Goodstart Early Learning Heatley

Ever had one of those "What should I be doing with my child?" moments? You might already have the answer at home.

Earlier this year, every Goodstart family received a What & When for Families guide for each child. If it's been tucked away in a drawer since then, now might be the perfect time to pull it back out.

The guide is packed with simple, play-based activities that support your child's learning and development at home. Best of all, it's written in your child's voice, with ideas tailored to their age and developmental stage.

From singing songs with babies and playing peek-a-boo, to "I Spy" games, storytelling and treasure hunts with older children, the activities are designed to fit naturally into everyday moments you already share together.

We know learning doesn't only happen in the classroom. Those small moments at home can help build big communication, language and literacy skills.

Take another look through your What & When for Families guide to explore age-appropriate activities and learning ideas you can try together.

💛 Sometimes the best learning resource is the one you already have at home.

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

Our toddlers have been exploring Dental Health Week through creative play! 🦷✨ The children enjoyed painting their own bright, healthy teeth and using playdough to create tooth models inspired by our dental health cards. A fun hands-on experience supporting creativity, fine motor skills, and learning about caring for our smiles. 💙

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 💛

Celebrating Special Milestones at Heatley!

This week, we celebrated two wonderful milestone events within the Heatley Team.

🎂 Happy Birthday to Mariam! We hope you had a fantastic day filled with joy, laughter, and special memories.

💐 Congratulations to Atreyee on participating in her Australian Citizenship presentation. This is a significant and proud achievement, we are delighted to celebrate this special milestone with you.

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 👇

Just a reminder that our centre will be closed on Monday, 6 July for the show day public holiday. We hope all our families have a wonderful day filled with fun and special memories. We’ll see you back at the centre soon! 💜

🐞🦋 Insect Week Adventures! 🐝🌿

Our toddlers have been exploring the fascinating world of insects! They engaged with our insect sensory tray, using their senses to touch, observe, and investigate the different bugs. We shared conversations, made discoveries, and used our imaginations as we explored the tiny creatures around us. 🐛✨

Help Us Support Families in Need.

We are proud to be partnering with Baby Give Back, a Queensland charity dedicated to giving every child an equal start in life. By providing essential items like clothing, nappies, and baby equipment to vulnerable families, they help ease financial pressure so parents can focus on what matters most keeping their children safe, healthy, and supported.

We are currently collecting good-quality pre-loved baby and children’s items (0–5 years) including clothing, wraps/blankets and new items such as sanitary pads, nappies & wipes and other essential items.

Your donations not only support local families but also help reduce waste giving items a second life where they’re needed most.

Every small act of kindness makes a big difference. If you’re able to contribute, we would greatly appreciate your support!

Donations can be left in the collection basket in the office. Thank you for helping us make a difference.

💦🐠 Water Safety Incursion with Fish & Flips Swim School 🐠💦

We were excited to welcome Miss Abby from Fish & Flips Swim School for a very special water safety incursion!
The children were highly engaged and attentive as they took part in interactive discussions and hands-on learning experiences focused on staying safe around water. Throughout the session, they explored important safety messages, including recognising unsafe situations, knowing what to do in an emergency, and identifying trusted adults or lifeguards they can turn to for help.

Miss Abby also taught the children valuable life skills, such as how to call Triple Zero (000) and what information to provide, as well as how to signal for help in the water by raising a fist, waving, and calling out “Help!”. 🚨

The children loved exploring different water safety equipment, including life jackets, pool noodles, and flotation boards. They learned the importance of always swimming with an adult and never swimming alone.
We were so proud of how patiently the children listened, confidently answered questions, and demonstrated their growing understanding of water safety. 🌟
This meaningful experience supported the children in developing essential skills to keep themselves and others safe while enjoying water activities.