Community

As early childhood educators, creating a ‘sense of community’ is an important part of what we do. It is integral to the core themes of belonging and identity.

For many families, our early childhood setting often provides the first point of contact with the wider Selwyn Community beyond your home. Because of this, we can act as an important point of connection for our families.

We will:

• Foster supportive relationships between Whanau
• Connect Whanau to other organisations and services in the Selwyn Community
• Create strong links with the community so we have access to invaluable information and resources
• Draw on community knowledge and expertise to enable us to better understand our Tamariki and Whanau
• Provide experiences that are meaningful and relevant to our tamariki’s lives.

We encourage our tamariki to learn about the value of our community, connect with others and provide opportunities for such learning to occur. We highlight the connections we have, and make them visible for tamariki – involving children where possible in such connections makes the experience meaningful from the child’s point of view.

Ways Ako Rolleston engage in our local community include:

• Being out and about – excursions
• Participating in community events
• Inviting community members into our service
• Being part of our local Kahui Ako – Community of Learners