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KIDS COTTAGE EARLY CHILDHOOD SERVICES LONG DAY CARE & LEARNING CENTRE (BIRTH-5YRS)

HUNTERS HILL

Dear Hunters Hill Community,

Further to the recommendation for approval by council officers but refusal by councilors, Kids Cottage again progressed to appeal at the NSWLEC stage of the project for the proposal of a new early childhood long day care and learning centre in the Hunters Hill Municipality. We are now very pleased, in fact ecstatic to announce we have won the appeal. After a seven long year battle, history was made on the 8th June 2011. We broke the 150 year drought. The Hunters Hill community will have their very first purpose built private purpose built early childhood care and education centre located at 38 Earl Street Hunters Hill. God bless all our supporters, legal and professional team. Wow… Wow… Wow… Speechless!

While we had every reason to be proud of our proposal, we were also aware that the development of an early childhood long day care centre at 38 Earl Street Hunters Hill, although permissible and ‘appropriate’ did cause concern amongst some members of the community particularly adjoining members. This was inevitable as we all respectfully share a diverse perspective, experience and knowledge base.

Although we knew this will be a highly accredited (excellence) early childhood long day care centre as is with Kids Cottage | Gladesville for over 12 years, we also knew we had to consider other key mandates such as building and design, traffic and noise.! This is why we had commissioned at great cost specialised consultants with a strong background in their field of expertise to help with these other key mandates.! Each specialised consultant compiled a report.! We relied on these reports and during the development application process we were advised these matters were addressed.

Further, it was always important for us that the proposed centre was seen to be working with the community and we believe we have undertaken to listen to the community member’s objections.!All issues contained within copies of submission provided by council were considered including: town planning and controls; building; traffic, noise and plan of management associated with the proposed child care centre at 38 Earl Street Hunters Hill.

True to our committment and persistence to being open, honest and keeping factual and lawful in the information we shared with the community on this proposal we were consented approval in the NSW land and environment court. The construction process is underway with an estimated start of service date of July 2012.

For more information or to be placed on our waitlist, please contact us on;

Tel: +612 98797977 | Web: www.kidscottage.com.au | Email info@kidscottage.com.au

Images reproduced with permission of Reggio Children, Tessa Rose playspace & landscape design and Digital Line Pty Ltd

Plans are not to scale

A new 36 place purpose built Early

Childhood centre servicing the

Hunters Hill Community

“Ready for KindyReady for Life!”

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KIDS COTTAGE EARLY CHILDHOOD SERVICESLONG DAY CARE & LEARNING CENTRE - (BIRTH-5YRS)

HUNTERS HILL

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Kids Cottage has serviced the local

community over 12 years.

“It takes a village to raise a child”Ancient African Proverb

Kids CottageCon and Mary privately own and operate Kids Cottage of Gladesville. Kids Cottage is a 34 place Highly Accredited Early Childhood Long Day Care and Learning Services Centre.

Kids Cottage has been making connections with the community of Gladesville and the surrounding suburbs for over 11 years, collaboratively caring for and educating children from infants through to pre-school age.

Now we are proposing a new 36 place purpose built Early Childhood Centre in the Hunters Hill Community.

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Welcome to our centre

The CentreThe environment is architecturally and functionally designed and equipped to provide for a system of interconnectedness and interactions. The major aim in the planning includes the integration of each room with the rest of the centre, and the centre with the surrounding community.An environment that supports: respect for children; the practice of relationships; care & education; creativity; health and safety; professional development; and a sense of community.

“The environment is the third teacher”Loris Malaguzzi

Setting down & picking upOn-street car parking outside the centre is to meet the short-term parking needs of parents setting down and picking up your children.

Welcome foyerEnter the foyer and enjoy the wall-to-wall visual display and representation of children’s learning across a wide range of media. Use your senses and listen to the walls talk and celebrate your child’s learning and feel you belong.

Kitchen gardenWalk past the kitchen, chat with the cook and exchange recipes. Take home a bunch of fresh herbs from our kitchen garden.

Ground floor

Lower ground floor

Street view

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Our learning

Indoor care & learning spacesOur curriculum emphasises that planning needs to emerge from the daily life of the infants, children and adults in the programme, particularly from the children’s own interest. Relationships, spontaneity, imagination, and curiosity have an important role in our setting.

Our setting both indoors and outdoors is organised across six interconnected and overlapping developmental areas including visual arts, drama, reading, writing, numeracy and gross motor. Suited aspects of our curriculum are followed in the Reggio Emilia style of learning.

Small group learningThe spaces encourage exploratory learning and discovery from solitary through to collaborative sharing and learning and for quiet thinking or just relaxing. A time just to be.

Multimedia & ITEach room is equipped to bring the world to our fingertips. They provide easy access to multimedia, technology, books, magazines, film and music for all to enjoy, engage and learn.“Education is not a preparation for life;

education is life itself”John Dewey

Flexible spaces & infinite opportunities - In every space

and at any time of the day there is an opportunity to learn

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Nursery

Care & LearningMuch care and attention is given to creating a warm, safe, stimulating and nurturing environment in the Nursery.

The environment supports significant elements in a day including routines such as feeding, resting, nappy changing and bathing. These provide positive opportunities for learning and time for quality adult-child interaction.

The environment is designed to be stable and

familiar, interesting and rich, with things to look

at, touch and listen to.

Relationships & InteractionsOpen communication between staff and families is essential. Children's development is fostered when there are positive relationships and open communication among those adults responsible for each child's well-being. The space promotes families and centre staff to work together to ensure that care needs are met and opportunities for optimal child growth and development are fostered. It is our goal to ensure that young infants and their families feel "at home" in the Centre.

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NutritionSpace to promote and share nutrition and menu planning with families.

Our service plays an important role in providing nutritious foods and in reinforcing the importance of eating well and enjoying healthy foods.

Outdoor play & safetyThe nursery outdoor play area will have a roof for shade and weather protection but designed with large skylights to provide natural light. A safe place to play and learn both indoors and outdoors, where babies can practice rolling over, sitting, crawling and standing. Visibility across the spaces is unobscured.

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Learning outdoorsFlowing from the indoors, the outdoors too offers opportunities for children to learn, explore, and feel a part of where they are i.e. one with nature.

We believe the strong links to nature and the natural environment is a source of learning and the infinite opportunities for learning that it offers. The objects and resources within it will be used for play or as catalyst for learning.

One of the aims of our early childhood program is to nurture in children a love of nature, and a desire to preserve, protect, and enhance the natural world around them.

The outdoor areas are designed for individual, small and large group; active play, imaginative worlds, and for just sitting, relaxing and sharing stories.

Exploring and making links with the communityChildren will be visible in the community as small groups of children will be visiting and exploring public spaces, local parks, schools, libraries, shops and services. This forms a big part of the children’s investigative learning projects and identifying self with the world around them.

Environmentally FriendlyGarden plantings have been specially chosen to encourage bird and insect life. Kids Cottage - Hunters Hill is designed around renewable energy concepts.

Safe and SecureDuring the centres operating hours access is through security entry only. Playgrounds are screened by acoustic fences adding privacy. Internal visibility across the gardens is unobscured.

OUTDOOR PLAY AND LEARNING SPACES

What a wonderful setting to make connections with the natural

environment as part of a holistics approach to sustainable living