Little Explorers Learning Centre is not your cookie-cutter childcare or preschool. We are a privately-owned educational centre. We maintain an identity and brand image of unrivalled distinction in early childhood education. You may ask what makes Little Explorers above all others. The answer would be love, safety and education are our main focus. Here are just a few highlights that make us unique in who we are:

• Lots of smiles, hugs, and love
• Safe and secure
• Professional staff with experience
• Educators that have a passion for children and teaching
• Partnerships with parents
• Homelike engaging environment
• Researched-based curriculum allowing each child to learn at their own pace
• Professional standards of quality
• Reasonable rates

You can find out more by visiting the centre – we welcome enquiries at any time. You can also check out the centre's website or phone 02 9638 0380.

What happens after I submit an enquiry form online?

After you have submitted your enquiry form, we will:

• call you back
• discuss your child's needs
• contact the centres to find out what vacancies are available
• If no places are available, we will then add you to the centre's waitlist

Enrolling and/or reserving a future space for your child is simple. Contact us to schedule a time for you and your child to visit us in our centre. We will support you every step of the way. Our Centre Directors will invite you to take a tour of the centre. During your visit, you will have the opportunity to meet us and learn more about what we have to offer. Also, you can see where your child will be cared for and to ensure you are comfortable with your decision. They will then provide you with an enrolment pack that contains everything you need to know about the centre, the information we need from you about your child, for example, their routine, as well as a quote for your daily fees. We encourage you to ask as many questions as you like, we are here to support both you and your child.

After this on-site visit, the registration process may begin. There are various forms to be completed and others to be read. Once they are read, completed, signed, and the deposit has been paid, your child's space has been reserved and the final step is to decide on a start date.

Can I enrol online?

We don't offer online enrolment because it's so important for families to come to see and experience our centre firsthand. A tour is your chance to meet the staff and discuss your needs one-on-one with your Centre Director. They'll then be able to help with your enrolment and settling in your child.

How is the wait list managed?

If there are no vacancies at the centre, you may want to join their waiting list. These waitlists are regularly reviewed and families are contacted once a place becomes available. If you wish to no longer be on the waitlist, then you can remove yourself by contacting the centre directly.

Hours

• The centre opens at 7:00 am and closes at 6:00 pm Mondays to Fridays.
• The centre is open 52 weeks of the year.
• The centre will be closed on public holidays throughout the year.
• Parents are asked to please bring their child before 10.00am as time after that is crucial to the development.
• Please Note: There will be no staff on the premises prior to 7.00am

Rest Time

Little Explorers aims to provide a quiet time area with bedding provisions for all children attending care. All children are encouraged to rest; relaxation music and low lighting are implemented during these times. For children who don’t sleep, alternative experiences are provided.

Meal Times

Fortnightly menus are displayed in each room in the parent corner. We aim to provide a relaxed and home-like environment during mealtimes, we cater for children of different cultures and food interests. We encourage good nutrition and healthy eating habits.

Cot Room

There are regular cot checks conducted when children are asleep in the cot room, there are also baby monitors turned on as a double measure to ensure your child’s needs are always attended to.

Do the children receive meals?

Yes, we provide morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and sometimes breakfast and a late snack where required. We have a set menu for morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and late afternoon tea.

We provide food fresh and healthy for the children. A nutritious diet is vital for children’s development, so we make sure to provide meals that give children all the nutrients and energy they need. Children love to eat together, so the meal times at the centre are always fun!

Due to children having different needs and allergies the centre asks parents to provide the formula they prefer for their child.

Do you provide nappies?

Yes, we do provide nappies.

Parents are to sign their children in/out every day via QK Kiosk electronic system.

Parents will be greeted by a member of staff who will require as much information about the child’s individual needs to ensure that they are met throughout the day, i.e. sleep requirements, comforters, dummies, allergies, likes/dislikes etc.

Staff will ensure that all medication and any other food items are labelled, recorded in the appropriate record form and stored in the appropriate way in the kitchen facilities.

Please Note: Due to the existence of allergies in some children, medication and food items must not be left in the child’s bag. Parents MUST bring such items to the attention of a staff member.

When you first enrol at Little Explorers, we will provide you with everything you need to know about starting care, including a detailed list of what to bring each day. In the meantime, here is a general guide to help:

• A sunsafe hat which covers your child's face, neck and ears
• Change of clothes (when involved with hands-on play-based learning, your child may get a little messy!)
• A bib or two (if required)Comfort item (if required), such as a toy or blanket
• Dummy in a sealed, named container (if required)
• Sleeping sheet set or blanket for nap time
• Expressed milk (if required), Nappies, wipes and cream
• Water bottle with a lid or a sippy cup

Any medications – please give these to centre staff to manage directly. Please note our centres have formal processes in place to support children who require short or long-term medications as well as management plans for children with any known medical conditions. Please speak further with your centre staff regarding this.

Do I need to pack a lunch?

No, Little Explorers provide meals, including morning and afternoon tea and lunch.

Do I need to pack sunscreen?

No, as a sun-safe organisation we provide child-friendly sunscreen, however, if your child has sensitive skin please feel free to provide your preferred brand.

What else should I pack in my child's bag?

Your centre will be able to advise you on anything specific they may need, however most importantly please remember to label all of your child's items so we can easily keep track of them.

We have a play-based learning approach, which supports young children in making sense of their world and learning vital foundational skills through exploration, developing and practising language and physical skills, and experimenting with new ideas. Children build confidence, express themselves creatively, and develop their sense of self and identity. Besides individual exploration, they also learn cooperation and how to build relationships and engage in a group.

Children will be supported to play independently indoors and outdoors in small and large groups. Activities range from building spatial awareness with playdough or blocks to honing fine motor skills and knowledge of colours and shapes with drawing and painting. Your Centre Director can tell you more.

The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) describes the principles, practices, and outcomes essential to young children’s learning from birth to five years of age, as well as their transition to school. It's part of the Australian Government’s National Quality Framework for early childhood education and care.

The framework has a strong emphasis on play-based learning, recognising the importance of communication and language (including early literacy and numeracy) and social and emotional development. There are five learning outcomes defined by the EYLF:

• Children have a strong sense of identity
• Children are connected with and contribute to their world
• Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
• Children are confident and involved learners
• Children are effective communicators

Find out more about the EYLF @ https://www.education.gov.au/early-years-learning-framework-0

The National Quality Framework (NQF) was the result of an agreement between all Australian governments to work together to provide better educational and developmental outcomes for children.

The NQF introduced a new quality standard in 2012 to improve education and care across long daycare, family daycare, preschool/kindergarten, and outside school hours care.

The National Quality Standard (NQS) is a key aspect of the National Quality Framework (NQF) and sets a high, national benchmark for early childhood education and care.

The NQS brings together the SEVEN key quality areas that are important to outcomes for children:

1. Educational program and practice
2. Children’s health and safety
3. Physical environment
4. Staffing arrangements
5. Relationships with children
6. Collaborative partnerships with families and communities
7. Leadership and service management

 

Learn more about National Quality Framework @ https://www.acecqa.gov.au/

A child portfolio is a continuing record of your child’s development and their interests that are experienced throughout each year.

Each child in the centre will have a portfolio which will include:

• The child’s development and their interests which are experienced throughout the year
• Some of the children’s paintings
• Pictures of their child engaging in different types of play
• Different types of observations which are followed up with activities, to extend on their interests and needs.

 

We are passionate about ensuring all children have access to early learning and have facilities and resources in place in our centre to support children with specific requirements or additional needs - from allergies to greater care needs such as physical or learning disabilities or behavioural concerns.

Please speak with the Centre Director about how we can work together to support your child's individual needs.

There's a huge amount of compelling recent research on the first five years of a child's development and how it affects the rest of their lives. We know that 80 per cent of a child's brain is developed within the first five years. We also know that children who start ahead stay ahead and keep accelerating beyond their peers.

Over time, it becomes harder to close gaps between children who are excelling, and those falling behind. That's why it's so important to get it right from the start. To give our children the best possible opportunities for their future, we need to lay the foundations early.