Buchan Uniting Early Learning

We love the outdoors! Ideally positioned by bushland, Buchan Caves, Buchan River and the coast - children are regularly exposed to the many natural wonders of our region. We encourage them to follow their curiosity and engage with their environment, through structured educational activities, free playtime, and social interactions with friends. Our inside areas are just as inviting with cosy reading nooks and spaces dedicated to poetry, puppets and song.

Our early learning centre features:

• Planned and intentional indoor spaces
• Large, large natural outdoor space
• Sandpit
• Mud pit
• Trees and natural shade
• Dry creek bed
• Sensory gardening beds
• Shade sail
• Play area with climbing equipment
• Swings
• Recycling area to encourage sustainability and caring for the environment
• Wooden cubby house
• Gross motor play equipment for activities such as climbing, skipping, throwing and catching
• Worm farm
• Water tanks

Children benefit from a combination of structured and unstructured indoor-outdoor activities at our early learning service. By spending extended time in our natural environment exploring, exercising, playing and getting a hands-on understanding of the natural world, they develop strong physical, social and language skills, as well as self-esteem and respect for the great outdoors.

Some of our activities include:

• Recycling waste and water
• Teaching children about sustainable living
• Tending to the worm farm and learning to compost
• Excursions that encourage children to care for the environment around them
• Creative, play, and structured learning activities

Children learn about fresh, nutritious foods and overall wellbeing at Buchan Early Childhood Development Centre. By growing our own produce, sharing and socialising during mealtimes, and discovering foods from other cultures, children can try different flavours, build a positive relationship with food, and start to create healthy habits that will sustain them for life.

At our centre, we:

• Grow herbs, vegetables, and fruit
• Accommodate diverse dietary requirements
• Practise and emphasise food safety
• Work sensitively with parents and families from a range of cultural backgrounds to ensure cultural foods meet food standard requirements
• Educate children and their families about healthy eating and nutrition
• Participate in the Smiles 4 Miles program
• Teach children about the differences between processed and fresh food
• Regularly cook at our centre

Maintaining our strong connection with families and the local community is important to us. We encourage families to participate in their child’s early learning experience through volunteering their time, visiting the Centre, joining us on excursions, fundraising, or being part of the Parent Advisory Committee.

We are often visited by community members who teach our children about indigenous culture through art and stories, nurturing the environment, and caring for animals.

Some of the other many people, groups or services we engage with include:

• Park Rangers
• The local bush nurse, police, and fire services
• The Library Bus
• Farmers who bring in their poddy calves and lambs, ponies, baby chicks or ducks
• The local school as part of the transition program and Book Week
• Spontaneous visits from foundation children
• The local primary school as part of our transition program, as well as participating in school events like the Teddy Bear Picnic and Book Week
• The community garden to help grow and source vegetables for our cooking
• Dog handlers
• Clay and felting artists
• Buchan Early Years Reference Group

We also engage in external community programs such as:

• Smiles 4 Miles

We support inclusive practices of families that speak another language other than English and welcome extended families teaching special words and culture to the children. Children participate in literacy activities such as songs to increase children knowledge of speech sounds.

Our educators are experienced in working with children who live with a range of physical and intellectual disability or have experienced challenges and trauma.

3 & 4 year old kindergarten

$395.00 per term

Child care

$10.50 per hour less subsidy