Alison’s update
Chief Operating Officer
Welcome to our August 2023 Family Newsletter. Early Childhood Educators’ Day falls this year on Wednesday, 6 September. It is an initiative of the Australian Childcare Alliance and I invite all our families, children and sector colleagues to join us in saying thank you to all educators across early learning services in Australia and especially those with us at Petit ELJ.
Our educators do many vital things for their children, families and communities. This dedicated day celebrates our educators’ contributions and the role they play in the lives of children, their learning and care, and the life-long benefits of early childhood education on children. This Wednesday, please support the educators at your service by showing them your appreciation for what many of our teams express as a vocation or calling. Many early childhood professionals often feel underappreciated, yet their devotion to children’s learning and care significantly impacts our nation’s future.
Your show of gratitude for our educators’ valuable contributions positively contributes to their well-being, confidence and team culture, and the effect ripples outward to influence everyone in our early childhood communities. Our early childhood educators lay the foundation for your child’s future learning, growth and well-being. Our educators are significant role models for children. By expressing positive attitudes, they encourage children to develop resilience and self-esteem and to become the best versions of themselves. Through the strong relationships and bonds we create with children, we can provide them with positive examples but also the confidence to inspire and meaningfully connect with those around them.
RU OK Day is another important event for our centre teams, families and children in September when we take a moment to reach out and ask each other if we’re doing okay. Some of our teams sit down over a break or snack to ask each other these three important words, “Are you okay?”. Within the studios our educators chat to children about their feelings, needing a helping hand, and why friends are important and what makes a good friend.
RU OK Day is an Australian national day of action, and this year it falls on Friday, 8 September. It is also a reminder that every day of the year someone near us, someone we may know may be struggling with up and down feelings and need our support. It is important for children to learn how to ask someone if they’re okay, how to talk about it and what to do if they are not at their best.
Please speak to your Centre Director about local events and important dates at your early learning centre. We are always here to help.
Exceptional team member for August
Alex O’Sullivan from Petit Early Learning Journey Coffs Harbour
Congratulations to this month’s exceptional team member, Centre Director Alex O’Sullivan at Petit ELJ Coffs Harbour. Alex has a positive, can-do attitude and has shown her grit and resilience with unprecedented challenges by not faltering but keeping on top of her duty of care and focusing on the children’s wellbeing.
Alex is always ready to learn and improve as a leader, continually taking onboard professional and personal growth. She truly wants the best for everyone and is continually looking at ways to foster a sense of cohesion and belonging at the service.
What do you like most about your leadership role as a Centre Director?
I enjoy the relationships I have created with the children, families and staff. I treasure seeing growth within the centre as a whole, from the children starting as babies all the way up to leaving for big school. I love that I am also a big part of helping our educators grow and develop. Petit ELJ Coffs Harbour is a genuinely fun place to be, and the fact that I have helped it become this way gives me a huge sense of pride.
What’s your career story?
I began working with primary school-aged children at Out of School Hours and Vacation Care but felt a stronger connection to Early Years education after becoming a mum. My journey started at Petit ELJ Coffs Harbour as a trainee in 2019 and progressed to becoming a room leader, Assistant Centre Director and then the Centre Director. I have always chased more and love a challenge. Centre Director has always been my goal.
How does Petit ELJ support you day-by-day?
We have a fantastic team at Petit ELJ Coffs Harbour. The educators inspire me to bring my best self every day. I love the daily contact from our Support Office team and the genuine connections I have built with the team. My Operations Manager, Amber Cole, has taught me a lot, and my growth over the past 12 months has been hugely due to her.
Describe the most memorable experience at Petit ELJ Coffs Harbour this year.
My most memorable moments are the fun events we held from the “Shave for a Cure” fundraiser, movie nights, and team bonding days like paintball and ten-pin bowling. Seeing our community come together outside the usual day and creating genuine connections throughout has been great for everyone.
Loose Parts Play Ideas for Children
Loose parts play is magical. Children are captivated by it and the use of open-ended materials. Playing with loose parts engages a child’s motor skills and nurtures the mind. It inspires…
Community connections
Petit Early Learning Journey Burleigh explores Quality Area 6
Report from Shannon Stacey Assistant Director
How has Petit Early Learning Journey Burleigh been exploring Quality Area 6 – Collaborative partnerships with families and communities?
Let’s begin by delving into what the National Quality Standards (NQS) mean and why you may notice the acronym NQS around the centre, within our newsletters, or in your child’s individual learning stories. The NQS sets a high national benchmark for early childhood education and care services in Australia. It includes 7 areas that are important outcomes for children.
Following the opening of a new centre and approximately every four years after that, centres are assessed and rated by their regulatory authority against the NQS and given a rating for each of the 7 quality areas and an overall rating based on these results. Petit ELJ Burleigh has recently undergone assessment and rating and received Meeting for all areas.
We are working towards exceeding Quality Area 6, and we are doing this through regular excursions within our local community, engaging in fixed incursion, and inviting families of the centre to share their home life and culture. The Blossom Hill and Treasure Cove studios initiated monthly excursions this year to the Ozcare Nursing Home and Ozcare Respite Centre, situated within a five-minute walk from the centre.
These excursions have seen positive and reciprocal relationships between the children and permanent residents as we establish familiarity. These heart-warming intergenerational encounters promote language and literacy through storytelling and reading. There are opportunities for laughter and play for residents who may not have grandchildren or family living nearby. The children can also explore the concept of aging through osmosis and investigate their surroundings.
We also explore road safety when entering or exiting premises. Our educators encourage the children to look for cars when crossing roads and driveways, comprehend directional language, and follow instructions to keep the children safe.
20 Australian Books for Children
Australian books are a wonderful way to introduce children to the unique and diverse culture of our nation. From picture books to poetry and short stories, there is a wide variety of books…
Latest parent review
Petit Early Learning Journey Wooloowin
“Both my kids attend Petit! They are really happy, the lead educators are amazing and my 2 year old does book-based activities every day, learning new skills while playing and socialising. We are very happy with them.”
– Salomé Caso de los Cobos
Our culture: Celebrating our Early Childhood Educators
Early Childhood Educators’ Day has been part of the Petit Early Learning Journey culture since our services opened for their first full year in 2015. Educators’ Day as it is popularly known…
Experiences from around our services
Petit Early Learning Journey Forest Hill Joins in Science Week
National Science Week runs once a week every August. Over this week children, educators and families undertook science experiments at the Petit ELJ Forest Hill centre and at home. There were lots of hands on experiences involving colour including the creation of lava lamps.
Socialise with us!
👍 Like our Facebook page to follow our early learning journey.
