About Us

Philosophy

Carol Murray Children’s Centre Philosophy

We would like to acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples.

Together we touch the ground of the land.

We will reach for the sky that covers the land.

We will touch our hearts in care of the land.

Our Place

Carol Murray Children’s Centre is an essential part of the community, centrally located in the heart of the education precinct in Bordertown. We offer integrated care and education for children aged birth to five through a range of programs. Our large outdoor environment gives children the chance to explore, play and learn as they connect with nature and care for our animals.

Our multicultural Centre has connections with local schools, the hospital and retirement village. One local told us that ‘our neighbours live to 100 because they wake to the sound of children’. We welcome families from Bordertown and surrounding districts.

The Centre is a collaboration between community and the Department for Education, and has a Governing Council that all families are welcome to join.

Our Values

At Carol Murray Children’s Centre we value being:

Respectful
Organised
Friendly/ kind
Collaborative
Responsive

Our Beliefs

We believe:

Children are complex, curious, knowledgeable individuals who are rich in potential. They are powerful communicators from birth and have diverse dispositions, experiences and understandings. Every child brings unique knowledge, ideas and interests. They have the right to be valued as capable individuals.

Children learn when they are given time and space to inquire, wonder, question, explore, reflect and co-construct their learnings and understandings with peers and educators. They need opportunities for active engagement and to connect and contribute; to experience challenge and achievement and have chances for autonomy and collaboration.

When we authentically connect with, value and listen to families, we strengthen our community. These relationships support children to thrive and grow.

When educators practice strong communication, care and empathy through respectful, responsive relationships it empowers our learning community to thrive. We believe educators have a responsibility to spark children’s wonder and curiosity, build their resilience and promote a sense of belonging.

When educators are respected through being listened to, given time to document and plan, enabled to engage in professional learning and being given opportunities to collaborate in reflective practice an environment filled with growth, empowerment and quality is created.

Learning environments which are safe and accessible for all, predictable yet challenging and have creative, purposeful spaces promote imagination, curiosity and allow for a sense of belonging, support regulation and the development of individual and collective rhythms.

When every child’s identity, interests and needs and ideas are reflected in the learning environment, authentic and rich engagement is enabled and play and learning can be deepened and extended.

Our Commitments

We will:

Endeavour to deeply know each child and their lived experience, interests and dispositions, to support their growth in development and learning.

Endeavour to build trusting relationships with every family.

Ensure that our cycle of planning focusses on authentic, purposeful experiences and is responsive to and extends children’s growth in development and learning.

Ensure that all educators have opportunities to plan, reflect, contribute and learn.

Intentionally plan and develop learning environments that enable rich, authentic engagement and learning for all children.

Our intentions

In 2025 we will

Investigate and develop ways to document and communicate children’s knowledge, experiences and dispositions.

Investigate what families want and expect from our service in order to work towards building partnerships for learning.

Explore connecting authentic lines of inquiry across the site.

Develop systems and processes for all educators to plan, reflect, contribute and learn.

Investigate physical aspects of the inside environment that can support regulation and daily rhythms.

Acknowledgement of Country

We would like to acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres straight Islander People, the Bindjali people of Bordertown.

Together we touch the ground of the land.

We reach for the sky that covers the land.

We touch our hearts in care of the land.

Our History

Caroline (Carol) Murray

(1916–1988)

Determined leader in the Bordertown community Caroline (Carol) Murray will forever be remembered in her home of Bordertown as the namesake of the local kindergarten. The Carol Murray Kindergarten was renamed in her honour in 1957, in recognition of her ‘vision in face of difficulties and discouragement’ and for being the driving force behind its establishment.

Carol spent her life giving to her community. She joined the Country Women’s Association in 1937, the year it was established in Bordertown. During World War II Carol became a foundation member of the Red Cross, sewing soldiers’ clothes with the women of the district. She became the maintenance officer and armed with her screwdriver and can of oil, kept the sewing machines going.

Her primary contribution to the District came about after taking her daughter, Lyn, to her first day of school. Witnessing crying, frightened children and distraught mothers, she saw the real need
for a kindergarten, and set about calling a public meeting and gaining community support for the idea.

A committee to advance the idea was established and Carol was elected President, a position she held for the next 10 years. In 1949 a kindergarten was set up in the local church hall and Carol worked as one of two volunteer assistants. The hall was far from ideal, as each night everything had to be packed away for other users of the space.

Carol set her sights on fundraising for a dedicated building and permanent home for the kindergarten. Fundraising efforts included catering, mannequin parades and selling hundred-pound debentures (a debt not backed by collateral, but by the creditworthiness and reputation of the issuer). All were paid back within five years and in 1955, after 10 years of determination, the kindergarten was completed.