​We all want children to be physically capable, emotionally stable and to have the ability to learn whatever it is they would like to accomplish in life. Having quality educators early in a child’s life is hugely important. At Oakdowns Early Learning we have a very strong team of experienced and highly educated professionals, one of whom has recently completed her University degree - a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood). Congratulations Taylor!  We are excited for you to have completed your studies and to have a little more spare time back in your life outside of work again.
 
For Oakdowns this means that we now have two University level Early Childhood Teachers who work in the Comets (2-3 yr old) and Starbrights (3-5 yr old) rooms. This adds a depth of knowledge to our team and additional support for all of our amazing educators across our service. We are very fortunate to have two Early Childhood Teachers alongside Rachel, our Educational Leader who is also studying her Bachelor qualification.
 
Having qualified teachers working with young children is a reminder that the early childhood education and care sector is not just a babysitting service - it is where all of our young Australians begin their learning journeys. There are countless opportunities for early childhood learning every day that are fostered by our educators.
 
Learning is not necessarily sitting at tables writing and reciting ABCs and our goal is not to take away a child’s curiosity or to turn them into mini adults as learning can happen in many ways, for example the physical coordination to kick a ball, to climb a playground, to witness how colours combine on a page painting or to recognise a bird in the sky.
 
Education and development is something that we take great pride in and this is evident in our children's development as can be verified by our Oakdowns parents. We often have children entering our Oakdowns community as babies and emerging as confident and capable young children ready for school entry (some of our families have been with us for 10 years or more as all their children go through Oakdowns).
 
Taylor, we are so proud of you and our entire team of educators at Oakdowns and the level of commitment you all have to studying and providing the best early childhood education for our next generation of children. 

The team at Oakdowns Early Learning mentored by Chloe and Rachel have pulled together over the past two years to document and provide examples of excellent care and educational programs at "Oakies".  Input from families was sought during the process and their support is essential to our success!  Information and examples of educational programs were readily available for assessment by the Early Childhood Unit who spent two days on site observing and discussing early learning with our staff team in September. 

We are very excited to announce that we have been assessed by ACECQA as Meeting the National Quality Standard in each of the 7 Quality Areas.  

Our certificate and an explanation of the Quality Areas is shown below.  We are very proud of our team​ and grateful to our families for their involvement in our continual review processes.

In the words of Dr Seuss, "Oh, the Places You'll Go!".  We are very pleased to announce that Cody Frerk has been appointed as Assistant Director (2IC) at Oakdowns ELC.

Cody and Chloe have a long history together, starting their careers together as AQF Cert III Trainees in Early Childhood at Oakdowns six years ago in May and June 2015 respectively.

Like many children who start in the same classroom at the same time, Cody and Chloe had different interests, different modes of learning and a range of outside experience before and during their working life at Oakdowns.  

In 2019, Chloe completed her Diploma qualification and first stepped into the Acting Director role developing to become appointed as Centre Director in her own right in January 2020.

In 2020, Cody also completed her Diploma qualification and has taken on more responsibilities at Oakdowns over the last 12 months honing her early childhood knowledge by working in all age groups.

It seems right that Cody is now taking on the role of Assistant Director to assist Chloe as much as possible over the next eight weeks.  During this time Cody will be mentored by Chloe to become the Centre Director when Chloe leaves to bring her own baby into this world.  We will see Cody juggling time and experience at the front desk and educating in the rooms until Chloe’s departure.

We are confident that Cody has the knowledge, the attitude and the support of the Oakdowns team to continue the quest for excellence that has become embedded in Oakdowns under Chloe’s leadership.  Cody will be supported by the leadership team of Rachel (Educational Leader) and Maryka (Diploma), long term Room leader. 

We know that Chloe will be back in 2022 and wish her, Brayden and the new baby all the best as they start a new chapter of their lives. 
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We are incredibly proud of both Chloe and Cody – what a remarkable journey!

Parenting a wilful toddler can be filled with joys and challenges, sometimes just moments apart. Toddlers need to interact with other children to help them to learn important social skills such as co-operative play, sharing and taking turns, as well as other developmental areas like problem solving and communication. Here at Oakdowns Early Learning Centre your child will have the opportunity to develop these skills, foster meaningful relationships, and engage in experiences that will benefit them now and in the future.

Here's some helpful tips from the wonderful educators at Oakdowns Early Learning Centre to help you guide your toddler's behaviour.

Distraction/Diversion – To avoid a melt down or conflict, try diverting your toddler's attention to another interesting activity they will enjoy. For example, if it's time to go home from the playground try focusing on the fun things you will do together when you get home like reading a favourite book or enjoying a favourite activity together.

Communication - Encourage toddlers to express themselves in words rather than actions and be sure to focus on and reinforce positive behaviours/efforts. It's also a good idea to get down to their level and speak to them calmly. Being calm and assertive in your approach helps your child to understand how you want them to behave.

Encouraging cooperation – Toddlers like to be able to exercise the right to make choices and feel in control. You can help with this by offering two choices, for example “We are going outside now, would you like to wear your shoes or your gumboots”. When & Then statements also work well with young children, especially if you consistently apply them. An example would be “when you put your hat on, then we can go outside to play”. Keep the statement simple and encourage your child to complete the task so that they can move on to what they want to enjoy.

Finally, toddlers can make a mess with remarkable efficiency, it's great to have different activities available to them, like painting, sandy buckets, or play dough. If you have the space and the weather is fine moving these activities outside can make it easier for you both to make mess with reckless abandon! These experiences and plenty of other fun and messy activities are embedded in our programs at Oakdowns Early Learning Centre on a daily basis.

Please contact us if you would like to arrange for a tour of our beautiful centre, or to discuss these and other helpful tips to help you manage your toddler's behaviour.

 The children who have attended our Holiday program so far have had a blast!
The visit to the skate park and playground was a fantastic day and it was great to see the children all sharing their bikes/ scooters with each other.  What a special treat to have hot chips for our lunch delivered by Jackie!​  Call 0457 036 814 or 6247 6589 to join in the fun!

​We are now offering After School Care & Vacation Care operating at Rokeby Primary School.  
Please note that numbers are limited and subject to Australian Government guidelines.  
Child care benefit and child care rebate apply to all our school age services.
We have a kindy bus equipped with safety seats and can arrange collection of your child in a designated area if you wish to use the After School Care service.

​Our inaugural HOLIDAY PROGRAM will commence on Monday 11 April, continuing until Friday 22 April.
We use qualified child care educators to create and supervise our After School and Holiday programs.
For a glimpse of our planned program for the upcoming holidays, click here.
More information is included on our booking letter.
If you wish to use either After School care or our Holiday Program, and have not yet enrolled, you will need to complete our enrolment form.
If we can provide you with more information, please contact us by any of the following methods: Contact Oakdowns Early Learning Centre: Phone: 6247 6589 Mobile: 0448 169 452;  OSHC mobile: 0457 036 814   Email: oakdownschildcare@bigpond.com.

You may also want to view our flyer with some brief details about these services.