About Us
Opened in 2014 by childcare expert John Wall, who has built over 400 childcare centres in Australia, the centre has become a huge hit with families.
So much so, that all 126 placements are full, and there are 200 children on the waiting list.
To cater to the growing demand and Smithfield’s waiting list, John is building the Bluewater Village Early Learning Centre, which will open in 2019.
We know supporting a developing child is a collaboration, so we encourage families to actively participate in the education and care of their children at our centre.
Our childcare philosophy was created by staff and families as we believe that these factors are the most significant in a child's early years.
To register for our waiting list click here.
Smithfield Village Early Learning Philosophy:
At Smithfield Village Early Learning Centre our programs are dedicated to providing a safe, supportive, consistent, challenging and holistic environment for young children and their families.
Each child’s day has an individual rhythm, as well as a predictable flow and structure.
To ensure this balance, we provide a warm, supportive setting that encourages children to learn through a hands on interactive exploration.
Children are encouraged to explore their environment in order to construct their own knowledge.
We are committed to creating a nurturing learning environment in partnership with parents to develop a sense of belonging and high self-esteem in each child.
We provide opportunities for successful and challenging experiences that promote the development of problem solving, self-reflection and divergent thinking.
Our programs extend to include a rich variety of outdoor learning environments.
These include a waterpark, garden world (growing veggies and herbs), worm farm, windmill, dry creek bed, aviary for birds, barnyard station (chickens, ducks, guinea pigs and miniature goats) and a construction site (digging patch).
Children are actively involved in caring for animals and their environment, the children feed the animals daily and collect the eggs as this promotes a sense of social responsibility and is a valuable extension of each child’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive learning.
Smithfield Village Early Learning Centre works within the guidelines of the Early Years learning Framework (EYLF) and the National Quality Framework (NQF). We consider both these aspects in our everyday interactions and programs. Our Kindergarten program is based on the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines (QKLG) which is based on the EYLF and helps teachers to develop quality learning program for the children, it also helps the centre meet the National Quality Standards for educational program.
At Smithfield Village Early Learning we believe:
- Each child is a unique individual, with his/her own pattern of development and potential for learning.
- Children are intrinsically curious and learn best when they are encouraged to explore, take initiative and to problem solve through first hand experiences.
- Families are the most important people in a child’s early years. We support, encourage and facilitate the active involvement of families to contribute and share in their child’s experiences while in our care.
- We respect and value each child’s individual needs and abilities, their family values and their religious and cultural beliefs.
- In providing our Early Childhood Educators with opportunities to fulfil their professional role by further developing their skills and knowledge through training and professional development, whilst having their needs and rights recognised and supported.