Creative Garden Early Learning Mount Annan

Spacious, natural play areas

Our recently upgraded outdoor environments include a climbing frame, vegetable garden, bike track, picnic tables for outdoor meals and much more. Our vegetable garden is utilised by service and children allowing them to learn basic gardening skills, sustainability skills and plant to plate concepts. Our chicken’s allow children to develop skills of tending to animals as well as supporting our sustainable program. Children are provided time and space for uninterrupted play as they explore the outdoor spaces to test their limits and develop strength, balance, and self-confidence.

We offer purpose-built indoor spaces and learning environments that cater to individual children at their ages. Our indoor spaces are designed to encourage exploration, learning through play and intentional teaching development. Literacy and numeracy concepts are embedded in play-based learning, as children engage as architects, storytellers, scientists, artists and designers.

Dedicated team of educators

Our longstanding team of educators are passionate about nurturing and caring for children and supporting them on the early learning journey. Our educators bring their own personality into the rooms allowing for engaging learning environments and building strong relationships with the children.

Our team focuses on creating a well balanced, dynamic and comfortable environment for the children that supports the children’s learning and development. You will also receive daily updates and photos detailing children’s learning and development on our parent App – Xplor.

Healthy meals prepared in-house

We have everything covered here at Creative Garden child care centre, so you won’t need to worry about preparing lunch or snacks. Nutritious meals and snacks created and prepared by our on-site chef. Shared mealtimes between children and educators strengthen relationships, with opportunities to share stories and experiences, and model healthy eating practices.

Community-focused early learning

We host Mother’s and Father’s Day, Grandparent’s Day, Christmas, Book Week, NAIDOC week, Harmony day – where we celebrate multiculturalism.

Neighborhood connections support a sense of community and belonging for children and provide opportunities to develop social and observational skills with different people, places, and environments.

Our childcare centre proudly offers a preschool program to ensure your child is supported for their transition to school every step of the way. With a focus on language, literacy, numeracy, social skills and more, your child will become school ready.

We value our families

As members of our Creative Garden community, we look forward to partnering with you to provide information, support, and high-quality education and care in your child’s formative years.

Our Family Support Team is happy to chat through your child care needs. Call them today on 1800 517 075 to book a tour at our centre, meet our team of educators, and learn more about why these first five years are so important for your child’s development.

Rooms

Creative Garden Early Learning Mount Annan provides early education and child care for children from nursery through to kindergarten/preschool age. Each room has been planned and set up to deliver the best early learning experience for your little one.

Nursery/Joey room (6 weeks – 24 months)

Our Joey room provides:

• A homely, safe and secure environment for children.
• Highly qualified and dedicated educators who care deeply about children’s wellbeing and growth.
• Activities designed to grow physical and cognitive development, including tummy time, sensory play, music, singing, rhymes and reading.
• An open-door policy for families that allows them to drop in for a visit, a feed or a play at any time of the day.

Toddlers/ Echidnas room (18 months – 30 months)

Our Echidnas room offers:

• Play-based activities including music, movement, memory and construction games that are designed to support sensory-motor and cognitive development.
• Enhanced social skills and self-confidence through group play.
• The ongoing development of language skills through reading and open-ended questions.
• Real-life and play-based experiences that allow children to engage in basic literacy and numeracy concepts.
• Vertical grouping of ages 2 – 6 years during “Toddler Time”: Vertical Grouping offers a warm, engaging and fun environment in which children can develop their self-confidence and express their individuality. Vertical Grouping simulates the home environment where children interact with different aged children to explore and develop new skills.

Junior Kinder/ Koala room (3 – 4 years) and Kindergarten/ Kookaburra (4 – 5 years)

Our Koala and Kookaburra rooms provide:

• A Kindergarten program with a comprehensive curriculum focused on further developing literacy, numeracy and social skills.
• Interest-based learning placing children at the forefront of their early education experience.
• Play-based opportunities to further develop social skills and emotional development.
• A transition-to-school program.

Sabrina

I began my career in early childhood education in 2008, and I started at Creative Garden Early Learning Mount Annan in 2012.

I currently hold a Bachelor of Education and previously received a Diplomas in Children’s Services. I became centre manager in 2017 and supported my own service and the region and other services within the company. Being an educator within the service previously has taught me the importance of each educator, their value and their experience and what we can bring to each and every child daily.

I have always had a passion for children and education. I love teaching children how to grow and develop and be the best person they can be in their early years. It is amazing to see their milestones and watch their friendships form with their peers and educators.

Children are resilient to change within the world, the environment, and themselves. Every day, we can learn from them if we just stop and take in the moment. It is such a reward learning from them, being their educators, support, role model and friend. Working alongside them and with them is such a powerful thing.

I love watching, guiding and supporting children to grow and develop in their own unique ways. I have a strong passion for the creative arts and love to share this with the children. Seeing them engage with passion and a love for what they are working on demonstrates the ability that children have and the investigations skills they develop. They are truly inspiring.

There are many learning benefits of attending a dedicated early childhood education centre. Social and emotional development is the most important thing a child can learn at a young age. The early years of a child are the fundamental ages. Children learn best through play and engaging with other children and educators. They learn to engage, play and develop language skills to set them up for their next milestones in life and big school.

We have a long-standing team that are very passionate and dedicated educators. One of the educators has been here for 26 years, demonstrating the integrity that we show here at the service. We also have new trainees that we support in their new learning and within the industry, giving them the best chance to be the best educators they can be. The educators work well together, driving an educational program and experiences for the children.

We demonstrate to families that we build good relationships from the get-go. We offer a welcome email that gives families a chance to send their child’s likes and dislikes, allowing us to set the child/ren up for a great first day. We encourage families to call in as much as they would like throughout their first day/week, giving them that comfort to know that their little one is safe. We support families in any way we can by doing charity drives when and if we need to, allowing them to come into the services, share their special experiences with the children, and genuinely care for each family. Our services offer families a chance to feel like part of our Creative Garden family each and every day.

A centre tour is a convenient way to experience the centre of your choice and meet with our qualified educators at a time suitable to your family schedule. Creative Garden also offers the virtual tour option in all our centres. Click here to book a tour online.

On the day of the tour, you’ll have the opportunity to observe practices and interactions within the centre environment. You’ll be able to see all the rooms and playgrounds, ask the team members any questions you have in mind, and get all the information you need to make the best decision for your child.

Creative Garden’s Family Support team will add your child’s name to our waitlist if one of our centres is currently full in your child’s age group. We will then contact you as soon as a place becomes available.

We also do monthly check-ins to review the availability, and you will receive a text message confirming if you’re still happy to remain on the waitlist each month. If you would like to get an update at any point, you’re welcome to reach out on our Web Chat or give us a call.

Our Family Support team can also help you find more G8 early learning centres near you, with the same offerings at the Creative Garden’s centre you are interested in that have immediate availability.

It’s common for a child to experience separation anxiety when they first start child care. When you’re getting ready to start child care, you can help your child overcome anxieties by visiting the child care centre together for a Stay and Play session, and easing into new routines at home.

Click here to read more tips about how to make the transition easier for your child.

Most of our Creative Garden’s child care and early education centres offer the following:

• Nappies and wipes
• Sunscreen and hats
• Nutritious meals prepared by our in-house cook

Some centres also provide sheets and formula, so you may not need to remember to pack them.

For nursery children, be sure to bring: nappy rash cream, dummies, bottles and teats, comfort toys or blankets, three spare outfits, spare socks and a plastic bag for wet clothes.

For toddlers and preschool or kindergarten-aged children, it’s best to bring: spare underwear, water bottle or sippy cup, sun hat, closed-toe shoes, two spare outfits, spare socks and a plastic bag for wet clothes.

Plus anything else your individual child may need, such as breast milk, a sleeping bag, a comforter or medication.

It’s best to speak to your centre of choice for a full list of everything included.

Creative Garden uses Xplor Home as our family communication app. It is the best and easiest way to keep track of your child’s day. After you enrol your child with the centre, you can utilise Xplor Home to book child care days, manage your account, receive the photographs that capture your child’s learning, learn about your child’s progress, as well as keep up-to-date with upcoming centre events and important information.

If your child shows signs of an infectious illness when they arrive at the centre or becomes sick during the day, you may be notified that you need to make alternative arrangements or pick up your child from the centre, and keep them home until they are no longer infectious. While we understand that this can be inconvenient, Creative Garden is committed to maintaining a healthy environment and reducing the risk of infection for all children.

Under the Child Care Subsidy (CCS), families are allowed 42 absence days per child, per financial year. These can be taken for any reason, including public holidays and when children are sick, without the need for families to provide documentation.