Promoting sustainable practices in the OSHC environment.
Learning for life.
A child’s respect and care for the environment is boosted when all their educators, carers and role models engage in positive practices.
We see the OSHC centre as the ideal setting to spread the word about the environment and sustainability. Children are relaxed, have time to explore and get involved in new activities. Our centres across Sydney have looked for meaningful ways to deliver on NQF sustainability aims. We are continuously reviewing programs where children can engage in learning experiences that identify the impact we have on our natural environment.
The majority of our centers now have permanent garden beds. Many have established sustainability clubs; teams and monitors that continuously look for ways to ‘green’ the centre. Shared planning, asking the children for their ideas and encouraging participation results in program ownership. Knowing 'why and how', can help to keep children interested, to understand, adopt and continue good practices.
Sustainability program costs are typically low and benefits to the centre and the group are high. This all comes together to make these initiatives a positive experience for all and it’s a simple process to scale up or down depending on the size of the group and their capabilities.
Sustainability is an integral part of our service philosophy.
Our teams work hard to model best practice through every day behaviour. It’s the little things like switching off lights, recycling and sorting our waste that help to normalize sustainability and support what the children see at school and at home. Games, Activities, Songs and Stories reinforce messages about the reasons for sustainable living and provide inspiration. By including cues from home, school and society, our programs find a flavor unique to the community.
Audits to review progress, policy updates and continuous creative leverage of opportunities keeps sustainability at the forefront of our service philosophy. Inclusions into quality improvement planning along with actions and milestones ensure delivery on the big picture! Respect for the planet and investing into their own future means the lessons learned at OSHC stay with them for life.
On a bigger scale, it is our practice to include programs on key topics to reinforce the learning. During Spring, in term 4, our major focus will be understanding ‘where water comes from’.. how it travels around our centres, within our neighbourhood, the city, country and ultimately across the world.
Junior scientists and geologists will be investigating clues and mapping their findings.
The creative types will be modeling, illustrating and painting their view on things. Builders will be damming; capturing and redirecting flows in weirs; fountains and all available buckets while the historians will be finding out about indigenous waterways and traditional dug out canoes.
The detectives will be looking underground to investigate Sydney’s historical reservoirs that are hiding in plan view all over the city! And our cooks will be taking an interesting approach to water ‘sauces’.
Visit facebook regularly to keep up with our progress or drop into your local PrimaryOSHCare centre to find out more.
Sustainability is the key to a brighter future!
