About EMCC
Welcome to EMCC
What is EMCC?
The East Melbourne Childcare Co-operative is a registered co-operative under the Co-operatives Act and has its own Constitution. It is sponsored by the Melbourne City Council. Parents, residents and staff are eligible to become members of the Co-operative.
Acknowledgement of Country
We would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people as the traditional custodians of the land in which we operate. We would also like to pay respect to the Wurundjeri Elders past, present and future.
Message from the Executive Director
We believe that children’s experiences in our centres reflect the progressive, multi-cultural, educational philosophies of our staff – and that our programs cater to children’s changing needs in a changing world. We encourage you to familiarise yourself with our core staff and room programs and to talk to us about your child’s needs.
Our Co-operative thrives on input from all who are involved with us, from management to staff to children and their parents. We believe that forming a partnership between the centre and each child’s family is vital. You know your child best, and our staff has valuable knowledge of and experience in early childhood development – each can be a wonderful resource to the other.
We warmly welcome you to EMCC and look forward to a long and happy association with you and your family.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Vouch
Executive Director
EMCC: Statement of Philosophy
Values & Beliefs
East Melbourne Childcare Co-operative acknowledges the importance of providing children with high quality education in the early years, laying the foundation for future lifelong success.
Our values reflect the guiding principles of the National Quality Framework and those of the service community; children, families, educators and staff.
We value:
- the critical role of family in the life of a child and the importance of collaboration and effective partnerships between families and educators.
- play based learning, where children can make their own decisions and explore their interests in thoughtfully planned environments with access to open ended resources and uninterrupted blocks of time.
- child safety, but also the benefits of risk taking to help children meet challenges, develop resilience and persistence, confidence and independence.
- diversity, inclusion and equity for children, families and educators. We want children to develop a sense of belonging to their community, understanding and appreciating differences in culture, values, abilities, beliefs, gender, sexuality, language, traditions and backgrounds.
- Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and the rich learning opportunities these cultures offer children, families and educators. We respectfully acknowledge that we work and live on the land of the Wurundjeri people and endeavour to impart understanding and appreciation from non-Indigenous peoples while honouring and strengthening awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and cultures.
- the natural environment, its learning possibilities for children and the increasing importance of environmental education for children’s long term wellbeing and their responsibility as citizens of the earth.
We believe:
- children have a right to high quality early education, where best contemporary practice is always promoted.
- in the importance of suitably qualified and experienced educators and of investing in their ongoing professional development, including their wellbeing.
- decision making for children’s learning is enriched when educators regularly engage in critical reflection about issues of curriculum, philosophy, ethics and practice.
- children are unique, competent and capable citizens with rights, and by supporting them to question, investigate and engage in purposeful play we help them become successful, confident and creative learners.
- strong, warm, enduring, respectful and reciprocal relationships are necessary to a child’s healthy development, wellbeing and learning success.
- parents and family members should have many opportunities to be involved in all aspects of the management, daily life and programming of the service, promoting the ongoing reciprocal transfer of skills and information between educators and families.
- in the potential for the service to strengthen social capital in the East Melbourne community by acting as a community hub for families, where they can access information about local health, family support, leisure and wellbeing services and where they can develop relationships with other families.