About Us Bacchus Marsh Childcare & Kindergarten is a 50 place, purpose built, family owned and operated, early education and care service. We pride ourselves on being the smallest long day care service in the area, where all staff get to know all children and their families personally. Regular and long serving staff build warm and trusting relationships with all children in our care, and work in partnership with families to meet the individual needs of each family and child. Established in 1990, we have been caring for and educating local generations for over 28 years.

When you choose Bacchus Marsh Childcare and Kindergarten for your child, your peace of mid is assured. We can offer care for children aged from birth right up until school age,  and even beyond. Our programs are tailored for babies, toddlers, preschool, before and after school and vacation care, essentially providing a one stop shop for families and their childcare needs.

We believe:

• The role of our centre is to meet the needs of families in the community requiring childcare and kindergarten through providing a consistently high level of quality care, education and positive outcomes for all children.
• That the program must meet the individual needs and interests of all children and that it teaches them about themselves, others, the environment, routines and expectations and helps them to acquire social skills, language skills, intellectual skills, physical skills, emotional skills and respect for people and property.
• In providing a positive, child interest based and stimulating learning environment where children feel safe, secure, respected, valued and cared for, happy, encouraged and reassured.
• That children learn through play and that play can take a variety of forms, i.e.. modeling, imitating, observing, experiencing, discovering, exploring, experimenting, problem solving and contemplating. These forms of play, the children's interests and developmental level are taken into consideration as we plan the experiences which form the basis for the curriculum.
• That the implementation of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the Victorian Early Years Framework (VEYLF) form the foundation for ensuring that children experience quality teaching and learning.
• That the program needs to have a balance between structured and unstructured experiences and activities as well as child initiated and adult supported experiences in which children may use a range of equipment and materials, including improvising equipment and natural materials, both indoors and outdoors.
• In providing children with a link between their home experiences and values and the centre's family atmosphere where the tone is quality care and making it a happy place to be.
• In acknowledging the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditional ways of being and caring for children.
• That the centre should be a place where parents are made to feel welcome and encouraged to participate where possible and to a level where they feel comfortable; to drop in at any time or to telephone to see how their child's day is progressing.
• In providing practical support, assistance and information to parents on their child rearing practices and responsibilities so that our service can be seen not just as a child care and early education and care but as family care also.
• In promoting and encouraging a non-biased, non-sexist, non-racist, non-denominational environment for the children in our care.
• In providing an inclusive program that will accommodate the integration of all children including those who have additional needs.
• In providing an environment that is understanding and tolerant of all cultures.
• In quality outcomes for the children in our care through continual participation in the National Quality Frameworks and Standards and view the National Law and the National Standards as the minimum standard, supporting "Quality Improvement" for a higher standard of childcare nationally.
• In providing a trusting environment which is warm and welcoming and where individuals are treated with respect, dignity and tolerance.
• In providing and maintaining a safe work environment for children, families, staff, management and visitors to our centre.
• That our philosophy guides all that occurs within the day to day operations of our centre and that it is supported through the goals that we set ourselves.

Our Philosophy is reflected in the following broad goals:

• To meet the needs of families through effective communication with parents through newsletters, surveys and discussions on their needs. Then to the best of our ability, evaluate and adjust the programs, organize speakers and convene with outside support agencies where necessary.
• To carefully observe and document the interests and requirements of all children and to plan appropriately for each individual child as well as the group as a whole.
• To provide a safe, secure, happy, encouraging, reassuring, respectful, valued and caring environment through the use of effective communication skills.
• To plan experiences that allow children to model, imitate, observe, experience, discover, explore, experiment and contemplate by allowing ourselves program planning time and collaborating with fellow educators.
• To plan a play-based program that has a balance between structured/unstructured experiences, child initiated as well as adult supported experiences in which the children may use a range of equipment and materials, including improvised equipment and natural materials, both indoors and outdoors.
• To provide a family atmosphere where parents views are respected and there is open communication between the staff and parents, in listening to what parents have to say, making ourselves open for discussion, respecting what parents have to contribute and allowing time for their ideas in the program.
• To make parents feel welcome and encouraging to participate when possible in the curriculum, programs and operations of the centre through effective communication and allowing parents to visit whenever available.
• To provide parents and families with practical support, resources and information through handouts, links and other sources as appropriate.
• To provide an environment for the children in our care which is non-sexist, non-racist and non-denominational by providing suitable literature; pictures; treating all children equally; providing equipment to all children regardless of sex, race or religion.
• To encourage and promote the inclusion of children with additional needs into our service by working with KU Children's Services and Community Childcare and other resource people and/or specialists working with these children outside of the service environment; always being readily available to discuss the children's progress with the parents and other children as appropriate.
• To establish and maintain positive ongoing links with other support services within our industry.
• To ensure that our service is culturally relevant through the children's programs, literature, displays, pictures, menu planning, special days and parents literature.