About the SHAC

The Story of Us.

Welcome to The SHAC! Our amazing community is a byproduct of our goals, our values and our missions which underpin our each and every action. Learn more about what makes us special by reading below.

Our Philosophy

At SHAC, we believe each child is an active member of the community with unique strengths and rights. We are committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment that gives children opportunities to learn through play, experiences, environments, and interactions.

Our practice aligns with the My Time Our Place Framework, National Quality Standards for school-age children, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and Child Safe Standards. We are a Child Safe Organisation, creating an environment that prioritizes the safety and wellbeing of all children. Children are supported to express their opinions and views in decisions that affect them.

We value play and leisure as essential to children's learning and development. Through rich, engaging environments and meaningful interactions, children develop to become Safe, Empathetic, and Active Learners (SEAL). We believe children are active learners, and we build a foundation for successful lifelong learning through these opportunities.

We prioritize relationships that are respectful, collaborative, and inclusive. We consider parents and families as partners, working with them to support their children and promote health and wellbeing. We value diversity by celebrating different cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives, creating inclusive environments where all children feel welcomed and respected. We value Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures as a core part of the nation's history, present, and future.

We are committed to continuous improvement and reflection, providing clear processes that are visible in all aspects of SHAC's operational practices. This philosophy is a living statement that provides the foundation for all activities, policies, and procedures at SHAC. When uncertainty arises regarding policy or procedures, we use these principles to guide our decisions. All written policies and procedures are developed, monitored, and reviewed with these values in mind.

Updated as of May 6, 2026

Our Goals

The SHAC has a number of goals on which our service is based. These goals are based on the outcomes for children as outlined in the ‘My Time, Our Place’ Framework for School Age Care. Our goals are to encourage children to:

• Have a strong sense of identity – The SHAC aims to teach children to demonstrate a capacity for self-regulation, negotiating and sharing behaviours by motivating and encouraging children to succeed when they are faced with challenges.

• Be connected with and contribute to their world – The SHAC demonstrates awareness of connections, similarities and differences between people and how to react in positive ways by encouraging children to listen to others and to respect diverse perspectives.

• Have a strong sense of wellbeing – The SHAC aims to teach children to show self-regulation and manage their emotions in ways that reflect the feelings and needs of others by showing care, understanding and respect for all children.

• Be confident and involved learners – The SHAC aims to teach children to use reflective thinking to consider why things happen and what can be learnt from these experiences by encouraging children to communicate and make visible their ideas, theories, collaborate with children and model reasoning, predicting, and reflecting processes and language.

• Be effective communicators – The SHAC aims to teach children to convey and construct messages with purpose and confidence, including conflict resolution and following directions by modeling language and encouraging children to express themselves through language in a range of contexts and for a range of purposes including leading and following directions