Canberra Road Sylvania

Parents & carers are welcome to tour Canberra Road Early Education Centre. Please phone the centre on 9522 7040 to arrange a suitable time.

Canberra Road

Canberra Road is a smaller scale centre with a great community feel. 

It offers beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces and is positioned next to an oval and playground in a quiet suburban street. Ample street parking is available for ease of drop off and pick up. The service is also wheelchair accessible.

The centre is led by a team with a combined total of 70 years' experience. 

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

"I just wanted to say a big thank you for the SES visit Canberra Road organised today. My son had an absolute ball and didn't stop talking about it all night. What lucky children they are. Thank you to the team for the amazing centre you run. We are so thankful to be a part of Canberra Road!! I cannot speak highly enough of the staff. Everyone is always very helpful, welcoming and happy." 

"The Educators are excellent and it's a great centre with plenty of outdoor play - my kids are very happy."

"I've always received professional, non judgmental service from the Educators. My child enjoys being at the centre and is learning many great skills whilst there."

The centre environment is warm and nurturing. The small placement numbers enables our Educators to develop strong connections with the families and children and cater to their individual needs.

Talented Team

Our Educators are a diverse group who all bring something unique to the service. Their individual talents and specialties help to create a very engaging and dynamic learning curriculum.

Among our team is an art teacher who implements amazing art experiences with the children. She is also fluent in Chinese Mandarin.

Our science enthusiast has a strong interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs, facilitating many science investigations and experiments with the children who also share a passion for this learning.

Our Educators are very committed to sustainability, embedding environmental education and experiences within our curriculum. Together with the children, we have also produced thriving vegetable gardens.

Inclusion is at the heart of our service. One of our Educators has been a part of the Council Children's Services Cultural Competencies Group, working on cultural resources for use in all Council childcare services.

Family & Community Partnerships

Canberra Road families 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.

Our Educators form very close connections with families. Every family is a valued part of the centre and is encouraged to share their child's at-home interests and experiences for building into the learning curriculum. We also arrange many events to provide families with the opportunity to feel a part of the centre and get to know each other.

The children participate in community programs including Jeans for Genes Day, Pink Ribbon and the Cancer Council's Australia's Biggest Morning Tea (with cakes and cookies cooked by the children). They also enjoy connections with the local library and schools. We visit the library each month and attend Sylvania Public School events such as the Easter hat parade.

Canberra Road is close to many community amenities including an oval, park, shopping centre, library and ten pin bowling. These resources are accessed throughout the year for intentional teaching and interest based learning. 

Outdoors

The children enjoy a large outdoor space which encourages them to use their imagination to create, explore and build on their skills. 

The large playground features: 

• a large sandpit with water play (promoting imaginative play and social skills development) 
• climbing and balancing equipment 
• covered art studio 
• a dedicated baby play space with age appropriate toys 
• trikes and balance bikes with helmets, to promote skill building and confidence in children 
• natural play environments 
• vegetable garden and worm farm 

Indoors

Indoors, our Educators take great pride in creating learning areas which are engaging, aesthetically pleasing and meet the learning milestones of all children in their care. The children can move throughout the various spaces to engage and build their skills in:

• cognitive and concepts development
• social and emotional development, including social justice awareness
• construction/destruction areas
• art, craft and sensory experiences 
• fine and gross motor development
• language and literacy development

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). 

Educational program

All Council Early Education Centres deliver 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

Canberra 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. Canberra Road is introducing the centre's four and five year old children to Chinese Mandarin. The children are learning the language through apps. ELLA is part of the Australian Government's commitment to supporting language study in Australia.

Transition to School

Canberra Road enjoys a connection with Sylvania Public School, attending various school events and conducting transition to school visits towards the end of each year for children due to start primary school. 

The children also enjoy ‘lunch box days’ (to help little fingers master the skill of opening lunch boxes and containers) and school uniform dress up days at the centre. These role play and pretend play experiences include areas with 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 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 in to 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 

All Council Early Education Centres employ trained cooks 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

A parent whose child attends Canberra Road Early Education Centre recently expressed their appreciation:

"I just wanted to say a big thank you for the SES visit Canberra Road organised today. My son Lachie had an absolute ball and didn't stop talking about it all night. What lucky children they are. Thank you to the team for the amazing centre you run. We are so thankful to be a part of Canberra Road!! I cannot speak highly enough of the staff. Everyone is always very helpful, welcoming and happy." Nicole.

Childcare application