Bambini Frequently Asked Questions

Education begins at birth, and early learning happens everywhere. In the first few years, your child’s brain develops more and faster than at any other time in their life. By age 5, the brain is nearly fully grown. So, every stage of your child’s journey is an opportunity to lay the foundation of academic, developmental and social excellence. Every encounter is a new learning experience.

The early years provide the foundation for the rest of a child’s life.

Children are born ready to learn and the best learning happens in nurturing, positive, stimulating environments. That’s why high-quality early learning experiences are so important. By creating these environments, we’re providing the best opportunities for children to fulfil their potential.

We cater for children aged from six weeks to six years.

Learn more about our Baby, Pre-Toddler, Preschool and Kindergarten rooms.

We are open from 7:30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. We are not open on weekends or public holidays.

We provide fresh, healthy meals for your child at breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and late afternoon snack. A nutritious diet is vital for children’s development, so we make sure to provide meals that give your child all the nutrients and energy they need. Children love to eat together, so mealtimes are always fun!

Yes, nappies, hats and cot sheets are supplied.

We provide nutritional purées for the babies, but kindly request that ‘first tastes of new food’ are done at home to avoid any risk of allergies, intolerances and anaphylaxis. We request families to provide formula, but we are happy to provide milk once a child is on cow’s milk. Breastfeeding and bringing of breast milk is encouraged and supported.

When you enrol at Bambini Early Learning, we’ll support you every step of the way. Our Centre Director will invite you to take a tour of the centre first, so you can see where your child will be cared for and to ensure you are comfortable with your decision.

Then we will provide you with an enrolment pack that contains everything you need to know about the centre, forms to provide us with the information about your child such as their routine, food groups they are eating, as well as a quote for your daily fees. We encourage you to ask as many questions as you like. We are here to support both you and your child.

If there are no vacancies, you may want to join our waiting list. These waitlists are regularly reviewed and families are contacted once room becomes available. If you wish to no longer be on our waitlist, you can remove yourself by contacting Bambini Early Learning directly on (02) 9810 7780.

Fees vary and are also dependent on things such as the number of days in care, the age of your child as well as your eligibility for any government subsidies. We recommend speaking with our Centre Director who will be able to provide you with a quote. Enquire about our fees online or call us on (02) 9810 7780.

Public holidays are still paid days if they fall on a scheduled attendance day.

Yes, fees still apply for sick days. The Child Care Subsidy will cover up to 42 absence days a year with no documentation and unlimited sick days if you’re able to provide a medical certificate or similar.

All enrolled days are paid as per normal, irrespective of holidays, illness or public holidays.

We are closed for two weeks over Christmas and fees are not charged over these two weeks.

The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is a payment offered by the Australian Government for which you may be eligible. To find out if you are eligible for CSS, visit the Department of Human Services. Depending on your personal circumstances, there may also be other government funding available.

On 2 July 2018, the Child Care Benefit and Child Care Rebate were replaced by a single Child Care Subsidy.

The Child Care Subsidy is means tested, based on the combined family income, the fortnightly activity of families – such as work, study or volunteering – and the type of service a child attends.

As part of the Child Care Subsidy, the number of hours of subsidised care you’ll be entitled to will be based on your level of recognised activity. Understanding the different types of activity that will be recognised is key to maximising your Child Care Subsidy.

We have a play-based learning approach which supports young children to make sense of their world and learn vital foundational skills through exploration, developing and practising language and physical skills and experimenting with new ideas. Children build confidence, express themselves creatively and develop their sense of self and identity. Besides individual exploration, they also learn co-operation and how to build relationships and engage in a group.

Children will be supported to play independently, in small groups, in large groups, indoors and outdoors. Activities range from building spatial awareness with playdough or blocks, to honing fine motor skills and knowledge of colours and shapes with drawing and painting.

The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) describes the principles, practices and outcomes essential to young children’s learning from birth to five years of age, as well as their transition to school. It’s part of the Australian Government’s National Quality Framework for early childhood education and care.

The framework has a strong emphasis on play-based learning, recognising the importance of communication and language (including early literacy and numeracy) and social and emotional development. There are five learning outcomes defined by the EYLF:

• Children have a strong sense of identity.
• Children are connected with and contribute to their world.
• Children have a strong sense of wellbeing.
• Children are confident and involved learners.
• Children are effective communicators.

At Bambini Early Learning, we implement the EYLF into our Bambini Curriculum to ensure your child receives the highest quality of early childhood education and care.

The Reggio Emilia philosophy is an innovative and inspiring approach to early childhood education that values the child as strong, capable and resilient, and rich with wonder and knowledge. The philosophy builds on the innate curiosity of children and aims to assist them with understanding their world and who they are in it.

The philosophy emphasises respect, responsibility and community involvement. Children are allowed to explore and discover in a supportive and rich environment, where the curriculum is created around the children’s interests.

At Bambini Early Learning, we implement the Reggio Emilia philosophy into our approach and it acts as one of the core foundations of our Bambini Curriculum.

The Bambini Curriculum implements the EYLF and the Reggio Emilia philosophy into our approach and programs, as well as focuses on these four core foundations:

• AQ: Adaptability and Resilience
• EQ: Emotional Wellbeing
• IQ: School Readiness
• SQ: Social and Community

Across our Babies, Pre-Toddlers, Preschool and Prekindergarten rooms we implement our Bambini Curriculum and dig deep to unpack your child’s unique learning goals.

Our Bambini Curriculum offers a tailored early learning program that focuses on your child’s unique learning and development, now and into their future.

Learn more about our Bambini Curriculum.

When you first enrol at Bambini Early Learning, we will provide you with everything you need to know about starting care, including a detailed list of what to bring each day. In the meantime here’s a general guide to help:

• Change of clothes (when involved with hands-on play-based learning, your child may get a little messy!)
• A bib or two (if required)
• Comfort item (if required), such as a toy or blanket
• Dummy in a sealed, named container (if required)
• Bottles
• Expressed milk (if required)
• Sippy cup or a water bottle with a lid
• Any medications – please give these to our staff to manage directly. Please note that we have formal processes in place to support children who require short or long-term medications as well as management plans for children with any known medical conditions. Please speak further with our Centre Director regarding this.

Bambini Early Learning provides all meals, including breakfast, morning tea, lunch and late afternoon snack. Please speak with our Centre Director to confirm your child’s requirements.

As a sun-safe organisation, we provide child-friendly sunscreen; however, if your child has sensitive skin, please feel free to provide your preferred brand.

We will advise you of anything specific they may need, however please remember to label all of your child’s items so we can easily keep track of them.

We are passionate about ensuring all children have access to early learning and have facilities and resources in place in our centre to support children with specific requirements or additional needs – from allergies to greater care needs such as physical or different learning abilities or behavioural concerns.

Please speak with our Centre Director about how we can work together to support your child’s individual needs.