Goodstart Early Learning Dapto

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

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far!
We have already raised $770 and with donations still being doubled, we have a great chance of getting to our $1000 goal.
Please donate today if you can to help us reach this goal

Please Support My Jeans for Genes Fundraiser 💙 I’m raising money for Jeans for Genes to help fund cures for the 1 in 20 kids born with a genetic disease. Please support me by making a donation today – thank you! 💙

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 💛

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 👇

A special delivery to Goodstart Dapto today! ♻️💚

We returned a bag of recycled products made from the bottle caps and small plastics they collected, including dominoes, pens and a plant pot.

From waste to wonderful, showing little learners the power of recycling! 🌱

Last night, Mrs Gee and Mrs Smith were invited to present Goodstart Early Learning Dapto Transition to School Information Night.

With more than 50 years of Kindergarten teaching experience between them, they shared valuable insights, practical tips and a few funny stories to help families prepare for the exciting journey into big school.

Both Mrs Gee and Mrs Smith are passionate advocates for public education and are committed to ensuring every child has the best possible start to their schooling journey. Opportunities like these allow their knowledge and expertise to be shared not only with Koonawarra Public School families but with the wider Dapto community.

Thank you to Goodstart Early Learning Dapto for inviting us to be part of such a valuable evening. We always appreciate the opportunity to connect with local families and support children as they take their first steps towards school.🐋🦚🌟🐍

‘International Day of Play! Yesterday, the Centre director (Maddi) and Assistant Director (Britt) got together with Play Illawarra to celebrate the power of Play across the Illawarra! With presentations around international policies, designing for play, digital and neurodiverse play and play in culture including young people's perspective, it was inspiring! Did you know: 1 in 3 children are not getting enough play daily but yet one third of brain neurons change in just 30 minutes of play! Play literally grows brains! That's why we support United Nations International Day of Play. ’

Play Illawarra is an awesome resource for families supporting access to play. Check out the website, subscribe to the mailing list and share with your friends! If you’d like to stay involved in future conversations, events and opportunities, you can join up here to receive Play Illawarra newsletter and stay connected with the Healthy Cities Play Illawarra Network!

Let's support Children to play!

Come down to Goodstart Dapto between 8-8.45am for Coffee on these cold mornings ☕️

☕️ We hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend!

We’re back on the road tomorrow and ready to fuel your week with plenty of coffee, smiles and good chats. 🤎

From our regular morning stops to AFL on Saturday, we’ve got another busy week ahead and can’t wait to see all your familiar faces.

Thank you for supporting our little family business each and every week — we appreciate you more than you know! 🥰🚐☕

Check out our schedule and save it for later so you know where to find us this week.

Today we were lucky to have Tiny Tins join us for a discussion about Recycling, Reusing and Reducing our waste.

Firstly, we discussed what each of the 3 Rs mean to us and how we can change and embed these into our everyday practices. The Garawan preschool children were very knowledgeable about these topics and could find examples in what they do everyday.

We were able to tell our visitors about our food scraps for the FOGO as well as feeding the children's chickens and they were very impressed.

Next we listened to a story about a crab collecting bottle lids and turning them into something else like pens, flower pots and golf tees. We had been collecting our bottle lids for Tiny Tins to take with them today. They will repurpose them for us and then bring it back to the centre.

Tiny Tins had brought a small truck with them and we went into the carpark to look at the truck. Mel pointed out the letters in the number plate and it read "Binboy." This made everyone laugh.

Thank you so much Tiny Tins for your visit! We look forward to continuing our sustainability journey to reduce waste at preschool.

Sustainability in preschool is crucial for fostering early environmental stewardship, teaching responsible consumption, and building a foundation for lifelong eco-friendly habits. By embedding practices like recycling, gardening, and energy conservation, young children develop a connection to nature, understand their impact on the world, and learn to become active, responsible citizens.

Key Reasons for Sustainability in Early Childhood

Building Lifelong Habits: Early exposure helps children naturally adopt eco-friendly behaviors, such as recycling and saving water, that can last a lifetime.

Developing Environmental Awareness: Children learn to respect nature, understand the importance of caring for the planet, and recognize the interconnectedness of nature and human activity.

Empowerment and Responsibility: Engaging in sustainable actions, such as sorting waste or tending a garden, teaches children that their small actions can make a big difference, fostering a sense of responsibility.

Future Preparedness: Teaching sustainability equips children with the knowledge and skills necessary to address future environmental challenges.

Promoting Holistic Learning: Sustainability links to social, economic, and environmental awareness, encouraging critical thinking about consumption and fairness.