Providing quality education and care for the community

Nara Community Early Learning Centre (established in 1989) is a not-for-profit and community focused early learning service in Preston. Nara provides care for 68 children each day, from 6 month old babies up to school-ready kids. Nara is overseen by a committee of management.

Child wellbeing and safety

Nara will prioritise children’s social and emotional wellbeing by:

proactively implementing and complying with all aspects of the Victorian Child Safe Standards and the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations
prioritising and elevating the voices of children according to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
highlighting ‘My body safety rulesʼ with children
establishing strong mandatory reporting principles.

Read more about our commitment to child safety.

Community engagement

Strengthen Nara's community engagement through various strategic partnerships and take up opportunities for professional collaboration, to enhance our ability to relate to the broader community.

Inclusivity

At Nara we promote the fundamental principles of respect and inclusivity, including:

acknowledging the richness and diversity inherent in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as essential elements of the nation's past, present, and future
celebrating the cultures and values that reflect our diverse multicultural, religious and LGBTQIA+ communities
facilitating inclusion for children with disability
strengthening engagement with our local community through partnerships and professional collaborations.

Governance

Nara’s Committee of Management will sustain robust governance and uphold a stable financial standing, prioritising community wellbeing of children, families and staff, and reinvesting in our physical environment and the wellbeing of children, families and staff. This includes supporting staff retention and wellbeing by investing in professional development, uniforms, our Employee Assistance Program and above-award wages.

Physical environment

We will maintain and enhance Nara's buildings, playgrounds, and equipment to ensure a physical environment that supports safety and wellbeing, which also fosters a lasting interest in our natural environment by embedding sustainable principles in everyday practice.

Read more about our environment and our commitment to sustainability.

Quality early learning and development

We will ensure children at Nara receive a quality education by:

maintaining rates of ‘Exceeding’ in the National Quality Framework
ensuring educators stay informed about current early childhood evidence and pedagogies that ensure the delivery of a play-based curriculum that aligns with the Nara philosophy and adheres to approved learning frameworks including ‘Belonging, Being and Becomingʼ for children aged 0 to 5 and ‘My Time, Our Placeʼ for school-aged children.
providing opportunities for incursions and excursions related to celebrations, music, movement, health and development.