Alison’s update
Chief Operating Officer
Welcome to our July 2023 Family Newsletter. Thank you for your support and trust in Petit Early Learning Journey. We are very proud of all our centres, their teams, families and children and the quality education and care outcomes we have achieved over the last eight years. As we move forward, we have news to share with you that will change the size of Petit ELJ as an organisation but will not change the exceptional educational and care that your child experiences at every one of our centres.
Earlier this week, you may have received an email advising of our decision to transition ownership and management of nine of our centres to Guardian Childcare & Education (Guardian). This decision comes after careful consideration by our Board and Leadership team, who believe the time has come for these nine centres (Barton, Elderslie, Murwillumbah, Pimpama, Springfield, Hamilton, Caloundra, Burdell 1, and Burdell 2) to realise their full potential in a larger childcare group.
For our families whose centres are moving to Guardian, you and your children can expect minimal disruption and change. Petit ELJ and Guardian are working towards a transition date of 29 September 2023 with 2 October 2023 as the first day under Guardian management. We understand that change can sometimes be unsettling, especially regarding the care and education of your children.
Guardian has chosen Petit ELJ because they can see the exceptional education and care we provide to our children and families and because we value each and every one of our team members in a very similar way in which they do. Our dedicated and experienced teams will continue supporting your children with Guardian, working closely with their management to ensure a very smooth shift and to maintain the warm and nurturing atmosphere you and your children have come to love at Petit ELJ.
Equally, we are committed to investing in our centres staying under the ownership and management of Petit ELJ, growing our people, and delivering high-quality education and care outcomes for our children and their families. It will allow us to focus on growing our teams, supporting program maintenance and enhancements, and investing our time and resources to benefit teams, children and families.
Please speak to your Centre Director if you would like to find out more about what the transfer means for your centre and your child’s learning program. We are always here to help.
Exceptional team member for July
Megan Capes from Petit Early Learning Journey Hamilton
Congratulations to this month’s exceptional team member, Assistant Director Megan Capes, at Petit ELJ Hamilton. Megan is compassionate, kind and nurturing. She consistently strives to be her best self providing exceptional support for children, families and educators.
Megan is a positive role model and inspiration. Her dedication and diligence are especially valued, and her enthusiastic energy brings joy each day to the centre.
What do you like most about your leadership role as an assistant director ?
I love supporting the educators in a more professional aspect, such as role modelling, providing feedback and advice and mentoring. And meeting all the new families that join our centre and showcasing how wonderful our centre is during their tour has been a highlight of stepping into this role.
How long have you been working in early childhood education and care and who or what inspired you to become an educator?
I have been working in the ECEC sector for the last seven years. I have been at Petit ELJ Hamilton for four years, starting as an assistant educator and now as the assistant director. Before the ECEC sector, I volunteered at my daughter’s school for many years and fell in love with working with children.
What is the most valuable thing you have learned from working with children and how has it helped your teaching practice?
The most valuable thing I’ve learned is purpose, being able to teach children meaningful lessons to help them become kind-hearted, healthy, respectful and caring human beings. Thanks to this experience, I believe I am a much better person; I’ve become more understanding, empathic, respectful and creative. Nothing is more precious and valuable than the opportunity to teach a child.
Describe the most inspiring experience you have participated in at Petit ELJ Hamilton this year.
We celebrated Mother’s Day earlier this year. Seeing all our families and extended family come together to spend the afternoon together, eating, chatting and engaging in thoughtful experiences with their children and us was such a nice afternoon.
Featured Educational Program
The environment as the third teacher at Petit Early Learning Journey Pimpama
Report from Educational Leader Leslie Saynes
“The learning environment is a place of potential and possibility”.
(Petit ELJ Belief)
Children learn through exploration, experimentation, investigation, and connections to their learning environments. We believe in providing a learning environment full of possibilities through a play-based program. At Petit ELJ Pimpama, we are embedding a Reggio approach in relation to the environment as the third teacher. This practice is child-centred, where children access open-ended materials that promote learning through play.
We see the environment as a reflection of the children’s interests, learning journey and development indoors and outdoors. Within these environments, we embed open-ended materials, a balance of experiences, flexible access to resources, and recycled and repurposed materials.
Our vision is to provide each child with an environment that is child-centred and full of possibilities where they learn through play (Early Years Learning Framework). This approach also supports connections to the authentic world as children explore nature and natural materials as they play. The children have a sense of belonging at our service as the learning environments reflect their interests, development and learning journey.
Our weekly programs reflect the children’s voices, interests, learning journey’s developmental needs and where we draw inspiration from to create the learning environments. The programs and learning spaces invite children to play as individuals or in small or large groups, which will support them as life-long learners. For example, we provide indoor and outdoor learning environments that enable children to explore their inquiries and interests, be creative, make social connections and be imaginative.
We invite you to come and explore our learning environment as the third teacher.
(The environment as the third teacher, Feb 2018, ACEQA-( NQF Area 3) professional resource.)
Community connections
Petit Early Learning Journey Springfield Central to hold Tea and Art Auction
Report from Centre Director Mynette Fulmer
We are so pleased to announce that Petit ELJ Springfield will participate in the Super Max and Bryce project by holding an afternoon tea and art auction.
The project gifts easily sanitised little Super Max turtle night lights to children with cancer. The children can take these lights into the strictest hospital environments to bring peaceful, healthy and healing sleep to those in treatment. They aim to help bring light and warmth into what can often be a dark and isolating journey.
In support of this project, our studios will create artworks inspired by this year’s theme, “hope”, alongside the project’s overarching theme, “through the stars”. We will then hold the art auction during the afternoon tea on Friday, 25th of August. Families are invited to share some delicious food, admire artworks, and, if they wish, purchase some beautiful art where the money goes directly to this inspiring project. There will also be a variety of fun experiences for families and children to enjoy, a raffle hamper and opportunities to purchase the Super Max and Bryce official star-covered socks and scarves.
Watch the video about the Super Max and Bryce story to learn more about the project:
Alternatively, please feel free to check out their website: https://www.supermaxandbryce.org/
We look forward to coming together with our families and community for this great cause on the 25th of August.
Family budget: Teaching children how to save with a piggy bank
Piggy banks, also referred to as money boxes or coin banks, are a clever way to inspire children to develop an interest in saving money. Putting away a few coins each week can encourage…
Latest parent review
Petit Early Learning Journey Kew
“Our daughter has been at Petit for eight months, spending most of this time in the babies room. I can’t speak highly enough of the centre, but in particular the educators in the babies room. Vittoria, Jacquie and the whole team are so gentle and kind, I couldn’t think of better carers to look after our baby. I didn’t truly appreciate the enormity of leaving our daughter at day care until we sent her to Petit, but we were very quickly put at ease with the kindness and beautiful nature of the team. I knew she was in great hands at drop off when she would give Vittoria a big, happy smile. It’s very comforting knowing she’s in such great care.”
– Katrina Somerville
Our culture: Shining a light on inspiration in education and care
The early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector is constantly evolving. In a world filled with change, such as new research, techniques, and best practices, the key to success lies in…
Experiences from around our services
Petit Early Learning Journey Wooloowin celebrates NAIDOC Week
During NAIDOC Week celebrations, Petit ELJ Wooloowin’s Treasure Cove studio explored the theme of “For Our Elders.” They learned about the rich culture and history of the First Nations people and the vital role of Elders in preserving the world’s oldest continuous living cultures. To make this learning meaningful, we compared the part of grandparents in families to the role of Aboriginal Elders. Then, the children created portraits of their grandparents.
Socialise with us!
👍 Like our Facebook page to follow our early learning journey.
