The Centre
Our building is a converted Queenslander on a quiet street in Ascot, with timber floors, French doors, and mature trees that shade the outdoor spaces. It feels like a home because it was one, and we've worked to keep that feeling. For the children who spend their days here, it becomes a genuine home away from home.
Every space has been set up with intention. We want children to feel calm when they arrive, curious about what's available to them, and free to explore.
"Our image of the child is rich in potential, strong, powerful, competent and connected to adults and other children"
— Loris Malaguzzi
Learning Spaces
Our rooms are spacious and filled with natural light. We use natural textures, soft colours, and thoughtful arrangements to create environments where children feel settled and able to focus.
Each room includes:
Literacy areas with picture books, non-fiction texts, and storytelling resources that build children's love of language and reading
Construction and investigation spaces with open-ended materials including timber blocks, puzzles, loose parts, and items for sorting, building, and problem solving
Art and expression areas where children can draw, paint, sculpt, and explore music and movement as ways of thinking and communicating
Nature tables with stones, seeds, pods, shells, and other collected materials that invite observation and wonder
Materials
We choose materials carefully. Everything in our rooms, from woven baskets and wooden tools to fabrics, shells, and natural fibres, is selected for its quality, its beauty, and its capacity to hold children's interest over time.
Our materials support open-ended play, connection to the natural world, and sensory experiences that engage children fully.
Indoor & Outdoor Learning
Two large decks extend our learning spaces outside. French doors open wide so children can move freely between indoors and out, choosing where and how they want to work and play. This isn't incidental. It reflects how young children learn best: through movement, choice, and connection to their environment.
Our Approach
Learning here is woven through the whole day. Language, literacy, numeracy, science, and the arts aren't taught as separate subjects. They emerge through projects, play, and experiences that matter to children.
We value imagination as a form of intelligence. Art, music, dance, drama, and storytelling are central to how children make sense of the world and express what they know.
We also focus on social and emotional development. Practices like mindfulness, meditation, and daily circle times help children build empathy, resilience, and the capacity to regulate their emotions. These elements are embedded in our Be You action plan, part of the national mental health in education initiative delivered by Beyond Blue.
Above all, we work to create a community where every child feels they belong.