Inclusion and Diversity

At Viewbank Early Childhood Centre, we value the uniqueness of each child, gender equity, culture or national origin, religion, family diversity, age, race, and ability. Through an inclusive anti-bias curriculum, all children's experiences are recognised and valued and all children have equitable access to resources and equal opportunity for participation, and opportunities to demonstrate their learning and to value difference.

We actively promote individual opportunities for acceptance, belonging and participation within the community allowing and encouraging children to form friendships, build social skills, develop positive attitudes and share experiences with people of varied abilities and backgrounds.

Inclusive environments and experiences for children and their families will provide a sense of belonging and connection, positive social relationships, development and learning. Curriculum decisions uphold all children's rights to have their cultures, identities, abilities and strengths acknowledged and valued to support development and learning and to reach their full potential.

In relation to national origin, cultural and racial identity, Viewbank Early Childhood Centre educators will:

demonstrate an ongoing commitment to developing their own cultural competence in a two way process with families and communities
view culture as central to children's sense of being and belonging, and promote children's cultural competence
support children in developing positive attitudes towards cultural differences
ensure the interests, abilities and culture of every child and their family are understood, valued and respected
recognise bi- and multi-lingualism as an asset and support these children to maintain their first language and learn English as a second language
collect information upon and throughout enrolment about each child's family, culture and community and use this to inform the curriculum
foster children's curiosity, enjoyment and empathetic awareness of cultural differences and similarities
encourage family and community input into the curriculum, sharing culture and racial identity
represent a variety of all cultures through an inclusive curriculum that provides photos, pictures, books, posters, play resources, foods, dramatic play and dolls etc that will encourage and promote open discussions
where possible, provide books and resources that reflect different languages and children's first language
use professional and support agencies to help work with children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

In relation to Indigenous culture, Viewbank Early Childhood Centre educators will:

promote cultural awareness in all children, including greater understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing and being
develop awareness and understanding about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as part of the cultural heritage of all Australians
where possible, encourage involvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family members, educators, staff and community members who have a knowledge of their culture to share with the Centre
acknowledge and incorporate the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures within the curriculum on a regular basis and through special events .

In relation to ability, Viewbank Early Childhood Centre educators will:

provide an inclusive environment that recognises every child should have opportunity to experience success in their learning and development through acknowledgement of their uniqueness as individuals and acceptance of their capacity to learn in their own time
recognise that every child has the capacity to learn, but some children require different opportunities and supports to do this
promote acceptance, respect and appreciation for each individual's varying abilities
evaluate and reflect on environments to enable all children to develop autonomy, independence, competency, confidence and pride
identify areas where focused support or intervention is required to improve each child's learning and development and work with families and professionals to enable participation for each child in the curriculum
ensure that all children have equitable access to resources and equal opportunity for participation, learning and development
treat all children equally and empower all children in their learning to ensure they gain a feeling of self respect
use resources such as books, posters, images, puzzles etc that represent a variety of people with differing abilities within their families, work and recreational activities.

In relation to gender equity, Viewbank Early Childhood Centre educators will:

ensure that all children are given equal opportunities to participate in all experiences and interactions regardless of their gender
monitor and reflect on their own interactions and actions to ensure they are gender inclusive
provide resources and materials that depict non-stereotypical roles.

In relation to diversity in family composition, Viewbank Early Childhood Centre educators will:

respect that the diversity in family life means that children experience belonging, being and becoming in many different ways, and they will bring their diverse experiences, perspectives, expectations, knowledge and skills to their learning
create an environment that is welcoming to all families
respect each family, and work in collaboration to support each child's emergent identity as an individual, member of their family, the Centre and the community
provide resources, books, posters, puzzles etc that reflect diversity in family structure, including same sex, single parent, extended, nuclear, step and adopted families.

Sources:

- 'Belonging, Being & Becoming - The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia

- 'Victorian EarlyYears Learning and Development Framework- For all Children from Birth to Eight Years'

- Practice Principles for Learning and Development

- Guide to the National Quality Standard

- Educators at Viewbank Early Childhood Centre

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