Bradman Road Menai

Parents/carers are welcome to tour Bradman Road Early Education Centre. Please call the centre on 9543 5942 to arrange a suitable time. 

Bradman Road

Bradman Road Early Education Centre is one of Menai's best kept childcare secrets.

It is enjoyed by a wonderful community of families who thrive on the centre's incredible care and love for their children. 

Parents tell us the atmosphere is much calmer, quieter and inviting than other childcare centres. That's because it's smaller in scale - smaller numbers of children where we can meet their individual needs (school readiness preparation, learning needs, social skills support, food preferences, toilet training - our team warmly supports parents with any child's specific requirements).

Here is a sample of the feedback families share with us:

"Our daughter loved attending Bradman Road. The teachers were so lovely, attentive and supportive.  The communication was great, their daily activities were fantastic and the atmosphere at the centre was warm and welcoming."

"The educators are all wonderful, so nurturing and follow any wishes I may have. The centre itself is so great with the big yard & lots of educational resources. Love that they have lots of healthy food to eat as well."

Families also appreciate the stability of familiar and loving faces. Our Educators have been a part of Bradman Road for many years.  They are among the best in the business - loving, caring and with a genuine pride in their work.

They are fully aware of every child's interests, strengths and needs, and tailor the centre's environment and programs accordingly. The team of female and male Educators share their knowledge, talents and diversity with the children in all learning areas including science, music and sustainability.  

Family Communication & Partnerships

Parents enjoy regular insights into their children's learning via a safe and secure communication app called Educa.  Educa allows families to view and share learning stories, photos and videos, and collaborate with Educators about their child’s development, from the comfort of their phone.

The centre enjoys very collaborative relationships with families. Being a smaller centre, 'everyone knows everyone'. It's very much a community feel fostered by a wide range of opportunities for parental involvement such as morning and afternoon teas and days of celebration.

Parents also have the opportunity for one-on-one meetings with Educators to discuss their child's specific progress.

Location & Community

Bradman Road is tucked away in a quiet suburban street and surrounded by a beautiful bush setting. The natural surrounds are used for excursions where the children experience the local environment first hand.

Some of our many interactive, cultural and educational community experiences include visits from a local dentist, fire brigade and Ranger on the Run animal encounters. All experiences are intentionally planned from children’s interests to extend their learning.

Spacious Outdoors

The playground is spacious, safe, incredibly well resourced and with lots of room for the children to build their physical skills and learn socialisation through play.  The children enjoy the trampoline, sandpit, large bike track and balance beams, along with many other play opportunities such as climbing, games and art. There are also (supervised) opportunities to climb trees.

Our pet guinea pigs, Truffles & Coconut, are very popular with the children who love to help feed and care for them.

Ample shade is provided from purpose built shading and treetop canopies.

Indoor Environment

The centre's two indoor rooms are large and spacious with plenty of natural light.

Across the two rooms, our play-based program is modified to reflect individual children's needs and interests. 

The children move throughout our various spaces to engage and build their skills in:

• art, craft and sensory experiences 
• fine and gross motor development
• dramatic play
• cognitive and concepts development
• language, literacy and numeracy development
• construction/destruction area
• relaxation 

On a daily basis, Educators engage the children in group time for stories, discussions, investigations (e.g. science questions) and projects (e.g. learning about farm animals). Group time is important for general knowledge building, developing and increasing children's attention span, developing a sense of belonging (being part of a group) and life skills development (e.g. learning to take turns when talking).

If you have a child who benefits from quieter activities during the course of an active day, our Body Break room is ideal. The children are very respectful of this quiet space with its calming music, imagery, sensory toys, comfy cushions and books to help them when they need a break from the group environment. It's an important aspect of helping to teach children self-regulation.    

Relaxation activities also include Tai Chi, visualisation, or reading a quiet story while children are on their beds. These activities create calm routines, environments and interactions where children are able to play and learn.

Educational Program

Bradman Road, like all Council Early Education Centres, delivers a curriculum which provides children with academic and life skills education. We promote the development of language and literacy, numeracy, social and emotional skills, physical development and cognitive growth.

Many parents want to see their child write their name and hear them count and our curriculum provides children with the platform to develop these types of skills, along with many others. 

Academic skills include literacy and numeracy concepts and learning experiences, for example: 

• recognition of numbers, letters, shapes and colours (early numeracy and literacy skills)
• vocabulary expansion
• writing and drawing 
• developing pencil grip and fine motor skills
• experimenting and hypothesising (early science)

Life skills focus on the following aspects of social and emotional skills development, including:

• emotional resilience (self regulating emotions, expressing emotions appropriately)
• self help skills (caring for belongings, tying shoelaces, putting on clothing such as socks and jumpers, encouraging independence)
• conflict resolution skills
• learning to share and take turns 
• cooperating and collaborating with others
• learning to adapt to changes in routines 
• knowing when and how to ask for assistance 
• empathy and caring for others 
• developing problem solving skills 
• toileting independence

Education, including academic and life skills, occurs from the moment a child walks through our doors. Infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers experience age appropriate learning on a daily basis, encompassing: 

• language and literacy
• mathematics and engineering
• science and technology
• arts and crafts
• sustainability education - learning about nature and the environment 
• music and dance
• physical activity promoting gross and fine motor skills
• cultural experiences
• sensory experiences 
• free creative play
• community excursions and engagement 

The children learn through play and our Educators plan intentional, play-based learning experiences and investigations that incorporate children’s learning goals. For example, setting up a pretend play ‘restaurant’, complete with menus, cook books, notepads and money extends the children’s social, literacy and numeracy skills. 

ELLA Language Program

Bradman Road has successfully gained entry to the Early Language Learning Australia Program (ELLA) - a fun, digital, play-based program for preschools to teach children a language other than English in their year before school. Bradman Road has commenced introducing the centre's four and five year old children to the French language. The children are learning French through apps. ELLA is part of the Australian Government's commitment to supporting language study in Australia.

OT & Speech Screening

We offer occupational therapy and speech screening for four year old children throughout the year.

Transition to School

Bradman Road is building a relationship with Menai Public School to assist children with their transition to school. This year we are planning to visit the classrooms to meet the teachers and also visit during special events.

At the centre the children also enjoy ‘lunch box days’ (to help little fingers master the skill of opening lunch boxes and containers) and school uniform dramatic play time. These role play and pretend play experiences include school uniforms, backpacks, lunchboxes, play food and writing materials for children to participate in.

We consult closely with parents on school readiness and transition to school. Every Council centre completes ‘Transition to School' statements for each child attending school the following year. These are shared with families and the child's school (with parent permission). 

Free Cloth Nappy Service

All Council centres provide an eco-friendly cloth nappy service to babies and toddlers, at no additional cost to parents who use our service.

The modern cloth nappies are reusable and professionally laundered. The fabric, fit and comfort of the modern cloth nappies are a far cry from the cloth nappies our parents would remember.

Council's cloth nappy service has saved more than 5,000 kilograms which is equivalent to 5.1 tonnes of landfill in six months alone.

Care Routines

Care routines are planned and adjusted in consultation with families to take into account the unique needs of each child.

Educators respond to children's emotional and physical needs through building a two-way communication with each family. Families provide information on their children's rest, toilet training and eating needs, which Educators use to plan meal times and routines for each child.

Our highly trained staff respond to children's verbal and non-verbal signals throughout the day and provide comfort through developing strong bonds with each child.

Nutritious Meals 

Bradman Road, like all Council Early Education Centres, employs a trained cook to prepare nutritious meals for the children each day. All meals are included within our fees. This includes:

• breakfast cereals and milk
• morning and afternoon teas which can be a mix of vegetable platters, homemade slices, fruit plates
• lunch (hot meals such as pasta bakes, stir fry, vegetarian frittatas and homemade pies)
• late afternoon tea and snack including sandwiches and fruit pieces to tide children over to dinner time

Our centres follow the NSW Health Nutritional Guidelines, providing a minimum of 50% of children's Recommended Dietary Intake each day.

Testimonials

"All of the Educators at Bradman Road are amazing! We love this small centre and its beautiful family environment. If anyone needs childcare, they are highly recommended.”  

"The Educators are great and have been consistent for the four years my son has been attending. Communication is great and my son's eating requirements over this time have been accommodated easily."

“My daughter has continually learnt new things and the educational activities are excellent. The Educators are fantastic and really show care and concern for my children.”

Childcare application