Yes, we encourage families to come for a tour with your little ones.
To enrol at The Green Elephant Early Learning Centre please fill out our Enquiry Form.
On receipt of your completed form you will be contacted by a member of our team. We will advise
you if your chosen days are available and we will send you an enrolment package.
Once enrolment is accepted we ask that a bond of two weeks fees is to be paid to secure enrolment. Amount will vary depending on how many days your child attends The Green Elephant Early Learning Centre.
No, there is no fee to join our waitlist .
We cater for children aged from 0-6 years.
Our operating hours are from 7.00am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.
We are not open on weekends or public holidays.
At The Green Elephant Early Learning Centre we provide breakfast (before 8am), morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and a late snack where required. We have our own cook creating fresh, healthy meals for the children. A nutritious diet is vital for children’s development, so we make sure to provide meals that give children all the nutrients and energy they need.
Yes, we do provide nappies for babies and toddlers.
The formula we provide is NAN. If your child uses another formula please provide the formula to our staff. Bottles will need to be supplied by parents. Please label each bottle clearly with name of your child.
We are an all inclusive centre which means your child will participate in our 8
Elephant Programs
Please email the centre on for daily fees.
You may be eligible for government subsidies that will make a difference to your fees.
info@thegreenelephant.com.au
We use a state of the art direct debit system called DebitPro. All you do is provide your account details and payments will be automatically deducted from your account.
In order for your child to adjust to their new surroundings, we recommend a minimum of two days booking for each child. This allows your little one to receive the maximum benefit of a childcare setting. But we do understand one day may be needed. We are flexible and we work with you.
Like most early learning centres, The Green Elephant closes for public holidays. If your scheduled day falls on a public holiday, we still need to charge to cover staff costs. This is a sector-standard practice. Early learning professionals are entitled to be paid on public holidays as in other industries. The Australian Government's Child Care Benefit (CCB) covers up to 42 absence days a year, which includes public holidays. So unless you exceed this quota, you will be eligible for the CCB discount on public holidays.
Yes, The Green Elephant needs to charge for sick days to cover operating costs. This is standard practice across the industry. The Child Care Benefit 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.
There are two main subsidies offered by the Australian Government for which you may be eligible. These are the Child Care Rebate (CCR) and the Child Care Benefit (CCB). Just speak to Centrelink to find out if you are eligible for either of these subsidies and to what amount.
The CCB is a payment provided by the Australian Government that covers 24-50 hours of childcare per week. Eligible parents or guardians must:
• Meet Australian residency requirements
• Be enrolled/enrolling in an approved early learning centre
• Meet child immunisation conditions.
The amount of CCB you receive varies depending on your income, type of care, amount of care, number of children in care, and whether or not you pass the work, training and study test.
This last test is about whether you (or your partner) use childcare due to a work or study commitment. If you do, you could be eligible for higher CCB payments.
The CCR is an assistance program designed to help working families with the cost of childcare. The rebate covers 50% of out-of-pocket expenses not covered by the CCB (up to $7,500 per year per child). In other words, it will help to bridge the gap between your total weekly fees and the amount CCB covers. You can choose to have the rebate paid directly to your child’s centre on a fortnightly basis, reducing your fortnightly fees. Or you can choose to have the rebate paid as a lump sum quarterly into your bank account. There is no means test for the rebate.
Research shows us that children who start ahead tend to stay ahead. Significant differences in children's development are evident by age two and have a tendency not to close over time. 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 fulfill their potential.
The Green Elephant Early Learning Centre program is built around play-based learning. It allows young children to make sense of their world 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 interact as part of a group.
You'll see play-based learning in solitary and group play activities, 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.
The National Quality Framework (NQF) is an Australian Government initiative aimed at bringing consistency to the level of quality of early learning and care across the country in the critical areas of education, health and safety. The NQF will also provide clearer and comprehensive information for families so they can choose the best services for their child. The main reforms being implemented through the NQF are:
• Curriculum guided by approved learning frameworks
• Improved staff-to-child ratios
• New staff qualification requirements
• New quality rating system
• New national governing body (ACECQA)
There are seven quality standards being introduced as part of the NQF. These standards will form the basis of how a centre's quality is rated. The seven quality standards are:
• Educational program and practice
• Children's health and safety
• Physical environment
• Staffing arrangements
• Relationships with children
• Collaborative partnerships with families and communities
• Leadership and service management
There's a huge amount of compelling recent research on the first five years of a child's development and how it affects the rest of their lives. We know that 90 per cent of a child's brain is developed by age three. We also know that children who start ahead stay ahead and keep accelerating beyond their peers.
Over time, it becomes harder to close gaps between children who are excelling, and those falling behind. That's why it's so important to get it right from the start. Too give our children the best possible opportunities for their future, we need to lay the foundations early.
The best learning happens in environments that are nurturing and stimulating, where children feel safe. Early learning happens everywhere - young children learn social, emotional, and physical skills through all kinds of activities and observations. Children learn by being engaged and doing, through watching and copying. We offer high-quality, play-based learning and our educators focus on each child’s development. But families can support early learning too.
On arrival, a staff member will take you and your child to their group, where your child’s bag will be placed in their locker.
Our friendly staff will show you how to sign-in your child. Parents/guardians are required to sign their child in upon arrival and sign out at the end of the day. You are welcome to stay as long as you wish. Please feel free to ring through the day to see how your child is settling in.
We welcome our parents to visit the centre at any time throughout the day. Your contribution to the daily activities is highly valued.
If your child becomes unwell, we will contact you immediately and you may be required to pick up your child. We are committed to providing and maintaining a healthy environment so please do not send your child to the Centre if they are unwell.
We request that you notify us that morning and keep your child home if they are ill. This helps reduce the risk to other children and staff.
When you start at The Green Elephant Early Learning centre, you'll be provided with a list detailing exactly what you need to pack. Consider packing:
• A sunsafe hat which covers your child's face, neck and ears
• Change of clothes (when involved with hands-on play-based learning, your child may get a little
messy or when potty training)
• A bib or two
• Comfort item (if required), such as a toy
• Dummy in a sealed and named container (if required)
• Bottles
• Expressed milk (if required)
• Water bottle clearly labeled with your childs name.
• Any medications – please give these to centre staff to manage directly.
The Green Elephant provides child-safe sunscreen as we are committed to being a sunsafe centre. However, if your child has sensitive skin, please feel free to pack your own preferred brand.