Small Steps Academy Learning Environments
Nursery
Birth to 15 months
Our homely, fully air conditioned and child focused nursery space has been designed with the babies’ individual needs and development in mind. Equipped with safe and nurturing furnishings, we offer authentic resources so the babies in our care feel and experience real objects as well as a variety of educational toys, resources, and equipment. We have endeavoured to create a “home away from home” with a sense of wonder and inspiration.
We pride ourselves in creating a feeling of comfort in our learning spaces, this is known as Hygge (hue-gah), meaning our setting seeks a feeling of cosiness, warmth, and togetherness.
The babies in our care can benefit from serene and peaceful rest in our separate, soundproof sleep areas with individual cots. Our sleep areas are fully monitored and airconditioned with relaxing nature sounds playing for added comfort for the babies. In addition, our change, bath areas, food and bottle preparation areas have been designed with paramount care and consideration.
Our outdoor spaces have been developed with just as much thought as our indoor space, allowing babies to explore the outdoors while being well shaded and having access to age-appropriate play equipment to encourage the babies’ curiosity and physical development. All nutritional meals, nappies and wipes are provided in our Nursery spaces.
Toddlers
12 months to 2 years
12 months to 2 years is an age where children become a lot more curious, energetic, and unique! With this in mind, our Toddler environments are spacious and open offering light, reflection and fascination where the child can explore their world and their individual choices to play and learn, using genuine resources, loose parts and minimise plastic, alongside a variety of educational toys, tools and equipment.
The outdoor areas are set up to explore their outdoor world in shade and comfort, we offer space with the freedom to belong, be and become, creating inquisitive minds. Our outdoor areas are also equipped with well-suited, safe, challenging, child focussed equipment to encourage age-appropriate active play and development.
Junior Kindy
2 to 3 years
Like all our learning spaces we endeavour to create enchanting environments where the children can be inspired and dream aloud. The resources are authentic and have open ended uses. We have loose items and real objects in our learning spaces for the children to touch, feel, see, and engage with, allowing the children to wonder, hypothesise and problem solve.
Education is a key component at this age, it’s all about play, exploring their interests and acknowledging that they are capable and competent of many things.
Our outdoor space is extensive, and features include:
- Cubby house
- Theatrical stage
- Climbing equipment
- Slides
- Water park
- Wooden adventure park
- Vegetable Garden
- Large sandpits
Art and craft tables are also set up for the children to freely express themselves and get creative, as well as other learning spaces for the children to be able to imagine, dream and explore.
Pre Kindy
3 to 4 years
Our Pre-Kindy space is designed with the child in mind. The children create their own learning environment through discussion and collaboration with their educators. Our rooms are well designed with a variety of spaces to explore and be. Education is also a key focus, and our resources are authentic and real that engage with the senses. Light and reflection are a big part of our environments which are set up to provoke questions and answers by creating a collaborative environment where the children are heard and encouraged to extend on their ideas. Various educational tools, resources and equipment are readily available and accessible for children to be able to create whether it be through art, imaginative play, and science.
We promote active, child-led play in our shaded outdoor areas, with a variety of spaces to encourage exploration and the joy of nature. There are also quiet, comfortable spaces for children to participate in a calm and imaginative learning experience. The children have access to a variety of play equipment to help challenge their physical and cognitive development.
Free Funded Kindergarten Program
4 to 5 years
We offer Qld Government approved "FREE KINDERGARTEN" for ALL eligible children, for 15 hours per week for 40 weeks per year. Regardless of your family income, Kindergarten Sessions for ALL eligible children at this service are FREE for 15 hours per week for 40 weeks per year.
We operate an all year round fully licensed and accredited Queensland Government Kindergarten Program. Please see us to ensure your child is prepared and ready to attend any Queensland School.
The QKLG provides specifically for children’s learning across the year before starting school. It recognises that children bring with them diverse identities and backgrounds. It acknowledges that parents/carers are children’s first teachers and values the vital role families play in children’s lives and their ongoing learning. The term ‘families’ is used throughout the guidelines to recognise the range of people who take on parenting roles.
School aged OSHC & Vacation Care
Big Steps Program
Our Big Steps Program has been carefully created to challenge, motivate, and enlighten the school aged children in a separate learning program, a variety of fun activities, experiments and experiences are available for the students to engage in.
Homework club is available for students to work on their homework with their peers, we find children are more enthusiastic about completing their homework when they are doing it together. A fresh and nutritious afternoon tea is provided, this is crucial to ensure the children are re-energised after a full day of work at school. We offer a free pick-up service to and from our local schools as required.
Our school aged vacation care is also apart of our Big Steps Program, designed with the students we endeavour to make the school holidays an exciting adventure inspired by the children’s interests. So much is on offer to ensure the children are getting the most out of the school holidays. Including games, science experiments, arts & crafts, cooking, excursions and much more!
Our Big Steps program has been curated to encourage children to be active and healthy learners.