At the core of Little Scholars School of Early Learning lies a strong foundation built on four pillars: Contribute, Grow, Inspire, and Learn. Embracing these pillars, Little Scholars believes in a philosophy centered around understanding the purpose behind everything they do. Their focus is on nurturing children’s holistic development, encompassing social, cognitive, emotional, physical, and moral aspects. One of the fundamental elements of the Contribute pillar is Little Scholars’ meaningful partnership with Baby Give Back.

As a Southeast Queensland charity dedicated to assisting vulnerable babies, children, and families in the local community, Baby Give Back ensures that every child has an equal start in life. On 6 June, they held their annual fundraising event, the Baby Give Back Giving Drive 2023. Last year, this initiative raised an impressive $410,000, with valuable contributions from partners like Little Scholars. This year, they raised EVEN MORE! $413,453! The Little Scholars community generously helped donate more than $67,000 toward the final tally!

Modest start

The charity began after founder Carly Fradgley, a lawyer at the time, had completed her family and wanted to pass along her baby items that were still in great condition. Carly began collecting items and connecting with agencies, and her garage quickly became a makeshift storage shed for the donations received. Quickly growing, Baby Give Back moved into a warehouse and Carly now works full time for Baby Give Back as CEO.

Jaeandcarly2

Carly Fradgley, Baby Give Back founder with Jae Fraser, Little Scholars founder

The charity collects, besides funds, items from clothing to nappies, cots, car seats, prams and more. There is a thorough process to ensure that every item they collect is safe, clean and in great condition, to meet the needs of each family’s needs and circumstances.

The need is big in the local community. Baby Give Back assisted 9,524 children in 2022. They also helped 2,366 flood-impacted children in Lismore, northern New South Wales who needed relief following the disastrous floods.

While families need support for a variety of reasons, one of the biggest issues they face is domestic and family violence. Last year, 42% of the nearly 10,000 children Baby Give Back helped were affected by domestic and family violence, and that remains a top issue in 2023, according to Carly.

Perfect partnership

Little Scholars and The Scholars Group founder Jae Fraser first heard about the plight of Baby Give Back in 2019.

When Jae married that year, he and his partner requested no wedding gifts, but rather, asked their guests to each bring a new toy for a child in need. They didn’t know exactly where they would donate them, but their friend suggested Baby Give Back. That began a beautiful friendship.

“Our guests were so generous, and after we connected with Carly and her volunteers, we knew we wanted to help. Our personal gift drive inspired us to do the same thing with our campuses that Christmas,” says Jae. “It’s the perfect partnership.”

Carly agrees. She says she was emotional to see the gifts roll up.

“When Jae turned up at our warehouse with a car and trailer both overflowing with new gifts, I cried. It was so overwhelming to see so many wonderful gifts and know that I could jump on the phone to the caseworkers who thought their families would miss out,” she says. “There were more tears when caseworkers came to collect gifts with many of them telling me that these gifts would be the only things that the children would receive – they weren’t extras, it was all they would have.”

The toy drive was perhaps a little too successful for the small charity, as they ran out of storage room along with their essential items! Now, their focus is back to where it always was, ensuring deserving families have what they need.

Now, Little Scholars and Baby Give Back partner together over several fundraising events each year, and the wider Little Scholars community pitches in as well. Little Scholars employees and families donate gently used items at each of the 13 Little Scholars campuses.

To learn more about Baby Give Back and how to help, visit: babygiveback.org

“We have built a great partnership with Little Scholars over the last 5 years on a foundation of shared values in both of our organisations striving to give children the best possible start to life,” Carly says.

“The financial support from Little Scholars has been crucial to our ability to keep the doors open through some really rough times,” Carly adds. “They also coordinate collections of the donations we need across the year. In addition to financial support, Little Scholars sponsor our t-shirts for volunteers allowing us to provide these free of charge and the Family Packs that are given to every family we support, letting them know that the support comes from the community with compassion.”

Children helping children

The children and community love Little Scholars and are thrilled to help. All 13 campuses hosted individual fundraising events to support Baby Give Back ahead of its annual June Giving Day.

“The parents have been amazing with supporting our fundraisers over the past few weeks,” says Nat Carey, Deception Bay campus manager.

Children at every campus participated in bake sales, sausage sizzles, art exhibits and gold coin events to raise as much as they can for their peers in need.

While community service is part of the national framework that childcare campuses follow, it’s more than that, says Alison Carney, campus manager of Little Scholars Ormeau Village campus.

“By engaging in charity events such as Baby Give Back’s Giving Day and all year round, and other events in the community, we not only contribute to the well-being of others but also shape the hearts and minds of our children, encouraging a generation empowered to create a more compassionate and inclusive world.”

When choosing a childcare centre for your little one, it can be exciting yet overwhelming at the same time. There are endless options out there, but the question we often hear is, where do I even begin? Well, at Little Scholars, we’re here to guide you through with our professional childcare expertise and we guarantee after this, you will feel at utmost ease when it comes to choosing the right childcare centre for your child.

We promise if you consider the below key points, it will make your decision process a whole lot simpler because once you know what it is you are looking for, you will start to get an understanding of which of your requirements each childcare centre tick off or perhaps ‘don’t’ tick off.

How to choose a childcare centre

We would suggest thinking about the following key points when choosing a childcare centre:

1. Qualified and Trustworthy Staff

It’s essential to ensure that the childcare provider has a team of qualified and experienced staff who can provide a safe and nurturing environment for your child. Look for staff with relevant qualifications, certifications, and experience in early childhood education.

 2. Focus on Education and Learning

A good childcare centre should offer a well-rounded curriculum that includes learning opportunities throughout the day. Look for a centre that offers a balance of academic and non-academic activities, such as art, music, and physical exercise, to promote cognitive, social, and emotional development.

 3. Emphasis on Social Skills and Interaction

Social interaction is critical for children’s growth and development. Look for a childcare centre that promotes social skills development and offers opportunities for children to engage in group activities, such as circle time, story time, and free play.

 4. Play and Exploration

Play is a crucial component of early childhood development. Look for a childcare centre that provides plenty of opportunities for children to play, explore, and have fun. The centre should offer age-appropriate games, toys, and learning tools that stimulate children’s creativity and imagination.

 5. Philosophy on Education

Every childcare provider has its own philosophy on education. It’s important to find a centre that shares your values and beliefs on how children learn and develop. Look for a provider whose philosophy on education aligns with your own and offers an environment that supports your child’s learning and growth.

 6. Age-Appropriate Resources

Children of different ages have different needs and interests. Look for a childcare centre that offers age-appropriate games, toys, and learning tools that cater to your child’s developmental stage and learning style.

 7. Positive Atmosphere

A positive atmosphere is essential for a child’s emotional well-being. Look for a centre that feels warm, welcoming, and cheerful. The centre should be clean, well-maintained, and have a pleasant and safe environment for children to learn and play.

8. Safety and Security

Safety and security are paramount when it comes to selecting a childcare centre. Look for a centre that has adequate safety measures, such as a secure entrance, fenced outdoor play area, and policies for illness and emergencies.

9. Parental Involvement

Parental involvement is crucial in a child’s development. Look for a childcare centre that encourages parent-teacher collaboration and provides opportunities for parental involvement, such as parent-teacher conferences, family events, and volunteer opportunities.

10. Flexibility

Flexibility is another crucial factor to consider when selecting a childcare provider. Look for a centre that can accommodate your schedule and budget. The centre should offer flexible hours, payment plans, and holiday arrangements to suit your needs.

The Best Childcare Advice

If we could give you some valuable (and helpful) advice when choosing a childcare provider, it would be to not just think about what is best for your child now – but think about the needs of your now AND the needs they will have in the future. 

Do some research on the learning programs and extracurricular programs the childcare centres offer so you are totally aware of what learning opportunities your child is offered in order to learn and grow to their fullest potential. These programs will inspire and teach your child daily, so it is pivotal to find the best programs for your child. 

At Little Scholars, we offer an early learning curriculum that allows every child to experience a world of creative engagement through movement, play and physical activities. Our extracurricular programs are a key focus, and all activities are conducted by expert teachers and educators children expect from childcare and early education. 

One of our most adored programs by parents (and children) is Bush Kinder and you will find that most parents these days want their child to be outdoors in the natural environment. This, however, is only just a taste of what Little Scholars programs offers, but as childcare experts, we truly understand that each child is unique and thrives differently, so you need to ensure the programs really suit your child’s needs individually. We would really emphasise taking note of what programs these Early Learning Centres offer will really help shape your decision.

Have Questions Ready

When interviewing potential childcare centres, it is important to ask how they meet the children’s changing developmental needs in their care or offer enrichment programs for different age groups. Ask how they create positive learning environments for the children and do they create positive social interactions between students. 

You can never ask too many questions when it comes to interviewing your childcare providers because we know how IMPORTANT this decision is. This is the second place in which your child is going to spend a big majority of their time, apart from home, so there is a lot to ask in order to feel like you are making the ‘right’ decisions and feel secure. 

​Remember: The Child Comes First! 

Of course, when it comes to choosing an early learning centre, you want what is best for your child. You want them to be in an environment where they are comfortable, safe, and stimulated. You want them to be in an environment where they will learn and grow, and an environment where they will thrive and be inspired daily. So, one last piece of advice we could give you is to involve your child in the choosing process! 

Seeing as they are going to be spending so much time with their childcare provider, it is important they meet the educators and explore the environment before you make your final decision so you can see your child is genuinely happy and comfortable in this environment. This will work out in the long run and will make choosing the right early learning centre journey a whole lot smoother for not just your child, but the family. 

We hope our expert guide has helped give you some direction on what to consider when choosing the right early learning centre. We truly know how IMPORTANT it is to find the right environment for your child and hope to have given you comfort when making these final decisions. Get in touch to find out more about our programs and how they might be a fit for you and your family. We would love to learn more about your future Little Scholar.

As Queensland, and Australia as a whole, takes baby steps to open to the world again after a challenging two years, Little Scholars School of Early Learning is taking big steps to ensure our children and our educators are as safe as possible as we navigate this new normal.

We want our families and our educators to rest easy that their health and safety are of the utmost importance to us, and we respect that our families and staff will have questions, especially as we see interstate and international visitors return to our cities. Here we want to answer your questions about how we navigate these next steps.

We have a detailed COVID-safe action plan that is continually reviewed as directed and advised by Queensland Health in the event a positive case is detected in one of our campuses.

Are staff vaccinated?

We encourage all our staff to be fully vaccinated. It is mandated by 17 December that all Queensland early childhood educators and staff will have their first vaccination and are required to be fully vaccinated by 23 January. Currently, we have more than three-quarters of our team fully vaccinated, and we’ve always strongly encouraged all our teams to be vaccinated as soon as possible. We are offering support and help for those unsure to get the information they need so we can get 100% of our team vaccinated to ensure that everyone is safe, based on the health advice.

How do you minimize risk in your campuses?

We’re now in the process of installing high-quality air purifiers in all our campuses, in line with our COVID-19 action plan and our commitment to the safety and well-being of all of our teams and children. Research published in The Journal of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology says the efficacy of portable air purifiers using HEPA filtration helped increase the clearance of aerosols. True HEPA filters remove 99.97% of ultra-fine dust and inhibit the spread of captured bacteria. These will be placed in our reception areas to assist in filtering air from external people entering campuses. In the event of illness or outbreak, these purifiers will be moved to studios affected.

During periods of outbreaks and suspected covid in the community, we limit the number of external visitors to our campuses. We offer foyer or car park drop-off and pick-up to prevent illness and outbreaks in the service and keep our children and educators safe.

What are the requirements for deliveries/tradespeople arriving at your campuses?

Typically, any deliveries are dropped to the foyer/ front entrance as we are limiting the number of external people into our campuses. Trades and maintenance people are all required to attend out of hours. During periods of high risk or outbreaks, it is a requirement that external visitors are limited and if required to attend, must wear a mask.

What are the deciding factors to turn a child away due to illness?

Staff and children should not attend our campuses if unwell and we take illness very seriously. Of course, the way that children interact with each other and with adults in education and care services means that illnesses can quickly spread in a variety of ways. Children have close contact with other people through playing or cuddling, putting items in their mouths, and not covering faces when sneezing or coughing. We record the immunisation status of every child at our campuses and encourage staff to be up to date with all vaccinations. We also have the Public Health Unit attend our campuses each year to give flu shots to staff.

Our staff is trained to recognise signs of illness, but it’s a shared responsibility with our families to update each other if illness is detected. Whilst we are more alert to illnesses in children, we are seeing less illness currently and parents are being much more diligent with keeping children home if they are unwell which is a huge help in keeping our community well.

Do children learn about hygiene at your campuses?

This has been an integral part of our learning program, including maintaining health and good hygiene habits, learning about viruses and disease, and what COVID actually is. We have needed to use real-life language and be frank with children as they try to understand the fear and uncertainty in the community, learning to communicate through masks and understanding the changes to “normal life” and how to process these changes.

What happens if there is a positive case in a Little Scholars Campus?

Here are the main steps we take in the event of a positive case in one of our campuses.

  • Immediately, we notify the Department of Health through our local Public Health Unit, Department of Education and Training (DET), Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) and follow their recommendations moving forward
  • Notify all affected, including families, staff, and potential visitors. We  will keep them updated daily on potential room or centre closures, quarantine protocols and deep cleaning steps taken
  • Assist in identifying and notifying close contacts and support service staff to be tested. We are also required to confirm vaccination status for staff primary close contacts, of course, children are unvaccinated
  • Notify Work Safe QLD and update our risk assessments on actions taken post-positive case
  • Arrange a deep clean following the guidelines set out by Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and DET. Our campuses have regular professional cleaners come into perform regular hygienic cleans, in the case of an outbreak or suspected case in the community, we engage The Usher Group who perform a deep clean in the campus out of hours to ensure that the campus is safe and ready for children and educators. This deep clean process includes a comprehensive commercial sanitisation process
  • Maintain contact with all staff and families as we progress toward reopening.

If you have any questions that weren’t answered here, please contact your campus manager and they’ll provide those answers or find the required information for you.

You can help bring Christmas joy to vulnerable families.

We are collecting new gifts for children (aged 0-17 years), parents and caregivers. The gifts will be distributed by Baby Give Back to families doing it tough via their network of caseworkers during December.

Only NEW Christmas gifts can be accepted.

We ask that all gift donations be made by 10th December 2021

For little humans, small changes can feel big. When it comes to transitioning rooms in childcare, some children will be excited to be more like the bigger children, but change can be more of a challenge to others.

Moving up at Little Scholars means changes to routines, new educators but also new opportunities to play and grow! We don’t move a child without thoughtful consideration from your child’s educators, and without preparing your child for changes to come.

So, how do we prepare your child for transition?

Carissa Haycock, Educational Leader at our Yatala campus, says this is something she’s very passionate about.

Educators’ considerations when it comes to children moving rooms

“Transitioning between rooms at our campus focuses more on a developmental/wellbeing factor than solely the children’s age,” Carissa says.

Some of the considerations taken whether to move a child or not include:

  • Is this transition something that the family will be interested in? It is important to involve the families in this decision.
  • How long will the child be in the next room? It’s not a great choice to move a child in April/May if they’re going to be in the same room next year with the same children. This can lead to changes in behaviour.
  • How is the child in their current studio? Are they at a disadvantage in any way by remaining within their current studio?

Educators do a lot behind the scenes, Carissa says, to make transitions or considerations of transitions smooth. Educators at her campus prepare ‘Transition Letters’ for the educators in the next studio so they are aware of the child’s strengths as well as any special requirements.

They also provide the child ‘play dates’ in the studio to introduce them to their new educators and children, but visits are staggered for different periods of the daily routine before spending a full day in the new studio.

She also says educators can go and visit them while they’re on their play dates to see how they are going. Being excited for them and getting them to show their current educators something they have done or ask them about what they like about it can go a long way.

But Carissa says they also need to be aware if the child becomes upset, to bring them back to their familiar studio. We want the transition to be a positive experience for them and it’s not worth them being overwhelmed and remembering that the next time you take them in there…and they will remember!

Educators will often send the families updates on Kindyhub during the day letting them know how the transition is going. She says it’s helpful to include other children’s names and as well as their new educators’ names so the parents can talk about it with their children.

Parent support in smooth children's room transitions

What can parents do it make it a smoother transition? Here are Carissa’s top tips:

  • Talk about the transition at home with your child (the name of the studio and the educators within it)
  • When dropping off or collecting your child, walk by the room and show them it, explaining that “this is going to be your new studio.”
  • Understand that the transition may go smoothly for the first couple of weeks then your child might start becoming upset at drop-off. If this happens, allow them to settle in their familiar studio and the educators can later take them to their new studio. Pack your child’s comfort item or something familiar for them in case they need it during the day.
  • Be honest with your child’s educators: if you don’t feel like your child is coping with the change, let them know and they can offer you tips or find another way to make the transition smoother.

Carissa also recommends not projecting any hesitations you might have about transitioning rooms on your child.

“It’s understandable for you to be worried about the transition but try not to talk about it in front of your child,” Carissa says. “Even if you think children aren’t listening, they could be, and they will often play on your own insecurities/worries.”

Your child’s needs will always come first at Little Scholars. Our first priority is the growth and development of your child. We nurture, teach, and guide your child to developing all the skills that will allow them to succeed in life, and we will support them every step of the way so they will flourish while they’re in our care.

Is my child ready for school? 

So, the questions that pop up often for a parent when their little ones are in their last year of kindergarten is; is my child ready for school, or what do I need to do to make sure my child is equipped for their school transition? These are all totally normal thoughts to have as a parent, but we can happily reassure you that at Little Scholars, we offer an extensive School Readiness Program that will give your child the life skills they need and confidence to have a successful transition to big school!

School Readiness, the National Early Years Learning Framework and Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines

What we believe makes a successful transition to school is our Little Scholars School of Early Learning service and educators working in collaboration with local schools and our community to make sure we are assisting children and families with this transition. Our School Readiness Program is based on the National Early Years Learning Framework and Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines, as well as we have wonderful Early Childhood Teachers who teach the children and support their learning and development hugely.

Child development and learning new skills

School readiness is about the development of the whole child – their social and emotional skills, physical skills, communication skills, and cognitive skills. For children to thrive at school, they need to learn important skills like following instructions, communicating their needs, and getting along with other children. At Little Scholars, we are truly committed to ensuring that our Little Scholars are supported and motivated in all aspects of their learning and development so that our children in their last year of Kindy are ready for that next stage of their lives.

Some key points involved in getting your child ready for their school transition and that make up our School Readiness Program are the following:

  • Regular visits from the teachers from local schools
  • Close working relationship with all local schools
  • School excursions and visits in the last term
  • Transition statements for every child
  • Lunchbox days throughout term 4
  • Uniforms in home corner.

These are all fundamental steps we teach our children in School Readiness so that they can learn a comfortable school routine and most importantly, so they can adapt to this new transition period. At Little Scholars, we want their routine to feel as normal and as exciting as possible, rather than something daunting. It is important to support the children in every way imaginable during their School Readiness program, and the most rewarding part for us is watching our Little Scholars go confidently into their next chapter, blossoming and becoming a positive contribution to our futures.

Our Little Scholars Kindergarten rooms integrate some small but very useful routines for the children which assist in getting them ready for school. We bring in programs for the children that start at 8:30 am, so we encourage you and your child to arrive before this time so they can become used to big school starts!

We focus on teaching age-appropriate independent skills in the kindergarten room – such as packing their bag, carrying their own bag, opening lunch boxes and food containers, dressing as well as emotional regulation skills.

At Little Scholars, we offer a range of stimulating extra-curricular activities that give the children a firsthand experience into the diverse range of subjects they would learn at school. These extra-curriculars include Reading Eggs program, sports and fitness program, languages program, yoga, and dance programs weekly, STEM and finger gym programs, Bush and Beach Kinder programs, and excursions and incursions.

Preparing for school at home

Wondering what else you can do with your child at home to assist in preparing them for big school? We can help with this! You can help your child develop a basic awareness of numbers by helping around the house – they could set a table and count the plates, match socks from the clothing line, or measure ingredients for baking.

It is super beneficial to read with your child as often as possible, and try talking to them about the story, point out new words and ask questions – this will help with their comprehension, vocabulary, and language skills.

Let’s say you have some free time in the afternoons, or even on the weekends, you can play games with your child like Snakes and Ladders or Go Fish! These simple games are great for practicing turn-taking, sharing, waiting, and learning to cope with not winning.

Finally, encourage your child to have conversations with you – ask them questions, listen to their answers, and encourage them to talk about what they think and feel so they can express themselves with new friends and teachers.

We are extremely happy to have you with us, if at any time you feel there is more we can do, please let us know as we are here to encourage and support your child to learn and grow in a fun, exciting, and stimulating environment.

Becoming a foster parent is not all rainbows and butterflies, it is a wholehearted decision which requires dedication and effort. It is a commitment that you choose and one that can helps provide a safe and caring environment for children and young people in our community. As a foster parent there are incredible opportunities presented in so many different forms, however, it is vital you have an insight into what is involved in becoming a foster parent so that you feel totally equipped and prepared for your journey. 

What we are going to share with you is all based from personal experiences from our regional manager, Skye Ible, and we know many of you who are looking to foster a child or are in the process currently will be able to relate to Skye’s experiences entirely.

If you are not aware, becoming a foster parent is a lengthy and complex process, but if you are aware of that before going into your application, it will take away the overwhelming feelings of wow, this is a lot to take in. Do not let the complex application haunt you, we have been told that once you find the right organisation that fits right with you, you will have endless support from the agency, and this will impact your fostering experience in a tremendously positive way.

It is helpful you know there are expectations that the agency will require of you when you start your application. You will be asked to attend an initial training – these are normally at night and then at nigh- time you are given workbooks to complete in the comfort of your home. There are also safety checklists you need to complete of your home environment, as well as making the necessary changes if needed. The support workers will visit your home for an assessment, and it is vital you are prepared to talk about everything from throughout your life which entails good and bad from childhood until present. It is super important to go through this assessment period as the agencies need to know if the children are going into a safe and supportive environment, and if you have children of your own or a partner, they will always assess whether your child can handle the fostering of other children.

The foster agency will always ask for at least two references to contact and if you are approved, they will call within 24 hours offering you a child. One piece of advice from talking with our own foster parent is, to be prepared and compile a list of questions ready to talk through with your support person just so you can decide if the child is a suitable match for your family. Do not be afraid to speak up if the placement isn’t working as it is about the foster child’s needs as well as your own, and most of the time there will always be another family out there suited to this child.

During the journey of being a new foster parent, keep in mind that some children crave love and attention but don’t always know how to ask for it. Some children may say ‘ I love you’ or call you ‘mum or dad’ within a few months and some might not feel comfortable letting another person in. All you can do is remind yourself that this child has gone through more than imaginable, and all you can do is open up your hearts and home to show them that they are loved and safe. If you have a strong family unit and strong support system in place, this will help you get through any hick ups that come up along the way.

Whether you are a single person, married, same sex or dating you are eligible to foster a child but remember you must have a spare room in your home to allow for privacy for the child, and everyone must attend a training session as a requirement of being a foster parent. Life is to be lived to the fullest and knowing that a child’s life can be lived to their fullest with another person’s love, devotion and care is nothing short of extraordinary, so we truly commend all the amazing families who do everything in their will to make sure these children are given a second chance at life.

Thank you so much to Skye for sharing such personal and incredible insights with us, you are an inspiration to us all.  Every child deserves a chance at a better life.

If you want to find out more about becoming a foster parent within Queensland, please refer to the resources shared with us below.

Many of you might be familiar with the Abecedarian approach if you are a parent, however, if you’re not that’s okay, because we are here to share everything we know about this incredible learning approach. There are countless benefits of this learning approach which is what led us to adopting the Abecedarian approach at all our campuses. In fact, we have a qualified coach on our team, so it made sense to bring this approach into Little Scholars’ learning lives.

Did you know that a research study found children who participate in the Abecedarian approach have a brain capacity 30-40% greater? Pretty amazing right? One of the main focuses of the Abecedarian approach is language, because it gives children a way to structure their thoughts and explain their ideas, and the opportunity to express their feelings and the tools required when interacting with peers and adults. One of the obvious benefits that come with the Abecedarian approach is children gain more interaction and have a chance to widen their use and understanding of vocabulary. They also develop memory, understand number concepts, and learn shapes and colours.

Little Scholars Ormeau Quote

There are four main elements that make up the Abecedarian approach and these are language priority, conversational reading, enriched caregiving and learning games. If you want to incorporate any of these strategies at home with your little one(s), there are many simple ways you can do this. To build on the language you use language priority or conversational reading strategies with your child. Conversational reading could be pointing out an object in a book, asking your child if they can show you that object, and then asking what it is called? Or during story time, for example, you can talk to your child and say ‘I can see a red ball on this page, can you point to the red ball? Amazing, what is this next to the ball?’

When it comes to language priority, this approach presents an opportunity to show your child what words mean, as well gives parents or educators a chance to use rich and interesting language when talking with a child. You can use numbers when you talk and play and say something like ‘I notice you’re looking at the green stem’. It is incredible what your language can tell a child, whether it’s telling a child about feelings, time, colours, shapes, textures, tastes, and honestly, so much more.

With enriched caregiving, you can simply add educational content around routine times. Bath time would be the perfect time to take on this approach because rather than just sitting and supervising, you can talk to your child about objects in the bath. This could be colours, shapes, objects they see, body parts and anything that your child can visualize.

Okay, finally there are learning games! There is a wide list of simple games you can use with your child, to teach them about ideas and concepts. These games may include letting your child match colours or shapes and colours, the list of games is endless and at Little Scholars we have a vast range of games available at all our campuses which are available to borrow for all our families.

All the strategies from the abecedarian approach work best with individual children or maybe just two children at a time – not large groups, which is why is it beneficial for families to use. At Little Scholars we send out several family booklets to promote these strategies, so if you are a parent at one of our campuses and you want to learn more about the abecedarian approach, please feel free to contact any of our wonderful educators.

To read more about why Little Scholars adopts The Abecedarian approach, go to Little Scholars adopts Abecedarian approach to increase children’s brain development (thesector.com.au)

Childcare is everything to us at Little Scholars. We are very excited to share the opportunity we had with Mamamia’s own podcast This Glorious Mess’ where our Little Scholars Founder, Jae Fraser, chatted all things childcare. This podcast is hosted by Leigh Campbell and Tegan Natoli and is a twice-weekly look at parenting as it really is – confusing, exhausting, inspiring, funny, and full of surprises. This Glorious Mess shares a totally real and relatable insight into the life of a parenting and gives comfort to all the parents who are navigating their way through parenthood.

Jae spoke to hosts, Leigh and Tegan, about the different types of centres out there and the benefits of sending your little ones to childcare, as well as offering his own ‘personal childcare tips and tricks’ to all the parents out there who are currently looking at day-cares for the little ones. We understand how BIG of a decision it is when you are leaving your pride and joy to the hands of a stranger for the first time, so we hope this podcast sheds some light to all those who are contemplating childcare or are still looking for the right place for their little ones.

A massive thank you to the hosts, Leigh and Tegan and the whole Mamamia team for giving us this exciting opportunity to share with you our little world that we call Little Scholars.

If you want to listen to the full episode, you can listen here: Little Kids: Everything You Need To Know About Daycare (mamamia.com.au)

Thisgloriosumess

“Every child deserves the best start to life.”
– Carly Fradgley

We are thrilled to announce we have partnered up with a Queensland non-profit organisation, Baby Give Back, which seriously tugs on the heart strings for us as this charity is doing exceptional things with helping support families with newborn babies who are undergoing any form of hardship. We can only imagine the emotional stress these families go through when faced in these circumstances, however, to know such an astounding charity is out there doing everything they can to ensure these vulnerable families are supported and have access to the essentials needed for their families really shows that there are guardian angels out there.

Baby Give Back are passionate about helping vulnerable babies, children and families in our community and they work tirelessly to ensure that these families receive the best possible support and care when it comes to making sure these babies all have an equal chance of life.

From collecting clothing and nappies to cots, car seats and prams in a warehouse, Baby Give Back goes through a thorough process ensuring every item they collect is safe and is in a good condition, as well as providing customised orders to meet the needs of each family’s needs and circumstances. The lengths Baby Give Back go to make sure these families feel the love and compassion of their community is so overwhelmingly heartfelt, and it is a privilege to be partnered up with such an amazing charity.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, we could not think of a more urgent time to assist with Baby Give Back, as they have been busier than ever before and with the $15,000 donation we have pledged to the non-profit organisation, this will allow 120 additional children directly with the essential items needed to start a safe life. Although it is not just a monetary donation we have promised, it goes far beyond that with our partnership allowing us to provide; 100 boxes of nappies per year, promotional opportunities across our ten Little Scholar campuses and so much more!

At Little Scholars, we believe that babies and children deserve to be nurtured and provided with utmost care, love and shelter and support and the early years is so predominant in a child’s life, we feel privileged to be working with a charity who provides the tools and relief in helping vulnerable families in our community. To have the opportunity to share this partnership with our families across all our ten campuses truly brings us a sense of joy knowing that we can spread the word and hope for more on-going support within our community. The community support aligns with our four pillars – grow, inspire, contribute and learn and we feel so warm in our hearts to know that our community, as well as the Baby Give Back community will do everything in their power to ensure the Baby Give Back mission is continued.

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Let us hold your hand and help looking for a child care centre. Leave your details with us and we’ll be in contact to arrange a time for a ‘Campus Tour’ and we will answer any questions you might have!