Our Committee

Balcombe Preschool is a community-focused and parent-run preschool. The Committee of Management is made up of volunteers. These volunteers, like you, are parents of children attending this preschool. Monthly meetings are held and ALL parents are welcome to attend. The Committee of Management at Balcombe Preschool has the following positions:

• President/Public Office

• Vice president

• Treasurer

• Secretary 

• Enrolment Officer – 4 year old 

• Maintenance Officer 

• Council Liaison Officer 

• Social Sub-Committee 

• Fundraising Sub-Committee 

• General Committee

Balcombe Preschool values the contribution of all its families as well as those parents who volunteer to serve on our Committee of Management.

Would you like to be a part of something special? Well, here is why YOU should be on the Preschool Committee.

Our Philosophy

Our Educational Philosophy and Practice is based upon a number of values:

• We recognise the unique nature of each child and family and the need for children to develop an understanding and respect for self, others and the environment.

• We recognise the critical importance of children, parents and educators as partners in a learning community that promotes the wellbeing, education and development of all children. We facilitate this by encouraging families to contribute to our curriculum and to share information about their child. 

• Our curriculum is based upon the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework. It acknowledges that children pass through sequential stages of development at different rates. Our curriculum reflects this by catering for each child's specific needs, strengths and interests. 

• We believe in the importance of play. Children learn best by doing, therefore play is the 'work' of early childhood. Play provides the foundation of knowledge as the children acquire new skills, greater understandings and a lifelong love of learning. 

• We promote children’s interactions with the natural world and encourage them to respect and take an active role in caring for their environment. We support the development of positive attitudes and values in line with sustainable practices. 

• Our learning environment reflects the individuality of each child. We provide opportunities for all children to work at their own pace, whilst encouraging them to make choices and direct their own learning.

• As educators we are committed to ongoing learning, professional development and reflective practice so that we can provide an environment that is respectful and responsive to children, families and professionals. 

• We believe that children are naturally curious to learn about the world in which they live. Therefore we aim to provide learning opportunities which are engaging, opportunistic and facilitating of the needs, interests and abilities of all involved. We recognise that all children have the potential to be capable, confident, enthusiastic, observant and resilient individuals. 

Balcombe Preschool – providing a nurturing environment for children to seek, learn and develop through play.

Our Policies

Under the National Law and National Regulations, early childhood services are required to have policies and procedures in place relating to the governance and management of the service. The governance of an organisation is concerned with the systems and processes that ensure the overall direction, effectiveness, supervision and accountability of a service. These policies are reviewed regularly.

Here is a list of our policies:

• Acceptance and Refusal of Authorisations

• Administration of First Aid

• Administration of Medication

• Anaphylaxis

• Asthma

• Child Safe Environment

• Code of Conduct

• Complaints and Grievances

• Curriculum Development

• Dealing with Infectious Diseases

• Dealing with Medical Conditions

• Delivery and Collection of Children

• Determining Responsible Person

• Diabetes

• Emergency and Evacuation

• Enrolment and Orientation

• Environmental Sustainability

• Epilepsy

• Excursions and Service Events

• Fees

• Food Safety Policy

• Governance and Management of the Service

• Hygiene

• Incident, Injury, Trauma and Illness

• Inclusion and Equity

• Information Technology

• Interactions with Children

• Nutrition and Active Play (including Food, Beverages and Dietary Requirements)

• Occupational Health and Safety

• Participation of Volunteers and Students

• Privacy and Confidentiality (including Confidentiality of Records)

• Relaxation and Sleep

• Staffing (including Qualifications, Supervision and Working with Children Checks/Criminal History Record Checks)

• Sun Protection

• Supervision of Children

• Water Safety