Cowes Children’s Centre

Spacious and resource-rich environments

Our Phillip Island Child Care Centre is designed to be a home away from home that encourages every child’s exploration. Our brand-new, resource-rich early learning environments have been carefully designed to immerse your child into a world of exploration, curiosity, and learning.

Each learning space extends onto our beautiful outdoor environment, which encourages endless ways and opportunities for play! Our outdoor environments include a bike track, a climbing fort with a slide and a sandpit for children to safely develop their strength, balance, and self-confidence through play. Children can enjoy our natural trees, vegetable garden and plenty of shaded spaces when they are outside. Our newly renovated indoor spaces are equipped with a wide range of natural resources for children to engage in their learning experiences.

Dedicated and passionate team of educators

Our team of incredibly passionate early childhood educators make up the heart of our Phillip Island child care centre. We know each child has unique talents and interests. Our experienced educators are passionate about helping every child succeed in discovering their identity and become confident, happy and resilient learners. We are a multicultural early learning centre with several languages being spoken across our team including Mandarin & Filipino.

Delicious and healthy meals prepared on site

Our Phillip Island childcare centre provides children with nutrient-rich, fresh and seasonal whole foods created to please even the fussiest of eaters. For variety, our menu rotates every four weeks, with our cook catering to the unique dietary requirements of every child.

Here at our Phillip Island early learning centre, we believe that by encouraging active participation in food preparation (such as growing & harvesting the fruit and vegetables, preparing, and helping cook the meal) – children learn to appreciate and understand the importance of healthy eating.

We look forward to partnering with you and your family to provide information, support, and high-quality early education and care in your child’s formative years. Contact our Family Support Team to start your journey today.

Play is essential to every child’s learning and development. It enables children to make decisions, learn, take risks, and have fun. At our Phillip Island child care centre, our experienced team plan play-based learning activities in line with national standards. The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) is designed to engage in your child’s interests and allow them to experience each day in a new way, supporting their learning in the lead-up to primary school.

Our Early Learning Curriculum also provides children with:

• Real Life experiences: Children participate in fun and exciting experiences such as woodworking, harvesting the veggie garden and basic cooking skills.
• Sustainability Program: Each age group participates in a sustainability project that help children embed sustainable practices into everyday life. Children learn about recycling, conserving water, growing food and the importance of looking after and protecting our planet.
• Music and movement programs: Our music programs have been designed to help develop fundamental skills that help support children’s self-regulation, memory and concentration.
• Community engagement activities: We often have visits from local community librarians, local police, and other community services in Phillip Island to help familiarise the children with their local community. We also have excursions to our local park North Shore Estate Playground and our local Beach at Anderson Rd.

Rachael O’Neill

I began my career in early childhood education and care in 2019 and started working at Nurture One Cowes in 2019. I hold a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care and I’m trained in First aid and Anaphylaxis; I also have a Diploma in Nursing with over 8 years’ of experience. 

Completing my diploma and starting work in early childhood increased my knowledge in childhood experiences, stages and development and the important role educators play to support and enhance children’s learning. As a parent myself, it is very rewarding to be a part of a child’s and their families support network.

I believe that children thrive when they feel safe, secure and supported to learn through play, have fun, be inquisitive and express themselves. Each child is unique, with that in mind we aim to support children as they learn about their strengths and continue taking on new challenges by providing a rich environment and activities that are interest based as part of our program.

Some of life’s hardest challenges, give the greatest reward. As educators we are lucky enough to see children face challenges nearly every day, support them and share in their achievements. Some children are with us from as little as six weeks right up until they are ready to start school. Those first years go so fast, it is a privilege to be a part of it.

Our passionate and trained team of educators work closely with each other and families to provide engaging experiences that are carefully chosen to be fun for play based learning. Our programming has a collaborative approach to incorporate the Early Years Learning Framework and Learning Outcomes. Most of all, children are building friendships and learning together in a safe and supportive environment.

Each member of our team brings something different, with their diverse backgrounds, links to our local community and creative ideas but together we have a shared vision and philosophy to support the children in our care through their journey to belonging, being and becoming.

We aim to form close relationships with children in our care and their families. We do this through open, honest communication, listening to concerns, seeking feedback and working together to achieve the best outcomes possible.

Rooms 

Our centre provides care for the following age groups:

Nursery Room

Learning starts from before birth. Our nursery Educators have created a welcoming and nurturing environment where each baby feels safe to explore and discover new things – through their senses, their communication, cues (body language, facial expression, and sounds) and by experimenting.

On any given day you can see the nursery children engaging in all types of meaningful play, such as water play, music time, story time and more. Each day provides a brand new, exciting opportunity for our nursery children.

Toddler Room

Our Teachers and Educators encourage the toddler children to learn through play to help enhance their sensory-motor development. This learning happens through carefully planned music, dance, games and reading experiences. On any given day the children can be seen developing their numeracy by building a tower, sorting objects, pointing and identifying shapes and patterns and participating in counting songs and games.

Children in our toddler rooms are encouraged to participate in group play. Group play is important, as it helps our toddlers develop important social skills such as, turn taking, developing self-confidence and emotional self-regulation. Our team helps children through talking, planning and role modelling.

Kindergarten

Kindergarten is a unique time for learning with peers and developing skills for later learning. Our approved Kindergarten program encourages active engagement in learning and supports a range of positive developmental outcomes including resilience, independence, critical thinking, and creativity.

Facilities

Our service provides the following facilities:

• Nappies included
• Breakfast
• Morning tea
• Lunch
• Afternoon tea
• Other meals
• Sustainability program
• Veggie garden
• On-site parking
• SMART Interactive Whiteboard
• In-house cook
• Halal meal options
• Fully air-conditioned
• Large, natural play environments
• Water play area
• Early Childhood Teacher
• Government Approved Kindergarten Program
• Kindergarten Yoga Program

A centre tour is a convenient way to experience the centre of your choice and meet with our qualified educators at a time suitable to your family schedule. Nurture One also offers the virtual tour option in all our centres. Click here to book a tour online.

On the day of the tour, you’ll have the opportunity to observe practices and interactions within the centre environment. You’ll be able to see all the rooms and playgrounds, ask the team members any questions you have in mind, and get all the information you need to make the best decision for your child.

Nurture One’s Family Support team will add your child’s name to our waitlist if one of our centres is currently full in your child’s age group. We will then contact you as soon as a place becomes available.

We also do monthly check-ins to review the availability, and you will receive a text message confirming if you’re still happy to remain on the waitlist each month. If you would like to get an update at any point, you’re welcome to reach out on our Web Chat or give us a call.

Our Family Support team can also help you find more G8 early learning centres near you, with the same offerings at the Nurture One centre you are interested in that have immediate availability.

It’s common for a child to experience separation anxiety when they first start child care. When you’re getting ready to start child care, you can help your child overcome anxieties by visiting the child care centre together for a Stay and Play session, and easing into new routines at home.

Click here to read more tips about how to make the transition easier for your child.

Most of our Nurture One child care and early education centres offer the following:

• Nappies and wipes
• Sunscreen and hats
• Nutritious meals prepared by our in-house cook

Some centres also provide sheets and formula, so you may not need to remember to pack them.

For nursery children, be sure to bring: nappy rash cream, dummies, bottles and teats, comfort toys or blankets, three spare outfits, spare socks and a plastic bag for wet clothes.

For toddlers and preschool or kindergarten-aged children, it’s best to bring: spare underwear, water bottle or sippy cup, sun hat, closed-toe shoes, two spare outfits, spare socks and a plastic bag for wet clothes.

Plus anything else your individual child may need, such as breast milk, a sleeping bag, a comforter or medication.

It’s best to speak to your centre of choice for a full list of everything included.

Nurture One uses Xplor Home as our family communication app. It is the best and easiest way to keep track of your child’s day. After you enrol your child with the centre, you can utilise Xplor Home to book child care days, manage your account, receive the photographs that capture your child’s learning, learn about your child’s progress, as well as keep up-to-date with upcoming centre events and important information.

If your child shows signs of an infectious illness when they arrive at the centre or becomes sick during the day, you may be notified that you need to make alternative arrangements or pick up your child from the centre, and keep them home until they are no longer infectious. While we understand that this can be inconvenient, Nurture One is committed to maintaining a healthy environment and reducing the risk of infection for all children.
Under the Child Care Subsidy (CCS), families are allowed 42 absence days per child, per financial year. These can be taken for any reason, including public holidays and when children are sick, without the need for families to provide documentation.