

Aberfoyle Park Centre

It takes a lot for parents to leave their child with strangers but hearing the amazing feedback from other families in our area we couldn’t have chosen somewhere better to help raise, shape and most importantly educate our little guy to be the best he possibly can.

Michael

Tea Tree Gully Centre

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An innovative, child-focussed curriculum

Stepping Stone Childcare & Early Development Centres adopts a holistic learning approach which embraces the Early Years Learning Framework. We encourage each child to develop a sense of being, belonging and becoming.