Gowrie NSW Discovery House Early Education & Care

Why Discovery House?

Gowrie NSW Discovery House is a quality, not-for-profit preschool located in Phillip, Canberra. We cater for children from 6 weeks to 6 years. We believe that every child brings with them unique strengths, capabilities, culture, interests, knowledge, ideas and experiences…

…and that every day is filled with possibility and chances for discovery.

Our service prides itself on the connections we have formed within the community and the strong relationships we have with our families and children.

Our dedicated and passionate educators implement a high-quality educational experience in a nurturing, stimulating and supportive environment. Our dedicated educators engage in regular professional development to ensure best practice for your children.

We keep you involved in their day via a secure online platform, so you can get through your day knowing your child is safe and happy.

We are committed to excellence and strive to make a lasting impact on children’s lives.

Primary Educator Relationships

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Gowrie NSW teachers and educators allocate one staff member who will be your child’s primary educator to work closely with you and nurture your child through the first three years of life. Your child's primary educator will be highly attuned to their routines, rhythms and unique cues.

Our emphasis and commitment to working towards key educator relationships promotes continuity, consistency and nurturing relationships between educators and children both individually and in small groups.

Your child will benefit from;

routines that are at their own pace and where they can participate in their own way
educators who take their ideas seriously
support to express feelings and show empathy for the feelings of others
encouragement to interact with other children and develop language and social skills
support to interact with children and adults in ways that are respectful and responsive
encouragement to listen to and respect the ideas of others.

Learn More about Primary Educator Relationships here

How we encourage capable learners:

All our programs at Doscovery House Early Education and Care are based on children’s strengths, knowledge, interests, concepts, and cultural backgrounds. The National Quality Framework stipulates that learning occurs best through play-based experiences.

Your child will enjoy;

• Interesting and engaging experiences providing opportunity for inquiry, exploration, discovery and problem-solving

• Active engagement with people, objects and representations

• Experiences and provocations based on children’s emerging concepts and thinking

• Rich play experiences by sourcing materials and creating environments which engage children’s sense of curiosity, wonder and investigation

•Opportunities for the development of a wide range of skill areas: social, emotional, cognitive, creative and physical

• Regular excursions to libraries, cafes and nature reserves

Extensive early childhood research shows that for children under the age of five years, play provides the best vehicle for learning. Children are more likely to persist at something in which they are interested in and play-based learning provides a great context for acknowledging children’s interests.

Our infant space is influenced by the practices of RIE and understanding the innate abilities of even our youngest children in care.

How we prepare your child for school

Our school readiness program begins from the moment children enter our centre. Building children’s confidence, strong sense of self, conflict resolution skills, creativity and collaboration are part of our program from the start.

Your child will have many opportunities to engage with literacy and numeracy. This will also be scaffolded and extended upon. In the final preschool years, we run a dedicated Transition to School Program for children and their families. This program is delivered by Early Childhood Teachers in consultation with local primary schools and will extend children’s social and emotional skills to build sound foundations for primary school.

GowrieHolidayCare-2014 Children will build their confidence and resilience levels, become accustomed with school routines and lunchboxes, learn how to work in teams, develop independence and much more.

For more information about our Transition to School Program, please enquire with our Centre Manager and Early Childhood Teachers based in the preschool rooms.

How we communicate with you

We use Storypark to document your child’s discoveries and learnings and this ensures open and clear communication. We document in real time, as it happens, and share photo’s, video, audio and observations with you in a secure online environment. storypark badge

Families are encouraged to participate in this process to ensure children achieve the best learning outcomes.

It’s just like you’re there with them, every day.

What are your age groups and classroom sizes?

Discovery House Early Education and Care caters for children aged from 6 weeks to 6 years. There are three classroom. The age groups in each room vary each year according to our waitlist and service capacity.

• 0-2 years: 12 children
• 2-3 years: 24 children
• 3-6 years: 30 children

Classroom sizes may vary each year according to our waitlist and the needs of our existing families. We work to ensure that each classroom has a group size that is suitable for the children’s ages, development and individual needs.

We have a strong transition process ensuring children are fully ready to move to their new spaces.

IP Australia Families

We have a strong relationship with IP Australia and prioritise enrolments for IP Australia families.

Have a question? We'd love to help

Call us on (02) 8594 4200 or fill in the form below.

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Gowrie NSW Discovery House Early Education And Care