Goodstart Early Learning Shepparton - Bourchier Street

🌿 Team Meeting | Wellbeing, Regulation & Connection 🌿

Tonight, our team came together for a really meaningful and powerful professional learning session with Anne Louise, our Social Inclusion Specialist, who supported both our centre and the Archer St centre through an Educator Wellbeing Training session. 💙

The focus of our evening was on wellbeing, stress, regulation, mindfulness and the importance of looking after ourselves as educators, because we can’t pour from an empty cup. 🫶

We explored the different levels of stress and what happens when we move outside our Window of Tolerance. We reflected on what hyperarousal and hypoarousal can look and feel like, and how stress can impact our ability to connect, communicate, think clearly and respond rather than react.

One of the biggest takeaways was that regulation is contagious. When we are overwhelmed, this can influence the people around us, including our children and our fellow educators. When we are calm, connected and regulated, we create an environment where others can feel safe, supported and able to regulate too. 🌱

We also explored the PACE approach:
✨ Playfulness – using warmth, lightness and connection
🤍 Acceptance – communicating that people are valued, even when things are difficult
🔎 Curiosity – wondering “What might be happening?” rather than immediately reacting
💜 Empathy – responding with compassion and understanding

Our team practised different mindfulness, regulation and distress-tolerance strategies and, most importantly, connected these strategies back to our everyday practice with children.

We reflected on those moments when a child may appear unsettled, overwhelmed, frustrated, withdrawn or dysregulated and asked ourselves:

What might they be experiencing?
What is their body telling them?
How can we support their regulation before expecting them to regulate themselves?
How can our own response create safety and connection?

The session also gave us an opportunity to turn the lens back on ourselves. We talked openly about recognising our own signs of stress, understanding when we are moving outside our window of tolerance and finding practical ways to pause, reset and prevent burnout. 🧘‍♀️🌿

Most importantly, tonight wasn’t just about professional learning, it was about connection. We slowed down, shared, laughed, reflected and created space to check in with ourselves and one another.

We are incredibly grateful to Anne Louise for such a engaging and meaningful session. 💙

Our educators give so much of themselves every day. Taking the time to care for the people who care for our children is just as important as everything else we do.

A regulated educator creates the conditions for regulated children. Connection comes before correction. And wellbeing starts with us. 🌿✨

Strong relationships are the foundation for confident, curious learners 💛

Goodstart’s key educator approach ensures every child is known, supported and feels safe - through consistent, nurturing connections with educators and meaningful partnerships with families. These bonds help build wellbeing, resilience and a true sense of belonging from day one.

Discover how this approach supports your child’s learning journey: https://brnw.ch/2

Did you know we invested $65.5M into our social purpose last year, a 14% increase on the year before? 👏 At Goodstart, we're proud of the impact we have on children, families and communities. As a not‑for‑profit, every dollar we earn is reinvested to improve outcomes – from high‑quality learning and educator development to extra support for children who need it most.
Because when we put children first, the impact goes further 💛

What a wonderful National Pyjama Day! 💙🧸

A huge THANK YOU to our incredible children, families, and educators for embracing the fun, wearing your pyjamas, and supporting such a meaningful cause. Together, we are so proud to share that we raised $105 for The Pyjama Foundation! 🎉

Every dollar raised helps provide children in foster care with the opportunity to be matched with a dedicated Pyjama Angel. A volunteer mentor who offers friendship, encouragement, support, and a love of learning. These positive relationships can make a lasting difference in a child’s confidence, education, and future.

We are incredibly grateful to everyone who donated, dressed up, and helped make this day such a success. Your kindness and generosity will have a real impact on the lives of children who need it most.

Together, we are helping children in foster care dream bigger, feel supported, and believe in themselves. Thank you for making a difference! 💙✨

The research is clear 📚 reading aloud is one of the most powerful things we can do for our children.

When we read with a child, we’re doing far more than sharing a story. We’re building the foundations for language, confidence, curiosity and a lifelong love of learning.

Decades of research shows that children who are read to regularly:

💛 Build stronger language skills
Hearing rich varied language in books exposes children to far more words than everyday conversation alone. This growing vocabulary helps them understand, communicate and make sense of the world.

💛 Develop early literacy skills long before they learn to read
Through stories, children learn how books work – that print carries meaning, that pages turn left to right, and that stories have a beginning, middle and end. These early understandings make learning to read feel familiar and exciting.

💛 Strengthen phonological awareness
Rhymes, rhythms and playful sounds help children hear the building blocks of language.

💛 Grow their comprehension and thinking skills
Talking together about a story, predicting what might happen, wondering how a character feels, and connecting events to real life helps children develop memory, problem-solving, and higher-order thinking.

💛 Experience connection, comfort and joy
Shared reading fosters calmness, closeness, and moments of joint attention. These warm interactions support a child's sense of security and belonging.

Most importantly, children who experience positive, engaging reading moments from a young age are more likely to develop a genuine love of books - something that matters even more than early literacy skills alone.

Reading is simple, joyful, and sets children up for success in school and life.

Here is a list of some of our favourites below 👇

🌟 Supporting Children’s Language Development Through Professional Learning🌟

Our team has recently taken part in a wonderful professional development session with Mel, a Speech Pathologist, where we deep dived into the important areas of speech, language, and communication.

Together, we explored the different components of communication, shared our knowledge, and created a deeper understanding of how children develop and express themselves in different ways. We spent time unpacking the "All Children Communicate” document and worked collaboratively to strengthen our ability to observe, assess, and respond to each child’s individual communication needs.

Through group discussions, reflection, and practical activities, educators explored how we can better support children’s language development, recognise their unique communication styles, and create environments where every child feels heard, valued, and supported.

We are committed to ongoing learning and professional growth so we can continue to provide meaningful experiences that nurture children’s confidence, connections, and communication skills. 💬✨

🔥 Fire Safety Drill Practice 🔥

Today we practiced an important fire safety drill with the children. We evacuated the building, discussed all things safety, and talked through the procedures we follow during an emergency evacuation.

The children engaged really well throughout the experience and showed great understanding of why it is so important to stay calm, listen carefully, and follow instructions to help keep everyone safe.

We spoke about the importance of making sure everyone is accounted for by completing a roll call and we definitely couldn’t forget our very special member of our community, Tiddles our turtle! 🐢 Tiddles joined us for the practice to make sure he knew what to do in an emergency too.

The children especially enjoyed learning about how these safety routines help ensure everyone’s wellbeing. We are so proud of how thoughtfully they participated and how seriously they took this important learning experience. ❤️

We had the pleasure of welcoming Essendon AFL club’s Bomber Kids incursion at our centre! 🏉✨

This exciting AFL-themed experience provided a fun, practical and engaging way to support the children’s physical, social and emotional development.

It was wonderful to see the children so engaged, active and enjoying every moment! ❤️🖤

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16Jc4tZ-bmpANIPalN1i7Y1jBHYF5zVyS/view

✨ Congratulations Tahnne 20 Years of Dedication ✨

We are so incredibly proud to celebrate a truly amazing milestone, 20 years of dedication, passion, and commitment from Tahnne.

We feel so lucky to have an educator like you as part of our team. Over the years, you have not only supported countless children and families, but you have also helped shape the heart and culture of our service.

Long-standing staff become more than colleagues, they become family. The care, consistency, and love you bring each day is something truly special, and we couldn’t be prouder to work alongside you.

What an incredible achievement this is. Thank you for everything you have given over the past 20 years — here’s to celebrating you today and all the amazing years still to come!

💛 Congratulations again Tahnne 💛