Explore & Develop Waitara

At Explore & Develop, the professional, dedicated educators aim to give every child a great start in life. The service sees their educators as a vital asset to the business, and ensures they have many opportunities for professional development to constantly enhance their skills.

Relationships with families are key for the educators at Explore & Develop, as they recognise that families are a child’s first and most influential teacher. The service is also a charity partner with not-for-profit organisation, Tresillian. This organisation assists close to 60,000 Australian families to gain confidence as parents and to teach them routines in breastfeeding, sleep, settling and nutrition.

A key difference at Explore & Develop services is that each service is individually owned and operated by franchise owners. For families, that means they can feel secure in the knowledge that the person managing the service is the owner.

Explore & Develop Waitara understands that family relationships are pivotal to a child’s wellbeing and development. Educators regularly engage with parents to ensure care and learning meets every child’s needs.

All families have access to a secure online learning portal with information on daily learning experiences and service news. Educators also deliver individual learning assessments twice a year, accompanied by a parent teacher interview.

At Explore & Develop, the educators understand that it takes time for children to grow. They believe that children should have the opportunity to develop at their own rate, in a calm and unrushed environment.

 The play-based curriculum and the supporting environments work together to create curious children that learn as they explore, discover, make, create and imagine. 

The children are cared for in the following rooms:

 Joey Room: 6 weeks – 18 months

The educators aim to develop a strong partnership with families and to follow each child’s individual routine. The safe and homely environment is nurturing, caring and warm, which helps children feel a sense of security and confidence.

 Bilby Room: 18 months – 2.5 years

The educators offer an environment that is stimulating, inviting and challenging for the toddlers. They understand that the emotional well-being of the children in this group requires consistency and flexibility to support development in all aspects of learning. The children are provided with endless opportunities to support their growing independence.

 Koala Room: 2.5 years – 3.5years

At this stage, the educators focus on encouraging the development of early social relationships through language and positive communication, negotiation and empathy.

Possum Room (Junior Preschool): 3 years – 4 years

The educators partner with families to support junior pre-schoolers in preparing for their transition to primary school. The program focuses on questioning, investigating and problem solving. Children are supported in strengthening their self-help skills and independence.

Wombat Room (Senior Preschool): 4 years – 5+ years

The service's preschool program provides children with tools to support learning once they begin formal education. Catering for a variety of individual needs, the educators seek to build the foundations for literacy and numeracy skills, motor coordination, physical development, social and emotional development, exploration and discovery. The tailored ‘Transition to School’ program is supported by all of the centre’s educators and sets children up for a lifetime love of learning.