Acknowledgement to Country

Embedding Indigenous culture within our curriculum

At Little Scholars School of Early Learning, we believe it’s vital that all Australians show support and learn about the crucial impact that culture, family, and community play in the life of every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

We embed these cultures into our everyday learning programs such as participating in experiences that celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Learning is supported through the pedagogy of the educators in embedding cultural competence, creating awareness, respect and understanding to diversity. We strive to ensure our campuses are inclusive and welcoming and our partnerships within our communities and our families are invited to become part of our learning programs.

Educators explore and foster storytelling, music, and creativity to engage children’s understanding to culture through our programs. Our campuses not only place emphasis to share cultural traditions to celebrate Indigenous culture but promote rich experiences to create awareness and understanding to our local Indigenous community.

We welcome Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples into our campuses, to help our Little Scholars and educators learn, acknowledge, and celebrate the history and traditions of the people who were the traditional owners of the land on which we play, learn, and grow.

Our Little Scholars learn about their Traditional Custodians of the land on a weekly and daily basis in a variety of different ways. They explore their first nations culture, engaging in traditional song and dance, and connect to their land in meaningful ways.

Jae, our founder, along with all members of our leadership team, support educators to embed Indigenous culture within our curriculum.

At Little Scholars, we constantly and continuously reflect on our cultural curriculum and programs, how to strengthen these opportunities and connections, and provide our educators and our children with a range of opportunities to build and extend their knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Reconciliation Action Plan

Our vision for reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the broader Australian community is about transformation – transformation that moves us from ignorance and racism to respect, from inequity and prejudice to justice, and from inaction and fear, to hope. It is in this transformation, both personal and organisational, that the promise of a strong future for every Little Scholar is realised.

Our Reconciliation Action Plan can be found in each of our campuses. Ask your campus manager.

Teaching Children

We extend our knowledge on Indigenous Australian culture with Billie Musk, our Indigenous Education Consultant, who offers an exceptional Cultural Inclusion Program via her workshops and campus visits as a part of our curriculum at Little Scholars.
We also get regular visitors such as Miss Lalania from Paperbark Cultural Consultancy, who teaches children about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture by telling dreamtime stories.

Connecting to Play

All of our campuses have Indigenous dolls, so that our Little Scholars learn about Aboriginal culture and connect to it through play.

Local Elders

We welcome local elders to our campuses to engage in conversation with children and share their knowledge and experiences with our Little Scholars.

Educating Educators

Educators complete professional development sessions on Embedding Aboriginal Perspectives in Early Childhood with Koori Curriculum. Some services also utilise their educators of Indigenous descent to educate and support embedment to culture within the curriculum.
Deception Bay, which has a larger Aboriginal population, also holds ‘Indigenous morning tea’ to invite families of indigenous culture to provide feedback to the programs.

Excursions

Many of our campuses go on excursions to visit cultural and environmental centres such as The Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre on the Gold Coast and Redlands IndigiScapes Centre to learn more about the history, significant sites and environmental features that have played an important part in the lives of Aboriginal people for thousands of years.

Bush Kinder

During bush kinder, we engage in Dadirri, an Aboriginal word meaning ‘inner deep listening and quiet still awareness and waiting’. So while out enjoying nature, the children and educators sit with a bit of space from each other and pay close attention to what they can hear, see, smell and feel.

Raising the Benchmark of Early Learning Services

At Little Scholars, we’re committed to instilling the knowledge and skills that will allow your child to thrive and succeed in life.

Government Approved
Kindergarten

Bush, Beach & Pram Kinder

Nutrition Australia Approved
Three-Course Meals Provided By
On-Campus Chef

Family Time program to give
busy families more time together

Care available from
6am to 6:30pm

Intergenerational
Grandfriends Program

Qualified Educators

Range of
Extracurricular activities

At The Heart of Everything we do at Little Scholars are our Key Pillars

See What Happy Parents are Saying

At Little Scholars, we’re committed to instilling the knowledge and skills that will allow your child to thrive and succeed in life.

See what some of our parents say about their experiences at Little Scholars

We are committed to your child’s care, education and development each and every day. We pride ourselves on the level of care we offer and the difference we are making in your child’s life for a better tomorrow.

Hear from Kat & Poppy about their experience at Little Scholars

There's a reason nine out of 10 families who visit our campuses choose to enrol. Your child's journey to discover starts here.

Shannon shares how educators have helped bring Charlie out of his shell

Shannon tells us how his son Charlie has built wonderful relationships with his educators, his friends and even his family during his time at Little Scholars.

Matty tells us how Little Scholars has helped his little social butterflies!

Matty tells us how Little Scholars has helped his children gain independence and allow his wife and him to maintain a balance with their professional lives!

Our dads share how their children have blossomed at Little Schoalrs

Our Little Scholars dads share how their children have blossomed in our care!

Grow With Little Scholars

Safety & Fun Combined

Featured Blog

Age appropriate answers to sometimes hard-to-answer questions from children

We adore the endless stream of questions that little ones bring to us every day! From an early education standpoint, we want children to learn at every opportunity. Children are inquisitive beings, and they have lots to learn! At Little Scholars, we cherish this innate curiosity in children and strive to foster a lifelong passion for learning.

As parents and educators, we understand that some questions from our little ones can catch us off guard, leaving us searching for the right words to provide age-appropriate answers. We’re here to lend a helping hand, so let’s tackle a few of these tough questions together!

We don't like to brag, but we're changing the game

A Message From One of Our Team Members

“Everything about Little Scholars is about the children. It’s amazing to be surrounded by passionate educators that love making a difference for the children.”

Mel Excell

Operations Manager

A collection of super simple, fun and engaging learning activities

How to Corner

How to make moon sand

We know it can be hard to come up with easy, quick things to do with your children, so we thought we’d share a favourite of our little scholars. Learn how to make your own moon sand in minutes with a few of these kitchen staples!

Check out our series of The Life of a Little Scholar.

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Life of a Little Scholar

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We sat down with our little scholars and asked them some very important questions.

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Meet Our Exceptional Team Members

Subheading here if needed

Melanie is a true leader and role model who has helped drive the quality and educational programs of Little Scholars. Melanie Excell has worked in the Early Childhood Education and Care industry since 2002 and is a university-trained teacher, holding a Bachelor of Education. She’s passionate about early education and preparing children for a successful future. Melanie has worked in various roles in the sector including teaching, centre director, area manager of both small and large groups of centres across Australia and more recently a senior management position in a large childcare company. Melanie manages her campuses wearing many hats, ensuring that our campuses are meeting the needs of the parent as well as the child, ensuring the very best outcomes for all involved. Melanie is dedicated to the early education sector to ensure the best level of care is available to our future generations. She is also passionate about mentoring, guiding and training our educators to ensure they are fully equipped to deliver a high standard of care and education to all children in their care. Melanie enjoys working collaboratively with all stakeholders to create safe, welcoming and playful learning environments in our campuses, which will, in turn, provide an optimal learning space for children.

Mel Excell

Operations Manager

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Jennifer is passionate and dedicated to early childhood development and is a strong advocate for children and their freedom and right to play. Jennifer has worked in early childhood education and care for almost 20 years. During this time, Jennifer had the privilege of working across all age-groups from babies to school-aged as lead educator and early childhood teacher. She has also worked in adult learning as a Trainer and Assessor teaching our future educators in their Certificate 3 and Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care. Jennifer has recently worked for the Department of Education as an Early Childhood Officer, followed by becoming the Lead Quality (Pedagogy & Practice) for the South East Region. Her qualifications include an Advanced Diploma of Children’s Services, Bachelor of Child and Family Studies, Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood Education, Cert IV in Training and Assessment, Diploma in Leadership and Management and certifications in Coaching and the Abecedarian Approach 3A. Jennifer draws upon a range of theoretical perspectives within her work in early childhood education but is particularly drawn to Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems theory. This emphasises the importance that social interactions have on children’s development and wellbeing, particularly the profound impact educators can have on children’s learning and development through their meaningful interactions. This also aligns with Jennifer’s philosophy taken by from the African proverb ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ where she believes that an entire community of people must provide for and interact positively with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment. Jennifer is excited to be a part of the Little Scholars family where her goal is to lead the development and implementation of a high-quality educational program across the Little Scholars campuses.

Jennifer Haydock

Quality Practice Manager

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Skye is a dedicated leader driven to developing services, providing management to staff and tools to support and attain the highest of quality while helping to create an atmosphere of growth and increased job satisfaction. Skye is a dedicated leaderdriven to developing services, providing leadership to staff and tools to support and attain the highest of quality while helping to create an atmosphere of growth and increased job satisfaction. During her time in early education, she has had the opportunity to hold all positions; she believes this has helped shape her leadership style, as she has an understanding of the needs, expectations and job pressure the comes with each job role. Skye is a pragmatic contributor within the team environment, and believes it is important to work together to set goals as a team that allows campuses to continually improve and strive for the highest of quality in their environments, curriculum and the care that is provided for the children and families. Skye is passionate and advocates that the early years can have biggest impact on a child’s life, and that it is important to educate and mentor our educators to understand how valuable and important their roles are, not only to educate, but to nurture and help each child to have a strong sense of belonging. Skye shares her love in creating inspiring and engaging environments, that allow the children to explore their curiosity and imagination, as well giving them the opportunity to enhance their learning and development.

Skye Ible

Regional Manager

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Sasha joins Little Scholars with a wide range of early learning experiences spanning more than two decades, from having worked as a private residence educator in the centre of London, England, to working in early learning campuses in very rural areas of New South Wales, to working in all positions in between. She believes these diverse experiences have equipped her with a unique insight into collaborating with families and bolstering communities, acknowledging the wide array of aspirations, requirements, and educational achievements depending on the campus. Sasha believes all of her unique roles and experiences have helped shape her leadership style, as she understands the needs, expectations and challenges that come with each job role, in each studio, and even the communities in which the children live and learn. She believes the best learning environments are the ones that bring joy to children, that are vibrant with laughter, play, stories and singing. Sasha's experience with the littlest learners is extensive, and working much of her career in nursery settings, she understands communication goes beyond words. In her experience, she mastered the art of engaging with the littlest learners before they even became verbal, recognising that gestures, expressions, and emotional cues play a crucial role in understanding and meeting their needs. This nuanced approach to communication has not only been pivotal in providing high-quality, individualised care, but also serves as a cornerstone of her leadership philosophy, as well as connecting with those individual communities. Sasha believes that the essence of effective leadership lies in the ability to listen, interpret, and respond to unspoken signals. This skill enables her to lead her teams with empathy, fostering an environment where educators feel valued, understood, and motivated to pursue ongoing training and development.

Sasha Woodgate-Wheeler

Regional Manager

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