First Five Early Learning Victoria Point

21/08/2026

A huge thank you to our Redlands Fire and Rescue for visiting our centre this week!

Our children enjoyed meaningful yarns with the team about fire safety, the important work they do within our community, and what a day in the life of a community firefighter looks like. We explored the difference between good and bad fire, how firefighters help protect our community, and the many ways they keep people safe.

Our children had the opportunity to ask questions, share their knowledge, and proudly tell our visitors all about our own fire evacuation procedures.
We are incredibly grateful for the time, knowledge and genuine connection you shared with our children.

Experiences like these help build children’s understanding, confidence and sense of belonging within their wider community.
Thank you, Redlands Fire and Rescue, for helping keep our community safe.

07/08/2026

As we celebrate Early Learning Matters week at First Five, we reflect on our service philosophy that we celebrate who children are right now. We are passionate in expressing that the first five years of a child's life are to be treasured, nurtured, challenged, supported and valued.

Play is the foundation of early learning. Through meaningful, child-led play, children develop confidence, creativity, problem-solving skills, language, social connections, and a lifelong love of learning. Every moment of play is an opportunity to explore, discover, and make sense of the world around them, laying strong foundations for future success. As co-learners alongside our children, we as educators have the opportunity to utilise our environment as the third teacher and are able to step aside to observe and analyse how our children drive their own learning.

03/08/2026

Our children have been immersed in a rich inquiry into cause and effect, driven by their natural curiosity and desire to discover how the world works. Through hands-on investigations and partnering with Kindy Science, we explored what happens when different materials interact, testing their theories, making predictions, and revisiting their ideas as new discoveries unfolded.

As children experimented with a variety of natural and open-ended materials, they observed changes, identified patterns, and asked thoughtful questions such as, "What will happen if...?" and "Why did that change?" These moments of wonder encouraged our children to think critically, solve problems collaboratively and embrace the process of investigation rather than focusing solely on an outcome.
By following children's questions and valuing their hypotheses, we recognise them as capable, competent protagonists of their own learning.

Our inquiry-based approach fosters scientific thinking, creativity, resilience, and a lifelong love of learning, while nurturing children's confidence to explore, question, and make sense of the world around them.

23/07/2026

Our ongoing Circle of Safety learning project within our pre-kindy classroom provides meaningful opportunities for children to explore what safety, trust, love and belonging look and feel like through their own experiences and relationships.

Through rich conversations, shared family stories and collaborative reflection, our children continue to actively contribute their own ideas, perspectives and understandings about the people they trust and the places where they feel safe. As educators, we intentionally listen to, document and honour these voices, ensuring children see themselves, their families and their lived experiences reflected within our curriculum.

Children are the protagonists of their learning. Their questions, ideas and theories guide the direction of our investigations as we explore friendships, respect, boundaries and caring relationships together. By creating space for every child's voice to be heard and valued, we are fostering a strong sense of identity, agency and belonging while building a community where everyone feels safe to learn, grow and thrive.

19/07/2026

"A child's voice is never too small not to be heard, and too important to be ignored." — Unknown

We believe every child has the right to be heard, to share their ideas and to know that their thoughts and feelings matter. We intentionally create opportunities for children to contribute to their learning and everyday experiences, ensuring their voices help shape our curriculum, culture and community.

Recently, our Pre-Kindy children have been spending time together in Yarning Circles with their educators, exploring what safety means to them. Through open conversations, drawing, painting, storytelling and other creative forms of expression, the children have shared what helps them feel safe, who they can go to when they need support and what being safe looks and feels like in our environment. These meaningful discussions remind us that every child communicates differently, and every child's voice deserves to be listened to and respected.

These ritualistic moments reflect our commitment to the Child Safe Standards by creating a culture where children feel confident to speak up, ask questions, express their feelings and know they will be heard. By genuinely listening to children's perspectives, we continue to build trusting relationships and create a learning environment where every child feels safe, valued and empowered to belong.

10/07/2026

As we celebrate NAIDOC Week, we honour and embrace the rich histories, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. At our centre, Indigenous perspectives are embedded into our everyday practice, fostering a genuine and ongoing connection to Country rather than being limited to a single week of celebration.

Throughout our week, educators and children learned alongside one another through shared experiences including music, exploring bush medicine, Yarning Circles and reflective thinking, weaving, exploring ochre, charcoal and clay. The beauty in storytelling, knowledge sharing and caring for Country. We spent time slowing down to observe the clouds, watch the wind make the branches and leaves dance, listening to the sounds of nature and welcoming visits from our local magpies and kookaburras, recognising the important relationship between people, animals and the land.

These meaningful experiences encourage children to develop a deep sense of respect, curiosity and belonging, while nurturing an appreciation for the world's oldest continuing cultures. Together, we remain committed to embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in authentic and respectful ways throughout our curriculum every day.

Happy NAIDOC for 2026!

27/06/2026

26/06/2026

Families will see increases to Child Care Subsidy (CCS) hourly rate caps and family income thresholds from 6 July 2026, following the Australian Government's annual indexation process.

For families using centre-based care the maximum hourly rates that will apply from 6 July 2026 is $15.19.
The hourly rate cap is the maximum hourly fee the Government uses to calculate a family's CCS entitlement. Where a service's fees exceed the relevant cap, families are required to pay the difference.

Family income thresholds are also increasing.
Family income thresholds used to determine CCS eligibility and subsidy rates will also increase from 6 July 2026.
Under the revised arrangements:
• families earning up to $88,520 will be eligible for a 90 per cent subsidy
• families earning more than $88,520 and below $538,520 will receive a subsidy that gradually reduces from 90 per cent to zero
• the subsidy rate decreases by 1 percentage point for every $5,000 of additional family income
• families earning $538,520 or more will not be eligible for CCS.

A family's subsidy rate is applied to the hourly rate cap or the service's actual hourly fee, whichever is lower.

For more information visit the Services Australia Website:
https://www.education.gov.au/early-childhood/providers/child-care-subsidy?utm_source=ecec2026-06-10&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=rate_caps

26/06/2026

Following our professional learning surrounding process over product, it has been wonderful to see our educators authentically embedding a slow pedagogy into daily practice. Alongside our children, educators have thoughtfully created meaningful invitations to play that have evolved throughout the week, allowing time for curiosity, exploration and deep engagement.

Our children have investigated the language of weaving, textiles and fabric, acrylic paint, and mixed-material collage, with each experience unfolding at the children's own pace. Through an unhurried and collaborative approach, children have been encouraged to share ideas, express their thinking, and contribute their unique perspectives.

These multiple, ongoing projects reflect the value of listening to children's voices, fostering a strong sense of belonging, and recognising that rich learning emerges through relationships, collaboration and the creative process rather than a predetermined product.

24/06/2026

On Tuesday night, we got together as a team and opened our minds to grow further knowledge 💚

"Children do not move, think or speak in a straight line - and neither does imagination nor creativity" - Vince Gowman

Our educators engaged in professional learning focused on the "process over product" in our children's creative experiences. Through rich discussions, our team explored how valuing children's creativity, ideas, experimentation, and self-expression supports deeper learning rather than focusing solely on a finished product.

Our team shared diverse perspectives, challenged assumptions and critically reflected on our own practices to consider how artistic experiences can better honour the child's agency, individuality, imagination and learning processes.

Watch this space to see how our amazing educators transfer this new into their daily practice 🎨