Alison’s update
Chief Operating Officer
Welcome to our January 2024 Family Newsletter. This month, we have a special video message for all our families. We are delighted to partner with you on your child’s education and care journey.
With our Summer Learning Project Program concluded our teams have been transitioning and preparing for the new term by planning and setting up their learning environments. Over the last few weeks, the children have started exploring new spaces and meeting new friends. Our educators have also been discovering what the children have been doing over their breaks and talking with families about their children’s interests. Now is a great time to share your child’s ideas and aspirations and to introduce yourself to their new educators.
Before the holiday break, we communicated our decision to hold our fees at the current standard daily rate to all our families instead of increasing them in January. In the past, we have increased our fees at the start of the new year. This year, we are breaking with tradition after considering the pressure of our economic times that many of our families are experiencing.
We also advised families about the results of our 2023 Family survey, which had a 21% increase in participation. Our family survey infographic which you can see on display in your centre reception outlines the areas we will focus on as an organisation and your centre’s strengths and focus areas for 2024. Our four main focus areas as an organisation are:
- Staffing: Retention and leadership development.
- Care: Connections with children and timely updates.
- Communication: Shared moments each day for each child.
- Learning: Developing visibility of learning through Storypark and in the studios.
If you have questions about these communications or want more information about your centre’s focus areas, please talk to your Centre Director. We are always here to help.
Welcome back message for families
Centre events
Saturday 17 February 2024
11 am to 2 pm
Family Fun Open Day
Petit Early Learning Journey Clifton Hill
372 Hoddle St Clifton Hill, VIC, Australia 3068
RSVP now!
Exceptional performer for January
Irina Smith from Petit Early Learning Journey Kew
Congratulations to Irina Smith from Petit ELJ Kew, this month’s Exceptional Performer. Irina is the lead educator in the Darling Drive studio, where she is well-regarded for her dedication to using natural materials to create engaging environments that children enjoy exploring.
Irina consistently shows a strong commitment to supporting our educational programs and an enthusiasm for learning new ways to enrich children’s experiences. Irina continuously builds on her knowledge and skills, welcoming change and supporting other educators by mentoring and sharing her rich experience and expertise in education and care.
What do you like most about being a Lead Educator at Petit ELJ Kew?
I enjoy sharing all my teaching experience and passion for children with others, mentoring and encouraging them to pursue their careers and develop their knowledge in early education. I am honoured and happy to be in a position as lead educator where I can support and plan the learning environment for children.
What or who inspired you to persue a career in early childhood?
The desire to support children through their life’s journey inspires me. I have always enjoyed teaching and learning beside children. Before working in early childhood, I was a primary school teacher. I thought I could always do better for younger children. And that’s to make their lives better and happier and support and encourage them to develop new skills. That’s what inspires me. I have been in early childhood education for about seven years and six of those with Petit ELJ. Childhood education is amazing. I enjoy caring and learning with the children. Their trust in you is the most important thing.
What’s your favourite part of the day to be with children?
I like mornings because that’s when you walk in and see all these children welcoming you with amazing, happy smiles, rushing towards you with open arms. That’s the best time of the day as everybody is coming back. We have new beginnings and new learning. These moments also happen throughout the day. But mornings are the most exciting part of the day and an enjoyable way to start.
What is the most valuable thing you have learned from the children you work with?
Always be open and honest with children, and maintain the same energy as them. They recharge my battery. We work together, supporting each other. That’s the main thing I learnt from them, and that children are very capable. For example, there was this one group of children who were learning the story about the Three Little Pigs. The children were so excited by it that we extended our learning and built it up into a real performance where the children and educators took part and the families came to watch. The children performed like real artists and the parents were so amazed by how capable they were at this young age. They just needed an opportunity to show it.
Free kindy 2024 is here!
2023 Excellence Awards
Excellence Award winners from Petit Early Learning Journey Forest Hill, Betty and Tracy, with Centre Manager Belinda.
Thank you to all our families who nominated an educator for the Being, Becoming and Belonging award at your centre last year. Congratulations to all our nominees and winners. See the full list of our 2023 Excellence Award winners below.
Community connections
Inspiring respect for nature and sense of community with Petit Early Learning Journey Richmond’s Eco Shop
Report by Educational Leader Symia Doyle
Our community project focuses on resource sharing through an Eco Shop. It utilises recycled containers to minimise plastic and resource waste. Designed to make sustainability accessible to Petit ELJ Richmond families, this project is connected to our sustainable practices with children’s physical environment, fostering awareness and respect for nature. Embedded in our values, we aspire to instil a sense of environmental duty and a lasting love for nature in the children of Petit ELJ Richmond, ensuring a positive impact on future generations.
Our project emerged through collaborative discussions with children and families, ensuring a sense of ownership and inclusion. Children in our Blossom Hill and Treasure Cove studios have been heavily engaged in interactive studio experiences focused on sustainability and learning about the environmental impact. They have explored the concepts of resource sharing and recycling and fostered a foundation of understanding. It empowered us to create an Eco Shop where families can help reduce our environmental impact by donating clothes, recycled goods and much more. Our families have actively contributed to and benefited from the project, engaging in giving and taking resources and enhancing a sense of community within Petit ELJ Richmond.
This community project has many benefits, such as the children gaining a deeper understanding of sustainability, families accessing resources they need, and the broader community benefitting from reduced plastic and resource waste. We have extended our impact by posting on group networks about items available for free, contributing to a more environmentally conscious and responsible community, fostering a collective effort towards reducing waste.
Children and families continue to engage with the Eco Shop. We are now exploring ways to collaborate with neighbouring communities to expand the impact of our sustainability project.
How to encourage children to drink water
As parents, we want our children to have healthy habits and drink water. With sugary drinks everywhere, getting children to choose water can be tricky. Drinking water will…
Latest parent review
Petit Early Learning Journey Clifton Hill
“Our two children have had such wonderful early learning experiences with the team at Petit Clifton Hill. Our kids have always been SO happy to be at Petit and we feel very assured that our kids have been very well cared for by their awesome staff. Communication at Petit is also excellent. Thank you for everything you do to make sure our kids are getting a great experience.”
– Romy Turner
Our culture: What the National Quality Standard means for educators
The National Quality Standard (NQS) forms part of the National Quality Framework (NQF) introduced in 2012 to improve early childhood education and care across Australia. Petit Early Learning Journey centres are assessed and rated against this standard by their state regulatory authority.
Experiences from around our services
Children dance in the rain at Petit Early Learning Journey Coffs Harbour
Our Treasure Cove children at Petit ELJ Coffs Harbour enjoy a sudden downpour and the puddles it created in the yard. Playing in puddles supports children’s sensory exploration, physical literacy and nature-play.
Socialise with us!
Like our Facebook page to follow our early learning journey.
