After 15 months at Kookaburra Cottage, I made the difficult decision to withdraw my child due to ongoing concerns that were never adequately...
After 15 months at Kookaburra Cottage, I made the difficult decision to withdraw my child due to ongoing concerns that were never adequately addressed.
There was constant staff turnover, and new educators rarely introduced themselves. Communication was poor, especially at pick-up time. I often left with no idea how my child's day had gone. The environment frequently felt chaotic and overstimulating, with staff often appearing disengaged or uninterested in the children. It was not uncommon to see educators standing in groups chatting while supervision and meaningful interaction were lacking.
That said, there were a few exceptions among the staff who made a genuine effort to communicate professionally and engage meaningfully with the children. These educators took time to build rapport not only with me but especially with my child, setting up personal and interest-based activities that were clearly thoughtful and developmentally appropriate.
As a qualified early childhood educator myself, I shared feedback with management on multiple occasions, but the same overarching issues persisted, suggesting either a lack of internal direction or a culture where staff are not supported to improve.
While some staff showed real dedication, overall the centre did not provide the calm, nurturing, and professional environment I expect for young children. I hope management takes this feedback seriously and makes positive changes for the families still attending.
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Would recommend to a friend
Our child was lost in the chaos, so much so, he had head injuries and no one noticed nor was an incident report...
Our child was lost in the chaos, so much so, he had head injuries and no one noticed nor was an incident report made. Some staff were absolutely wonderful, while others were not and often spoke negatively of our child. When we advised we were taking him out, his care only declined more.
Response: Peter this is incorrect and gaslighting doesn’t improve the safety of young people.
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Response from the owner
13 Nov 2024
Dear Amy,
We're sorry that your experience wasn't up to your expectations. On behalf of the staff, I can say that they are all wonderful and take their roles of educating and caring for children very seriously. We take extra care to the point of having a higher educator to child ratio particularly in the room where your child was enrolled.
The room is well catered for but young children will occasionally bump into each other and sadly your son did incur a bruise to the side of his face just above his eye and some small scratches in the middle of his forehead. These were very minor injuries and we were sorry that it happened and we did apologise to you that it wasn’t noticed by our Educator on that occasion. Our staff provided your son the very best care at all times up until the time he left our service as we would with all children under our care.
Regards, Peter.
Prior to Kookaburra Cottage opening we loved watching the transformation as the day care centre was being built. The owners, Jenny and Peter...
Prior to Kookaburra Cottage opening we loved watching the transformation as the day care centre was being built. The owners, Jenny and Peter have put their heart and soul into establishing this beautiful centre and in providing (much needed) additional early education services for the local community in the mid-Mountains. We were very excited when we heard that Kookaburra Cottage was opening in February 2023, and that our son was offered a position at the centre.
Since our son has commenced his early education at Kookaburra Cottage (now nearly 10 months), we have clearly observed how far he has come with his confidence and social interaction skills. The educators at the centre are committed, caring and constantly go above and beyond in making sure that our son is made to feel secure and happy. He loves his friends and educators (he high fives/hugs/blows kisses at them all during pick-up, and names and whispers ‘good night’ to each of them before going to bed every night).
With living in the beautiful Blue Mountains we are so fortunate in having the benefits of being exposed to the lovely natural environment and outdoors in our surroundings. This is also inspired at Kookaburra Cottage where the children are encouraged to participate and engage in outdoor play and educational activities such as bark painting, outdoor storytelling, water play and making tree faces etc. We also love the yummy and healthy chef-curated meals prepared daily at the centre by Matt (we are quite envious!).
The educators at Kookaburra Cottage are amazing, incredibly dedicated and should be highly commended in what they do every day, particularly as they play a huge role in nurturing, educating and being a significant part of our son’s childhood journey.
It is in no doubt in my mind that any child who attends Kookaburra Cottage (presently and in the future) will also experience the shared love and generosity which the staff at Kookaburra Cottage have also extended to us. Thank you, Kookaburra Cottage - we are so grateful for all your care/support, and being part of our extended family village.
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