About Us
Samford State School Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) is a Parents and Citizens Association operated centre. Samford State School OSHC is an accredited service under the National Childcare Accreditation Council (NCCA) and operates under the licence of the Queensland Government Office for Early Childhood Education and Care.
Management Structure
Approved Provider – Samford State School P&C Association
Current OSHC Management Committee
President: Ailsa McAuley
Vice President: Tracey Thomas
Treasurer: Allan Neilsen
Secretary: Annie Guest
OSHC Leadership Team
Coordinator: Jayde Kerr
Assistant Coordinator/Educational Leader: Caitlin Brennan
Family & Community Leader: Sophie Pate
Outdoor Leader: Georgia Browne
Our Role
Our role at Samford OSHC is to provide a nurturing environment and quality program. We recognise and acknowledge that the main focus of our service is the children; their wellbeing, health and safety. Children are to be treated by educators and other staff members at all times as unique and valued individuals and with respect and dignity.
We will:
- Foster all children’s self- esteem and confidence, empowering them to make choices and guide their own play;
- Promote children’s sense of belonging, connectedness and wellbeing by interacting in a consistently positive and genuinely warm and nurturing manner;
- Have high expectations for each child, valuing their individual capacity to achieve and ensuring they experience pride in their achievements;
- Respect the diversity of all children’s backgrounds and abilities and accommodate the individual needs of each child;
- Treat all children equitably and respond positively to all children who require their attention; and
- Communicate with children respectfully, taking the time to listen and value what they say.
Parent/Carer’s Role
It is the parent/carer’s roles to ensure the following:
- The primary carer must download and set up the Xplor home app;
- Ensure their child/ren are signed in and out prior to leaving the premises;
- Notify the centre of absences;
- Ensure each parent or authorised person uses their own log in details to sign in/out their children;
- Notify the centre of new or changes to relevant health and medical details including food intolerances and medical management plans for children identified with medical conditions (asthma, anaphylaxis, diabetes, allergies, etc);
- Notify the centre of special physical, emotional, dietary, religious, cultural or other needs or considerations relating to the child; and
- Parents/guardians will be expected to communicate appropriately with all educators whilst dropping off or collecting their children, or other children as permitted to and from the service.
What We Offer
Life Skills
We provide our children with the time, space and opportunities to develop critical life skills. In the past our children have had the opportunity to change a car tyre, cook, light camp fires, and sew garments. Life skills teaches children independence and prepares them for later stages in life.
Nature Play
Children are provided with numerous outside spaces to connect with nature. These include our nature space and garden space where children can use natural objects in the environment to use in play. Nature play allows children to connect to the environment whilst having meaningful interactions with others.
Community
We strive to have meaningful relationships with those in the Samford community. Some of these connections include Millen Farm, hosting family events, community excursions, and OSHC centre visits. Our alignment with Samford State School allows us to be connected with students, parents, and staff in the school community.
Transition to School
We understand the importance of making children feel comfortable during their transition into Prep. To support these children, in Term 4 we go to the local early learning centres weekly and engage in activities with these children. This assists children feeling comfortable for when they have to come to OSHC, as they already know the educators.