Left: Staff give children the chance to learn, grow and develop using their sensory skills.
COCKATOO Community Childcare is a vibrant part of the Cockatoo community.
The centre has a long history of community involvement since its beginning in 1983 following the Ash Wednesday fires to provide child care while parents were rebuilding their lives and homes.
Its staff and committee are proud of the growth the centre has seen since its humble beginnings in the local church hall, to its current purpose-built home.
The centre is a thriving service providing local families with a much needed long day child care.
It currently caters for 82 local families with a total of 101 children.
Its total capacity is 53 children, and is able to accommodate permanent and casual bookings.
The centre encourages children to feel free to explore and play in a safe, nurturing and stimulating natural environment.
Staff give children with the chance to learn, grow and develop using their sensory skills to activate independent, open learning play experiences.
Curiosity and questioning are encouraged and experiences are planned according to the children’s interests.
This is in line with the Early Years Learning Framework introduced at a federal level earlier this year.
As the only community run centre in Cardinia Shire, staff at the centre also understand the importance of connecting with other community groups.
Children who attend their programs enjoy working in the community gardens, meeting people from local businesses and groups such as the local CFA and Post Office, and experiencing and being involved in significant events such as Remembrance Day.
Next year promises to be an exciting year for all children at the centre, but in particular children enrolled in the kindergarten program will enjoy the benefits of having a full time kinder teacher. Katy Baker, the kindergarten teacher, will continue the excellent program she initiated at the centre this year but will increase her contact with children to four days a week.
This will be a great relief to many parents in the community who want to provide their children with the best possible educational foundations but also have to work.
Working, studying or stay at home parents’ minds can be at ease because their child’s long day care and funded kindergarten can happen in the one place. The kindergarten program has vacancies still available for the 2011 school year.
To organise a centre tour or to meet Katy, call the centre on 5968 8932 and speak to director Trish Morris.
