Rationale: (why do we need this policy?)
Crossways Community Creche is committed to providing a bi-cultural curriculum where children’s holistic health and wellbeing/hauora is supported in accordance with Te Whāriki’s (2017) aspiration for children
“to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body, and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society.” (p.2)
Objectives: (What do we hope to achieve?)
This policy will guide all members of our learning community on ways of supporting cultural perspectives on health and wellbeing. From a te Ao Māori perspective this is achieved by viewing the child as a holistic being and supporting the different components of the concept Hauora as identified by Dr Mason Durie in his model Te Whare Tapa Whā; Taha Tinana, Taha Hinengaro, Taha Whānau, and Taha Wairua.
Guidelines: (How will we achieve it?)
Taha Tinana/ Physical well-being: We will work with whanau to support children in optimising their physical growth and development, while taking the view that our physical self is what shelters us from the external world and is inseparable from mind, spirit and family. Physical health is promoted in our learning environment by supporting children in engaging in physical play using gross and fine motor skills, supporting judging risk, fostering self help skills around hygiene and care, promoting preparation, consumption of healthy food, and care for self and others
Taha Hinengaro / Mental and emotional well-being: We view mind, body and soul as interwoven and as important components of a healthy and happy being. We will listen to and respond respectfully to children’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions communicated through verbal and non-verbal modes of communication. This is about supporting a healthy self-identity for both Māori and non-Māori as children begin to see how they exist as part of our community and, on a larger scale, the universe.
Taha Whānau/ Family well-being: As a parent run collaborative, our focus is on family and whānau involvement in children’s learning and development. As members of a learning community, and wider social system, we will support children in belonging, caring and sharing, and encourage the involvement of family and whānau to give children the strength to develop positive self identify and be themselves. We will support children and their whānau in connecting with their heritage, sharing about their values and who they are, and by treating each other with respect.
Taha Wairua / Spiritual well-being: We support children’s holistic health by acknowledging the human need and capacity for faith and wider communication. An individual’s health is related to unseen and unspoken life energies and their life force/Mauri determines us as individuals and as a collective linking us by common descent through whakapapa or genealogy. At crèche we will be inclusive of and celebrate the diverse belief systems, values, and world views of all within our crèche learning community.
References
Te Whāriki 2017 (Foreword)
Mason Durie(1994). Whaiora: Maori Health Development. Auckland: Oxford University Press.
Ministry of Health - Maori health models
Approved date: September 2020 Review date: September 2023