Philosophy & Values | Castle Hill Funhouse

Our Philosophy

Our aim is to provide a high quality care service in a safe,
secure, fun and friendly environment.

Castle Hill Funhouse is a place where children can play and learn, where staff are professional and families and the community are valued and included.

Embedded in our philosophy are our Vision, Mission and Values

Vision

Castle Hill Funhouse will continue to have permanent and dedicated facilities that have been designed to best deliver our services, and to ensure all children can fully participate and feel supported.
These facilities will enable children to have areas for unstructured and structured play, recreation, craft, relaxation, administration, storage and food preparation.

These enable children to learn, discover and most importantly, have fun.

Families will be fully aware of our centre by our reputation as a high-quality service provider in the field of childcare.

Castle Hill Public School and its Parent and Citizens Association (P&C) will recognise the Centre as an integral asset to its school's community support program.

Our children will be happy and safe, our staff will continue to be well respected and sought after, and our families will value their relationship with the Centre.

Castle Hill Funhouse will continue to reflect, strive for quality new practices and work towards meeting future needs in our community.

All involved are committed to our Funhouse community philosophy.

Mission

Castle Hill Funhouse is an incorporated organisation that offers Before School, After School and Vacation Care services.

These services are primarily for the children and families of Castle Hill Public School with the support of CHPS, the P&C Association, community organisations and all parent/carer members of Castle Hill Funhouse.

The centre is a not-for-profit organisation.

Any benefits of financial success are utilised for the continuous improvement of facilities, growing our resources and investing in our professional and caring staff.

Any financial benefits are also re-invested into the quality of the service by providing supervised and varied activities that are interactive, educational, fun, challenging, promote healthy behaviour and a positive lifestyle.

Castle Hill Funhouse provides these services to foster Belonging, Being and Becoming in accordance with all governing rules, statutes and laws to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our children, staff and visitors.

Values

Fun

Our indoor environment is bright, cheerful, reflects children’s ideas and is also multipurpose. Our outdoor areas are diverse and our program is varied and exciting. Our children and staff love being at the Centre, as there is lots of laughter and joy every day.

Community

We work to be fully connected, engaged and aligned with the Castle Hill Public School community. Our Centre provides quality inclusive care by welcoming all children into our care and by working in partnership with our families to manage and meet the broader expectations of the community in which we operate.

Diversity

We respect, encourage and embrace diversity within our Centre and community, ensuring that everyone, irrespective of their racial, physical or personal beliefs and circumstances can attend our Centre and fully participate. We acknowledge and recognise the wisdom of the traditional
owners of our land and learn
and grow from them.

Innovation

We will continue to look at ways to improve our Centre, its services, offerings and operations. We have high expectations for our children, staff and management and we will challenge the status quo. We encourage feedback from everyone and value reflective practice; and these are used to improve our services.

Teamwork

The Centre Committee, staff and families are unified in our commitment and vision for the Centre. In all decisions we work collaboratively and are respectful of each other’s point of view. We will encourage and build on each other’s unique strengths, be understanding and support each other through challenges.

Trust

The Centre gives parents confidence that their children are safe and being looked after with their best interests as a priority. This is achieved through committed carers who continue to reinforce the children in positive ways and our community
of families that support
and share our ideals.

Respect

We promote self-respect, and respect for all who are associated with the Centre and expect all involved to engage with this. We will continue to earn the respect of the children, parents, school and broader community by always acting with integrity
and treating others and our
environment with humility.

Stewardship

We demonstrate a commitment to continuously improve the foundations on which we build our Centre and to enable
seamless transitions of management in the future.

Supportive

Our Centre understands that families encounter a variety of issues and as each situation arises we will be respectful, compassionate, sympathetic and supportive. These circumstances will be held in the strictest of confidence and assistance will be provided if we are deemed capable to do so.

Leadership

The Centre will be led effectively, ensuring compliance, communication, creativity, positivity and motivation through effective management in accordance with our philosophy statement. When change and innovation is required for the benefit of the children, the centre is equipped to accommodate these needs. The sources of these innovations are staff, parents, and the children themselves.

Learning

We recognise the importance of a child’s development through their primary school years and acknowledge children learn differently. Our program aims to provide learning through purposeful activities that encompass valuing diversity, life skills, play, risk taking and varied activities to engage the variety of the children’s needs. We respect and acknowledge that children are capable, competent co-contributors and active participants with varying needs. We work in partnership with each child and their family to achieve the best outcome. We are a community of learners and we share our knowledge, skills and ideas with others.

Professionalism

The Centre is a not-for-profit organisation and we conduct practices in a professional manner. We will endeavour to continually deliver the best possible service for all involved. Our staff are committed and passionate childcare workers with varied backgrounds to create a diverse team of staff. We focus on building on each staff members strengths to develop a strong and positive environment. Staff are accountable for their performance and all carers are required to meet the expectations of their role description. We endeavour to communicate proactively and to be receptive to the needs of all involved by utilising the
various mediums that
best suit the recipient.