Reconciliation

 North Rocks Preschool recognises that children's connection to their community is essential to their sense of belonging, and that preschool plays a key role in cultivating relationships within the wider community.

The Educators and Management Committee have identified the need for North Rocks Preschool to strengthen relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families living in the local area, and have developing a reconciliation plan as part our our Quality Improvement Process.

What is a reconciliation plan?

Reconciliation is the process of strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians for the benefit of all Australians. The North Rocks Preschool reconciliation plan is a plan that will document what the service can contribute to the reconciliation process, and identify areas of action that are needed.

Why have a reconciliation plan?

North Rocks Preschool works towards cultivating relationships with the wider community and believes thatcommunity connection is essential to children's sense of belonging. North Rocks Preschool acknowledges that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities provide a valuable contribution to the broader community.  We recognise that by developing respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, communities and organisations, we will gain knowledge about how to be more accessible to all children and families in our wider community and enrich the preschool program by incorporating Indigenous persepctives and gain deeper understadning of how to be inclusive of and responsive to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.

How will we do this?

By identifying achievable actions that connect North Rocks Preschool with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and organisations, we will be creating relationship building opportunities for both ATSI children and families and other children within the preschool community.

Part of our Quality Improvement Plan is to develop a Reconciliation Plan for North Rocks Preschool. This part of the website will continue to be updated as our plan develops throughout the year.

• The first part of our action plan is to find out more information about the traditional owners of the North Rocks Preschool community.
• Incorporating Indigenous perspectives into the educational program such as learning about traditional foods sources such as "bush foods" that grow in the area; inviting an Aboriginal Elder to visit the preschool to share their knowledge of the local area; identifying professional development opportunities for educators around including Indigenous perspectives within the educational program; reviewing our  equity and inclusion policy and celebrating key Reconciliation events such as Reconciliation week.
• Acknowledgement of the country - this is a way of showing respect for the traditional Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander owners of the land.