Lowood Early Education Centre

Name: Tracey Siekai

Tell us about your career in Early Childhood?
I began my career in childcare in 1989 as an Assistant and, through study and hands-on experience, worked my way up to become the Centre Director of Lowood Early Education Centre. My journey has been filled with opportunities to grow, mentor and make a difference in the lives of children, families and educators.

Tell us about the relevant qualifications you hold that assist you in your position?
I hold an Advanced Diploma of Children’s Services, along with current First Aid, CPR, Asthma and Anaphylaxis Certificates. Additionally, I maintain a Blue Card, ensuring I meet all safety and compliance standards necessary for working with children.

When did you first join the QCCS team?
I joined QCCS in April 2014 as the Acting Director at Busy Learners in Inala. In late 2016, I transitioned to Lowood Early Education Centre, taking on the role of Centre Director. This role has been both challenging and rewarding, allowing me to lead an incredible team, support wonderful families and nurture the learning and development of so many children.

What do you find most rewarding about your career in Early Childhood?
The most rewarding part of my career is the ability to make a meaningful impact on children’s lives. Supporting families by providing a safe and nurturing environment for their children while they work, or study is something I take great pride in. I love creating engaging play spaces and learning experiences that inspire children to explore, grow and develop a love for learning. No two days are ever the same, making every moment exciting and fulfilling!

Why should families choose Lowood Early Education Centre?
Lowood Early Education Centre offers exceptional facilities, engaging play spaces, and high-quality care provided by a dedicated team of educators. As a privately owned and operated service, we prioritise positive relationships, mutual trust and open communication with families. Our programs are designed to meet each child’s individual needs, giving them the freedom to explore, learn, and grow in a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment.

Why did you choose to work for QCCS?
After stepping away from my role at Lowood EEC in September, I took time to reflect on my career and personal goals. Ultimately, I knew I wanted to return to the place I called home. I chose to rejoin QCCS because of their strong philosophy, values, and support. At QCCS, the children are always the priority, and as a leader, I feel incredibly supported. The professional development opportunities they provide empower not only me but also my team, allowing us to continuously grow in our careers.

QCCS is an amazing company to work for, and I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to lead such a fantastic team, build strong relationships with families and the community and positively impact every child’s early learning journey at Lowood EEC once again.

Welcome to Lowood Early Education Centre and Preschool. The Centre is located within walking distance to the local library and supermarket. We are a short, 2 minute drive from Lowood State School. 

We have been rated as an Exceeding Centre by the Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)!

Our aim is to provide the highest standard of care to you, the families, as well as to the children who are within our care. Our Centre celebrates diversity, welcoming families with different cultures and backgrounds.

Our hours of operation are from 6:15am to 6:15pm. We are open Monday through to Friday, 52 weeks a year (excluding public holidays). Our Centre opened in December 1996 and caters for 75 children aged from birth to school age. We provide before and after school care to school age children as well as vacation care in the school holidays.

We offer a free courtesy bus service which transports children to and from the local schools in the area. We also have the option to transport children to and from home for families who have no access to transport or in emergency situations, within a 10km radius (conditions apply). The schools we currently service are Patrick Estate State School, Lowood State School and Fernvale State School.

As security is one of our priorities, our Centre has a security door access system which only allows authorised parents/guardians to drop off and collect their child/ren from the Centre via a personal pin code.

Our Team:

Our team are qualified, friendly and caring staff who are committed to continually improving their skills and knowledge by frequently attending in-service training and seminars. All staff are required to have an up to date First Aid, CPR and Blue Card. All new employees of QCCS attend an Induction Session prior to commencing at any of our Child Care Centres; thus, ensuring they will be well equipped to step into their new role. In addition, we provide regular professional opportunities as well as monthly Centre Director and staff meetings to ensure that all our employees are up to date with industry developments.

Our Centre aims to be at the forefront of industry developments and trends. Therefore, at QCCS your child will benefit from an array of experiences:

• Interactive smart boards
• Dynamic Emergent Curriculum based on the Early Years Learning Framework and Kindergarten Guidelines
• Individual child portfolios. QCCS realises how important it is to be kept informed on your child’s progress and daily activities.
• Healthy nutritious meals including breakfast, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea.
• Sun Safety is a priority with a large percentage of the playgrounds covered with artificial and natural shade. Each Centre aims to avoid sun exposure between 9am-3pm to give the children that added level of sun protection.
• Transition to school programs along with transition statements

We are committed to the implementation of the National Early Years Learning Framework and operate an Emergent Curriculum. Our program is based on the individual needs of the children in our care. Our program is balanced and developmentally appropriate. It has variations, providing for a wide range of individual experiences. These experiences give the children the opportunity to make choices and take on new challenges. Our centre programs are based on the individual child, thus ensuring it does not exclude any one child. Our goal is to inspire delight, curiosity, and inquiry in the classroom. We are very proud to offer the below to all our families at no additional costs:

Kindergarten Program
Our Centre is pleased to be operating a Queensland Government approved Kindergarten Program with a qualified Early Childhood Teacher. This program is aimed at preparing our pre-prep children for primary school. Our Centre implements the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline and focuses on building upon children’s learning and development including literacy and numeracy skills as well as exploring the foundations of mathematics and science. We are committed to developing and building on community partnerships with local schools, Teachers and families to ensure children are being well prepared for their school years.

Families with eligible children attending an approved Kindergarten Program may be entitled to a QKFS Plus Kindy Support Subsidy to assist with the out of pocket expenses of attending the program. To be eligible, families must either:

• Hold a current Health Care Card, Veterans Affairs Card or Australian Government Pension Concession Card 
• Identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander 
• Have three or more children enrolled in the same year (must be the same age)

Your Centre Director can provide you with further information regarding this subsidy.

Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA)
Our Centre also boasts a second language program (German), we are proud participants in the Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) initiative. ELLA is an Australian Government initiative aimed at reviving the teaching of foreign languages in Australian schools, with the aim of significantly increasing the number of Year 12 students studying a language other than English within a decade.

Bush Kindy Program
Our children eagerly anticipate their fortnightly Bush Kindy Sessions. Each session runs for approximately two hours and begins with a 5 minute drive from our Centre to the Jensens Swamp Environmental Reserve.

As part of our Bush Kindy Program we learn all about the world around us and connect with nature whilst always acknowledging the traditional landowners – the Jagera, Yuppera and Ugarapul people. Children are given the chance to explore and learn new things, climbing, running and inadvertently expanding upon their gross motor skills. Exploring the plants, trees, rocks and water creates spontaneous conversation, interactions and valuable risk-taking opportunities. The sessions are unstructured and initiated by the children, to inspire problem solving and promote self-confidence.

Observing insects/animals in their natural habitat is often a highlight for the children, their excitement and intrigue is always evident in their laughter and smiles. The Educators encourage their inquisitive instincts and questions.

There are many known physical and social benefits to exploring nature and evidence shows that exposure to nature can reduce stress and increase academic performance. This is especially important in the technology driven world we live in where screen time is ever increasing for adults and children alike.

Hey Dee Ho Music Program
Our professional Music Program is facilitated by ‘Hey Dee Ho Educational Services’. Hey Dee Ho visits our Centre fortnightly. The program is an educational music experience where children learn the concepts of beat, rhythm, tempo, pitch and dynamics in a play-based environment. https://heydeeho.com.au/ourprograms/#music

Exposing children to music during early development helps them learn the sounds and meanings of words and is known to accelerate brain development, particularly in the areas of language acquisition. Dancing to music helps children build motor skills while allowing them to practice self-expression.

Hey Dee Ho understands that each child has their own unique set of needs and interests. They have developed a range of activities to address the varied developmental needs of all children from birth. From relaxation and mindfulness to playing musical instruments to high energy dances, Hey Dee Ho programs engage and enhance children’s learning and fine motor development while giving them plenty of opportunity for fun.

Little Scientists
Our Centre is proud to be a Certified Little Scientists House. This program is run daily by demonstrating our commitment to hands-on, inquiry-based learning in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education. It is designed to recognise services and schools that promote an active learning environment, incorporating best practice elements such as inquiry-based learning, metacognition and co-construction.

Veggie Fun Program
Veggie Fun for Everyone is a 12-week food literacy program run in our Kindergarten Room, created by our very own Healthy Cooking Company designed to develop a positive attitude toward vegetables in children. The Kindergarten children will be encouraged to explore vegetables, leading to positive experiences and self-directed tasting.

Perceptual Motor Program
Perceptual Motor Program (PMP) activities form a part of our daily routine as your child’s Educators aim to help them become physically active and promote healthy growth as well as development of bones, muscles, flexibility, balance, posture and cardiovascular fitness. It can also help establish connections between different parts of the brain that develop memory and language.

We believe food ingredients should come from the kitchen, not from a lab. From this belief came the inspiration to open our own production kitchen, the Healthy Cooking Company. We aim to create and promote natural and wholesome food with a number of health benefits:

• Organic baby food
• Preservative Free
• No artificial flavours
• Low in sodium & refined sugar
• Naturally sweetened with honey

We promise that our nutrition labels will be free of numbers, so there will be no need to decipher nasty food additives. We are dedicated to providing delicious food that your children will love. Parents can rest assured that their little ones are being provided with a good start with healthy, nutritious morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea meals provided.

As Educators, we believe in teaching children that physical activity can be fun as well as good for our bodies and minds. As a result we coordinate exciting exercise programs within our centres that have been developed by our Sports Dietitian in consultation with Primary School Physical Education Teachers. We want the children in our care to experience the numerous health benefits that regular physical activity can provide such as:

• Stronger muscles and bones
• Long term positive attitude towards exercise
• Reduction in the likelihood of becoming overweight
• Reduction in the likelihood of developing illnesses and diseases

Through this we aim to incorporate at least three hours of physical activity each day into our room routines and programs with:

• Morning physical activity routine
• General indoor physical activity
• Outdoor experiences