Bilambil Community Preschool was started out of necessity. Parents of young children believed that a local preschool was needed. It began in 1986 in the Bilambil Community Hall.
Bilambil Preschool was given a building fund, but there was no land available. Greenbank Preschool had Government funding for five days but only needed two days, therefore, Bilambil Preschool was given their extra three days. The Preschool was known as 'Bilambil Community Preschool - Greenbank Outreach'. For six years it operated in the hall packing and unpacking everything each day.
In 1991/2, when the new Bilambil Public School building was completed, the old school library was going to have to go. As it was coming close to the centenary of the school, a way of keeping it was to offer a lease to the Bilambil Preschool. The existing toilet block was immediately added on at a cost of $45,000 and the Bilambil Preschool became operational.
Our 2009 committee worked very hard to get the local council to provide safer parking facilities for the Preschool and, in the summer of 2010/2011, our new car park was completed.
In 2011 Bilambil Community Preschool increased its operation to five days a week. This helped to fill the desperate need for more quality Preschool care in the Bilambil, Terranora and West Tweed areas.
Until 2012, Bilambil OOSH was a separately run entity operating out of the same building during before and after school hours. In 2012, the two services merged to become Bilambil Community Preschool & OOSH Inc. Both services are run by the one Parent Management Committee, made up of parents from both services. In 2012 new soft fall was installed under the play equipment and a permanent shade shelter put up. Our office extension was added giving us much needed storage and office space. In 2014 we started incorporating the school's small rainforest into our program. It was an opportunity for children to explore and learn through their natural world and enhanced our focus on environmental sustainability.
In 2019, thanks to a Capital Works Grant from the NSW Government, extensions created an additional room and office, as well as upgraded toilet facilities.
Our Mission is to Enrich Childhood by:
Appreciating children for who they are;
Enhancing the environment to enable discoveries and learning; and
Informing, inspiring and challenging children to think and live in new ways.
Our Philosophy
The rights and best interest of the child are paramount.
‘We support the United Nations Rights of the Child’. This includes the right to experience the joys of childhood; the right to play and leisure; the right to feel safe and to be protected from harm, and their right to high quality education and care. This is because we believe that the rights and best interest of children are paramount.
Equity, inclusion and diversity underpin the framework
“We embrace diversity - We embrace the unique skills, abilities, strengths, interests, ideas, cultures, and life experiences that all children, families, and educators bring with them. Therefore, we strive to provide inclusive practices to promote equity, a strong sense of belonging and celebrate diversity”.
Children are successful, competent, and capable learners.
“We view children as capable and resourceful beings. We believe in nurturing and supporting the development of children as active learners, by listening to their ideas, helping them to find their own answers, and making decisions about their own learning and well-being”.
Australia’s First Nations people and cultures are valued.
“We believe in supporting First Nations people’s processes and perspectives by learning through culture. Valuing our connections to the land, we believe that every small sustainable practice we adopt makes a difference to our world. Each day we acknowledge the history of our land and make the promise to care for it, the animals, and its people”.
The role of parents, families and our community are respected and supported.
“We respect families as the child’s first educator. We strive to develop partnerships with families to facilitate continuity of care and quality education, where both parties can learn from one another. We endeavour to foster connections and links between the community of families so they can support one another and the service. We strive to ensure communication pathways are open to create mutually honest and respectful relationships.
We believe our Preschool and OOSH are an extension of all our families and community and will strive to develop strong links and relationships within our community people, local schools, networks, organisations, and early childhood agencies to ensure that every child and family has a voice, are heard, supported, acknowledged, and valued”.
Best Practice is expected in the provision of education and care services.
We believe:
In embedding holistic approaches into our interactions, practices, programming, and planning.
Our understanding of child development and learning draws from a range of perspectives and theories and our knowledge of the ways children interact, learn, and play.
We embrace the principle and practices of the EYLF and MTOP which underpin our educational programs and practices.
In learning through play allows children to experiment with the world around them and the emotional world inside them through their interactions with objects and people.
Every young child has the right to a balance of play experiences that develop a healthy, mind, body, and sense of well-being.
Children must be empowered to participate in the decision-making about their day.
That educators take on different roles in a child’s education and play.
One of our roles is to support children in developing the necessary attributes, knowledge, and skills for school readiness.
In the necessity to continually review and critically reflect on our practices, so we may strive for children to achieve the learning outcomes and the skills required for future learning and life.
We are responsible for our environment
Our rural environment is a big part of our service, and we aim to nurture the welcoming feel it creates, a connection to the natural environment. We recognise and value natural resources and seek to embed sustainable practices within the service.
An environment that is safe, calm, and nurturing allows children, families and educators a space that is inviting, engaging and fun. We believe a well-designed environment, with appealing provocations for play, can support and enhance all areas of children’s development and learning.
Continual Improvement
We are dedicated to the ECA Code of Ethics, supporting new staff members and volunteers at the service. We are dedicated to providing our current and future educators with opportunities for life-long learning, through professional development.
