Marino Early Learners strives to provide the best possible experience for our children and their families. We have designed the experience in our Centre around this principle. We believe there are some key factors that make our Centre unique:
Low staff to children ratio
Children are our focus and priority. Our ratio is always lower than required (1 educator to 3 children aged 0-2 and 1 educator to 4 children other ages in average) when compared to the industry standard, Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority, used by other centres (1 educator to 4 children aged 0-2; 1 educator to 5 children aged 2-3; 1 educator to 10 children aged 3-5). This means that we have more time with each child to support their physical, emotional and academic development and more time to dedicate to effectively communicating with our families to develop the right strategy for each child.
Family orientated centre
Being a small centre, all of our children have close relationships with our educators and other families. Some families have been with us for years and we have looked after their first, second and third child. We work closely with our families to develop our learning program to ensure that they meet the needs of their child. Over the years, our families have actively participated the Centre’s activities and contribute their time in the Centre for presentations, music sessions and workshops. We honour, respect and encourage the relationship development between our children, families, educators and our community.
Large Natural Environment
Direct sunlight, tree shadows, real soil and grass, wooden play equipment, at Marino Early Learners, your children can enjoy our fantastic nature play environment. Contact with nature and children’s health is a relatively new research field, however evidence to date shows that contact with natural environments enhance children health, learning and behaviour. With an outdoor play area of 1,000 square metres at the Centre, we are proud to offer our children an opportunity to truly engage and interact with their environment.
Lunch Box Centre
We are a “lunch box” centre, which means families bring in the children’s lunches themselves. The reasons of choosing to be a lunch box centre are:
- Preparing children’s school readiness
One of the main requirements of the National Early Years Learning Framework for Early Years Education in Australia is to get children ready for the school environment. By bringing in their own lunch box, the children become used to one of the key rituals of school, helping them quickly settle in the new environment. - Reducing the possibility of food allergy
Your child’s health and safety are our priority. Getting parents to prepare food at home is the best method to minimise the possibility of food allergy because parents have the best knowledge of their own children’s health statues. - Respecting children’s family traditions and cultural backgrounds
We understand that different families have different traditions and requirements around food. By being a “lunch box” centre, families can provide their children with the food that they are familiar with and that they enjoy to ensure that they are eating a healthy diet every day.
What food to pack your child for a busy day at Marino Early Learners.