Bellbowrie Early Education Centre

 Name: Tania Lagahetau 

How long have you been working in the industry? 
I have been working in the industry for 19 years and have worn many hats.  

Tell us about the relevant qualifications you hold that assists you in your position?
I hold a Bachelor of Education which has guided me through the years to understand the holistic development of the child.  

When did you first join the QCCS team? 
I joined this amazing company in November 2019. 

What do I find most rewarding working in the childcare industry?
What drives me is connections. Connections with the children, families and community which contribute towards a sense of Belonging, I believe that once you have established authentic connections everything else falls into place. I am humbled to mentor and support educators, sharing my knowledge and experience with others. This gives me a sense of purpose and pride that I can make a difference.     – ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ 

Why should families choose Bellbowrie Early Education Centre?
Situated in the heart of Bellbowrie, I think that it speaks for itself.  We utilise our community and surrounding reserves to explore and learn about the world around us.  We offer amazing programs such as Bush Kindy, Veggie Fun Program, Swimming lessons and every child has the opportunity to participate in Ginger Sports and Happy Feet. Bellbowrie offer the highest quality of care by providing intentional teaching experiences that support their individual learning journey

Why do I choose to work for QCCS?
This amazing company believes in their educators and leaders by offering lots of guidance, support, and professional development so that they become the best version of themselves. This will ensure that the children get the best care possible.  They provide wonderful nutritious meals for the children to support their health and wellbeing through the QCCS Healthy Cooking Company.  QCCS embraces and celebrates diversity and warmly welcome educators and families from different cultural backgrounds.   

Welcome to Bellbowrie Early Education Centre and Preschool! Our Centre is a 400m walk to Moggill State School. The nearest bus stop is less than a 2 minute walk, with the 444 and 443 buses servicing this stop. The nearest shops are currently 1.5kms, which includes an indoor swim school. A new shopping complex is also under construction and will be a short walk from our centre.

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 January 2006 and caters for 119 children aged from birth to school age. We provide vacation care in the school holidays to school aged children.

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.

At QCCS we understand the importance of building relationships with the Aboriginal Communities by valuing their histories, cultures and their people to help build a more respecting and understanding future for all Australians. Acknowledging Country is a common practice in our services where we respect the continuing connection of Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Traditional Owners and Custodians to the land on which our services stands. 

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.

Sustainability Focus:
Our Centres are passionate about teaching sustainable behaviours, instilling the knowledge and values that help support sustainable environments. Just some of the sustainable practices that you can expect to see in our services include:

• Educating our children in the use of compost systems within their rooms
• Child tended vegetable and herb gardens, sharing our harvest with families and children
• Appointment of our children to monitor the electricity and water use within our Centre
• Use of recycled materials in our art and craft activities
• Use of donated items by our local communities and businesses
• Use of equipment made from recycled materials
• Children have access to a designated Loose Parts Learning Environment within our playground

Our Centre have our own pet Chickens which enable the children to learn about the environment and how to live an eco-friendly way. The children get involved by collecting the eggs and taking out the scraps. Chickens are a fantastic learning experience that our teachers incorporate into their programs daily.

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 (Japanese), 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.

The programs we offer are child based and cater for your child’s individual skills and abilities, as well as promoting a family friendly environment where children can feel safe and loved. This includes multicultural activities which enhance the children’s understanding of traditions, music, language, dance and celebrations of a wide variety of different cultures. We also offer a Perceptual Motor Program (PMP) which fosters the children’s self esteem, hand eye co-ordination, gross motor and co-operation skills.

Bush Kindy Program
Our children eagerly anticipate their weekly Bush Kindy sessions. Each session runs for approximately one hour and begins with a short 3 minute walk to the Westaway Park, Moggill.

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 Turrbal 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.

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.

Barefoot Nursery & Barefoot Toddlers
Our Centre runs a ‘Barefoot Nursery’ & ‘Barefoot Toddlers’. Upon entry to the Nursery & Toddlers room all Educators, guardians and visitors are required to remove their shoes or place a covering over them. Our babies & toddlers are sensory explorers; therefore, it is important to us to keep our room floors and environment clean and hygienic. The exceptional cleanliness of the ‘Barefoot Nursery’  & ‘Barefoot Toddlers’ concept allows our infants to freely investigate their surroundings without being exposed to unnecessary germs and bacteria.

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