BOWRAL STREET CHILDCARE
About Us
We’re a family-owned childcare centre in Bowral, dedicated to supporting your child’s early learning journey. We are proudly dedicated to implementing the NSW Child Safe Standards. With longer operating hours, we provide a nurturing environment that fosters education, social development, and essential skills to prepare your child for kindergarten and beyond.
Why Bowral Street Childcare?
At Bowral Street Childcare, we provide care tailored to the needs of families and carers, with extended hours to suit your lifestyle. We welcome children aged 2 to 6 years into a warm, homely environment where they feel safe, supported, and encouraged to learn and grow.
Our spacious outdoor play areas inspire exploration and social interaction, while our carefully crafted indoor learning rooms are designed to support each stage of your child’s development. As they grow, your child will transition seamlessly through our well-equipped spaces, filled with resources that spark curiosity and promote learning through play. With a strong reputation in the Southern Highlands, we offer a nurturing and positive environment where children can thrive and build foundations for a bright future.
Our Approach to Learning
At Bowral Street Childcare, we foster curiosity through interest-based, play-oriented learning tailored to each child’s unique interests and abilities. By incorporating principles from the Reggio Emilia approach, we help children build confidence and develop an understanding of daily routines within our centre and back at home.
Guided by the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), our programs focus on exploration, collaboration, problem-solving, and sensory play, balanced with moments for quiet reflection or energetic activity. Our School Readiness Program, rooted in the EYLF, prepares children for Kindergarten, earning praise from local teachers for its positive impact.
Our family grouping approach allows children of all ages to play together, fostering diverse friendships and mutual learning. Indoors, children are grouped by age in one of our three rooms to ensure activities match their developmental stage:
- Koala Room (2–3 years): Focused on play-based learning, developing self-help skills like managing belongings and clearing plates. We also support toilet training and provide longer nap times.
- Echidna Room (3–4 years): Continuing play-based learning with an emphasis on self-help skills, relaxation through quiet reading, and meditation.
- Kangaroo Room (4–6 years): Preparing for Big School with a focus on advanced self-help skills, age-appropriate learning, and our daily School Readiness Program. Rest time includes options for napping or meditation.
Each room is designed to support your children’s age and emotional development, providing a nurturing environment where they can thrive.
Our Mission and Values
Our Vision
At Bowral Street Childcare, our vision is to create a nurturing, inclusive and inspiring learning community where every child feels safe, valued and empowered to grow with confidence, curiosity and a lifelong love of learning.
Our Mission
At Bowral Street Childcare, we are committed to providing meaningful play-based learning experiences that support each child’s individuality, wellbeing and development. Through authentic relationships and engaging environments, we build strong partnerships with families, educators and the wider community to foster a sense of belonging, kindness, resilience and respect.
We interact with staff, children and families in ways that are respectful, supportive, honest, encouraging, positive and fun, creating an environment where Bowral Street Childcare feels like a second family and home. We encourage children to become confident, capable and compassionate learners who are supported to thrive through the principles of Being, Belonging and Becoming.
Our commitment extends to everyone within our community:
For Children
Our children feel important, safe, well cared for and engaged. They enjoy their days in childcare, build meaningful friendships and learn through play. Experiences are developed from their individual interests, strengths and developmental needs, guided by the concepts of Being, Belonging and Becoming.
Children are supported to develop a strong sense of identity, connect with and contribute to their world, foster their wellbeing, grow as confident and involved learners, and become effective communicators. Through nurturing relationships and engaging learning environments, children are empowered to explore, discover and develop a lifelong love of learning.
For Families
Families feel confident that their child is happy, supported and thriving at Bowral Street Childcare. They feel informed about their child’s experiences and valued as an important part of our community.
Through open communication, mutual respect and strong partnerships, we work collaboratively with families to support each child’s growth, wellbeing and learning journey. Together, we create a welcoming environment where every family feels a genuine sense of belonging.
For Educators
Our educators work as a cohesive, communicative and professional team, committed to meeting the individual needs of every child while maintaining the highest standards of care and compliance.
Passionate about children’s learning, development and wellbeing, educators build authentic relationships that inspire confidence, resilience and respect. Supported by effective systems, ongoing professional growth and teamwork, they use their expertise, creativity and initiative to create meaningful learning experiences and ensure the best outcomes for children and families.
This collective commitment helps create a nurturing, inclusive and inspiring community where children, families and educators feel valued, connected and empowered to flourish.
Proudly Implementing the NSW Child Safe Standards
Our Service, educators and staff are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people. We understand our responsibilities and statutory duty of care to implement the National Child Safe Principles and embed the Child Safe Standards to prevent and respond to allegations of child abuse. We are committed to implementing our Child Safe Environment Policy incorporating the Child Safe Standards. Bowral Street Childcare has zero tolerance for child abuse and raises awareness about the importance of child safety and protecting children who have experienced or are at risk of significant harm, abuse or neglect within our Service and the broader community. We ensure all staff, volunteers and students engaged at our Service are suitable to work with children and young people through rigorous employment procedures and Working with Children Checks. We uphold our commitment to follow the Child Protection Policy, ensuring compliance with mandatory reporting and the Reportable Conduct Scheme responsibilities to safeguard children from physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse and neglect. Learn more about our NSW Child Safe Statement by clicking the button below.
Extra-Curricular Experiences
At Bowral Street Childcare, we enrich our children’s learning journey with engaging activities and special experiences.
Visits from guests such as the Matilda Farmyard Nursery, Reptile Man, Australian Wildlife Sanctuary, African Drumming Man, magicians, and local community members during ‘People Who Help Us’ week add excitement and variety to our programs. We also welcome Indigenous incursions, puppet shows, and Life Education with Healthy Harold, providing engaging and educational experiences for the children. Seasonal sports, outdoor activities, and cultural opportunities, like learning Japanese (previously Spanish), broaden their horizons, thanks to the skills of our passionate educators.
We actively invite parents and community members to share their skills and experiences with the children, whether they are dentists, musicians, or grandparents who love to bake. Additionally, we support children through the StEPS Eye Screening program, an initiative of NSW Health that offers free vision screening to all four-year-olds, ensuring their eyesight is checked before they start school. Each year, a visiting dentist also provides dental checks to help maintain children’s oral health.
Our partnership with the local community garden also provides children with meaningful, hands-on learning experiences. Each week, a small group of children visit our allocated garden plots to plant, nurture, and harvest fresh produce. These sessions teach responsibility, the basics of gardening, and the satisfaction of enjoying their own homegrown food. By connecting with nature, children build healthy habits and gain a deeper appreciation for where their food comes from.
These experiences complement our curriculum, creating a fun, well-rounded, and memorable start to every child’s early learning journey.
Stay Connected: OWNA Digital Software
All of our children’s learning is documented on our OWNA Digital Software for parents to view and stay up-to-date with their child’s education. This platform is accessible via the OWNA App, web portal, and through our monthly newsletters. We encourage families to contribute to our program through feedback, spontaneous experiences, and guest visits, ensuring a collaborative and enriching environment for all.
Nutritious Meals
At Bowral Street Childcare, we provide all meals, including morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and a late afternoon snack. Partnering with a boutique food service, we ensure every meal is fresh, nutritionally balanced, and tailored to meet the unique needs of early childhood.
Our menu prioritises quality, nutrient-rich ingredients to support children’s growth, health, and development. It is carefully crafted to align with national health guidelines, such as the Australian Dietary Guidelines, the Infant Feeding Guidelines, and Munch & Move.
Meals are designed on a four-week rotating schedule, introducing children to diverse cuisines, flavours, and textures and fostering a healthy relationship with food. We accommodate special dietary requirements, offering delicious dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian options while maintaining seasonal variety.
All meals are served on plates with appropriate cutlery, and children are encouraged to clear their plates, fostering self-help skills. For our School Readiness Program, we also introduce lunchbox weeks to prepare children for big school.
Our team receives regular training in safe food handling to ensure every meal is served with care. Plus, all our meals are nut-free, keeping safety a top priority.
