Education [Early Childhood Centres] Regulations 2008: Subpart 2 43 [1a] (i) (ii)(iii) (iv) (v) (vi), 43 (1b), 43 (1c) (i) (ii),45 (1a) (i),47 (1b),47 (1e)

Rationale

Early Childhood on Stafford will ensure that there are equitable opportunities for learning for each child, irrespective of ability, belief system, gender, age, preferred learning style, ethnicity or background; children are affirmed as individuals; and children are encouraged to work with and alongside others. This also reflects to our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi under the principles of Protection, Participation and Partnership.

Objectives

Early Childhood on Stafford will ensure that children's learning requirements will be appropriately met.

Issues, resources and practices will be discussed when identified as a barrier to participation.  This includes the use of discriminatory behaviour and language in the centre.

Teachers will promote/ model inclusive behaviour and language in the centre.

It is Early Childhood on Stafford's expectation that all children will have equitable opportunities for learning and that every effort will be made within available resources to remove barriers to participation in our centre.  This is consistent with upholding our duty under the Treaty of Waitangi and will include the provision of extra training for our teachers to ensure the learning requirements for all children are met.

We will monitor all our resources and practices to ensure that:

• They reflect the learning needs and abilities of gender, culture, and identity.
• Resources and play materials reflect the cultures and backgrounds of all whanau represented in the centre.
• That there is a diversity of positive images of age, ability, ethnic backgrounds, gender and identity in all printed material such as books, posters and puzzles.

If barriers to participation are identified the Directors will act to reduce these through staff training, the purchasing of resources, provision of challenging learning experiences, addition of props, making physical changes such as adding ramps for children with limited mobility, and so on.

Specialist external help will be accessed by the staff/parents when needed and children's needs will be met through individual plans set in conjunction with parents/specialists.

Participation in the programme will be conditional on the Directors being confident that resources and support is appropriate for fulfilling the requirements of this policy

Refer:

• Child Protection Policy
• Positive Guidance policy

Adopted: April 2020

Review date: April 2022