Harbour Early Learning

We are proud of the initiatives and practices emerging from our kitchen spaces at our Harbour Early Learning centres. This reflection sparked an exciting opportunity to strengthen collaboration across our teams, our Chef Connections initiative.

These meetings bring our talented chefs together to discuss improved practice and nutrition, navigate challenges, and support one another with strategies and solutions. It is our commitment to providing the highest quality nutrition for every child attending a Harbour centre.

We are privileged to celebrate the diverse experience within our chef community:

- Chef Karli (Vaucluse) – Former Hilton chef with extensive experience in first class restaurants across Australia
- Chef Chris (Aranda) – Over 30 years of experience, including work as a multi-site food safety auditor
- Chef Morgane (Red Hill) – French-trained with a strong background in French cuisine
- Chef Novi (Gladesville) – Brings international experience from Disney Cruises and Indonesian hotels

By bringing together such a wealth of knowledge and experience, Chef Connections is creating a space where collaboration thrives and innovation grows, all for the benefit of the children in our care. Our menus at Harbour are constantly evolving to suit the nutritional requirements and tastes of our children, and are consistently updated to reflect available seasonal produce. We aim to ensure children are fully supported to become healthy eaters and to expose children to quality foods at a crucial time for their development.

At Harbour Early Learning Gladesville, we recognise creative art and mark making as powerful foundations for children’s development; Far more than “just drawing”.

Mark making refers to the early lines, shapes, symbols and patterns children create through drawing, painting, chalking, stamping, or even tracing in sand. These marks are the beginnings of writing and symbolic thinking.

Before children can form letters, they experiment with movement, control, and meaning through marks. Every scribble has purpose — it represents thinking in action.

Mark making supports the shift from concrete exploration to abstract thinking — an essential foundation for later literacy and numeracy. Malaguzzi described children as having “a hundred languages” — meaning they express thinking in many symbolic forms. Creative art and mark making are viewed as legitimate languages of thought, not simply recreational activities. Malaguzzi, L. (1993). For an education based on relationships.

The work of Urie Bronfenbrenner informs our walking on country practice. His ecological systems theory reminds us that children develop within interconnected systems — family, community, culture and environment. Walking within our local community strengthens children’s understanding of their place within these systems and nurtures a sense of identity and belonging.

At Harbour Early Learning Gladesville, our weekly Walking on Country is a meaningful and intentional excursion embedded within our curriculum for all children. These regular experiences connect children to the land, community and natural environment, fostering a deep sense of belonging and respect. Our Walking on Country experiences provide authentic opportunities for children to engage in inquiry, risk assessment, problem-solving and environmental stewardship.

“Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero.” Fred Rogers

An embedded Harbour Early Learning ritual is children observing their families through the classroom windows. In these moments, we witness more than farewells: we observe relational curiosity, engagement with the environment, and early connections with the broader community. From a posthuman perspective, learning is understood as the entanglement of human and more-than-human agents, recognising that children’s experiences and investigations emerge within networks of relationships that include people, materials, spaces, and non-human others (Haraway, 2008).

Observational experiences such as these not only support social and emotional development but also foster curiosity and nurture emergent inquiry, reflecting with contemporary pedagogical approaches that reconceptualise childhood as relational, material, and situated within dynamic ecological contexts.

A harbour is a place of shelter and sanctuary, where we gather, grow, and prepare for new adventures. At Harbour Early Learning, we create that safe place for children and families, building strong foundations for life.

Early education plays a vital role in shaping children’s lifelong learning. As we begin a new year of learning, children (re)settle into new environments and welcome new peers, where they are supported to ask questions, explore, imagine, and follow their ideas. Responsive, trusting relationships with teachers and educators strengthen a secure foundation for children to feel confident, valued, and empowered.

Contemporary early childhood theory highlights that learning is socially constructed, with children learning best through interactions in environments that honour their voices and agency (Siraj-Blatchford, 2010). By nurturing curiosity, relationships, and exploration, we support children’s confidence, engagement, and continued growth of foundational learning.

At Harbour Early Learning Aranda, we honour Indigenous people, their cultures and history in our daily teaching and learning practices. Duncan and Jakida from Wiradjuri Echoes are regular community visitors at Harbour EL Aranda, joining us to share Indigenous culture through art, dance and music. The children are always excited to see them arrive, Duncan carrying his signature Didgeridoo over his shoulder.

We are excited to announce the opening of Harbour Early Learning Gladesville! We are proud to breathe new life and take a sustainable approach to the adaptive reuse of an existing building. This is a key strategy in sustainable urban design offering significant environmental, economic, and social benefits.

Harbour EL has again entrusted Danielle Brustman to steer the creative direction of the learning space design, to craft light-filled classrooms and outdoor play areas, intentionally designed for children who deserve beautiful places to learn, explore, and grow.

Our program at Harbour EL is committed to children’s rights, from our inquiry-through-play curriculum to our carefully considered daily routines. Our seasonal menu, crafted by nutritionists and prepared each day by our in-house chef, supports children’s wellbeing with fresh, tailored meals.

Situated moments from Banjo Paterson Park and the River foreshore, our location celebrates Gladesville’s natural beauty, giving children rich opportunities for nature-based learning. We believe in nurturing each child’s creativity, curiosity, and sense of belonging, welcoming our learning community into a sanctuary where they can truly thrive.

Interior designer:
Photography:

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Benjamin Franklin