Rise and Shine Kindergarten Blacktown

We at Rise and Shine Kindergarten would like to present  our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) that has been created by educators within the centre. At Rise and Shine Kindergarten, we believe reconciliation is a responsibility that we are committed to upholding for  children, educators and families and all First Nations peoples of Australia. To begin the reconciliation process, we must first understand and acknowledge the colonial history and injustices that have been inflicted on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples since colonisation and that are still happening today,  Rise and Shine Kindergarten extends its sincere apologies for the pain and suffering caused by both historical and current events. We deeply regret the impact of land dispossession; violence and the Stolen Generations . We express our heartfelt remorse for these injustices and will work hard in our reconciliation journey to unite and create a just Australia. Reconciliation for us is also about looking towards the future by educating the next generation of Australians in collaboration with families and communities. Our vision for the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is to foster a society built on mutual respect, understanding,  equality and equity between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians. As a team, we have reflected on our practices and believed we could do more to support the connections between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians. We will work together to strengthen our knowledge and confidence in respectfully embedding perspectives and pedagogies into our environments. We will work hand in hand with First Nations children, families and local communities in partnership and solidarity, to create a more inclusive, equal, equitable, and reconciled future for all. The RAP highlights the ways in which Rise and Shine Kindergarten continue to explore and incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures throughout the service. This allows us to celebrate First Nations cultures and encourages us to create and build on partnerships within the community. Using the RAP, we will also be able to reflect on our current practices and ensure they are culturally appropriate, ensuring we are respectfully including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures across the service.