Community Child and Family Centre

Welcome

EACH Child Community and Family Centre (EACH Child) welcomes families to our centre. We plan the care with families so that every child and family is responded to individually acknowledging that children and that families all have individual needs.

Child Safe Commitment Statement

EACH has a commitment to creating a child safe culture and maintaining a child safe and child friendly environment. The following statement acknowledges EACH’s commitment to child safety:

All children who come to EACH have a right to feel and be safe. EACH is committed to the safety and well-being of all children whether they are direct service recipients or indirectly linked to our services such as children of customers. The welfare of children and young people is our first priority. We create a child safe and child friendly environment where all children are valued and heard, are safe and protected.

View our Child Safe & Wellbeing Policy here.

Objective
The objectives of EACH Child are to provide:

• A positive and nurturing environment, which acknowledges the uniqueness of all attending children’s family circumstances, culture, language, beliefs and kinship.
• Education and care in accordance with the National Quality Framework (NQF).
• Education consistent with the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework:

1. - Supporting children to become confident and happy
2. - Supporting EACH Child to develop a strong sense of identity
3. - Enabling children to feel connected and able to contribute
4. - Promoting a strong sense of well being
5. - Enabling children to become confident and involved learners
6. - Assisting children to become effective communicators

We achieve this by:

• Providing an inclusive, developmentally appropriate program that meets the individual needs of all children and encourages them to develop to their full potential.
• Assisting children to develop trust and respect for others through consistent, positive guidance and flexible routines.
• Developing respectful relationships, based on open communication with the aim of encouraging family engagement and a strong sense of belonging.
• Acknowledging the varying experiences and strengths of fellow educators so that a culture of sharing knowledge, understanding and learning together develops skills and team members feel valued and supported.

EACH Child Philosophy

Each child is a family-centred childcare service of EACH, providing an inclusive community of care and early childhood education. 

Each child families are supported by a team of Early Childhood Educators and EACH community health professionals that offer a range of integrated family services. 

We communicate and advocate high expectations for all children. We are committed to supporting every child’s right’s, individual learning, and development. We listen to the “child’s voice”, promote choice, and provide opportunities for all children to reach their full potential. 

We are committed to equity and respect diversity in all its forms and recognise its contributions to our community. 

We are committed to establishing and maintaining responsive engagement and respectful relationships with families and children. 

We recognise all children learn and develop differently. We build on the children’s strengths, abilities, interest, and curiosity to make sense of the world around them. We provide play-based learning and a range of integrated teaching and learning approaches. 

We believe assessment in early childhood learning and development is an ongoing cycle of observation, analysing learning documentation and planning.

We strive to continuously improve our unique service through the process of reflective practice.

Centre Information

Opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 7:00am - 6:00pm. except public holidays and during the centre closure for end of year break (TBC)

Registration

EACH Child is registered to care for 122 children. Children are grouped according to developmental stages.

Regulations regarding child/educator ratios are always adhered to:

• 1 adult to 4 children aged under 3 years of age
• 1 adult to 11 children aged 3-6 years.

EACH Child provides the children with a learning environment within beautiful landscaped gardens that support respect for the environment, ecologically sustainable practices, healthy development and inclusion within a supportive community.

Staffing and Employment

A Childcare Centre Manager and 2IC/ Educational Leader manage the daily operations of the EACH Child centre. The Childcare Centre Manager is supported by the 2IC/ Educational Leader and the Area Manager Primary Health.

EACH Child is staffed at the required ratio of educators across all rooms. The qualifications of the EACH Child team are consistent with the Education and Care Services National Regulations including holding a current Working with Children Check, Disability Workers Exclusion Scheme check and police check. 

EACH Child educators are recruited to high standards of professionalism, competence and a commitment supporting the developmental and educational progression of children.  All are qualified with a mix of Early Childhood qualifications ranging from Bachelor of Early Childhood Education, Advanced Diploma level, Diploma and Certificate 3 qualifications 

We offer professional development for all team members so that educators maintain currency with best practice guidelines for safe sleeping, first aid, anaphylaxis, asthma and CPR responses and we maintain our quality of care and education within a safe, friendly and stimulating environment. 

EACH Child educators are guided by a comprehensive range of policies and procedures. A summary of policies is provided on the website and policies are available for review by families on request.

Enrolment

Families need to provide details about how best we can support inclusion and plan care and education for children of all abilities. This important information assists with planning your child’s early learning and care with you.

We require: 

• a copy of the child’s Immunisation Certificate,
• information about any medical diagnosis or report,
• any Asthma or Anaphylaxis Management Plan,
• information about medication required by the child,
• a copy of any Court Order or any other medical or legal documents.

Orientation
We offer shorter hours initially and gradually orientate children, in recognition that children can become overwhelmed and feel vulnerable when in an unfamiliar environment for an extended time.

Immunisation
Early Learning Services are required to check that children enrolled are up to date with the mandatory immunisations.

Families are required to provide a copy of their child’s Immunisation History Statement from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) or your MyGov account, twice a year. Children will not be able to commence until this is provided.

Following enrolment, services must take reasonable steps twice yearly to review the immunisation records and ensure children attending are up to date with the immunisation schedule.

Immunisation-No Jab No Play Frequently Asked Questions

Grace Period for vaccination
Children experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage are eligible to enrol in a service under a grace period, without having provided proof of up-to-date immunisation. The grace period provisions allow the family to continue to access early childhood education and care services while receiving information and assistance to get their child's immunisations up to date and to obtain the required Immunisation History Statement from AIR that needs to be provided to the service.

Exemption to vaccination
Exemption from the requirement to be fully vaccinated can be authorised by a doctor.  Examples of valid medical reasons that a child could not be fully vaccinated include:

• an anaphylactic reaction to a previous dose of a particular vaccine, or
• an anaphylactic reaction to any vaccine component
• has a disease which lowers immunity (such as leukaemia, cancer, HIV/AIDS, SCID), or
• is having treatment which lowers immunity (such as chemotherapy).

When a child cannot be vaccinated, a GP must  sign a Medicare Immunisation Medical Exemption Form, and send it to the AIR.

The families then needs to provide the service with the Immunisation History Statement from the AIR that indicates the child vaccination status including a list of vaccines that are contraindicated due to a medical contraindication.

Authorised Contacts

Families nominate person/s other than themselves to take their child from the service. Provided families notify educators a child will be released to the care of a nominated person. Authorised Contact details are added to the system to allow them to sign in and out via the kiosk on the iPad. 

Educators will request photographic identification if the person is not familiar to them.  

When a person who is not an Authorised Contact arrives to pick up or visit a child and educators have not been informed by families we will attempt to contact families via phone and will not release the child into the care of any person not nominated as an Authorised Contact.

Daily Arrival and Departure

Children must be signed in and out each day through one of the three iPads located in the passages of the centre. Educators require an anticipated time of departure to enable us to prepare the child for going home and so we can be responsive to the child’s enquiry about when they will be going home and who will be picking them up.    

As children can become worried when they are not picked up at the expected time, if you are delayed more than 15 minutes past the anticipated collection time it is very helpful to call the centre to advise educators of the delay.

Families MUST physically accompany their child to the room and let educators know of their arrival and ensure the educators are made aware of the departure of their child.

Late Pick Up of Children after 6.15 p.m.

A family or an authorised contact person MUST arrive to take their child home before closing time.

If you are unavoidably delayed, please phone the childcare centre as soon as possible, also please consider whether your authorised contact person can pick up your child instead.

Any extension of care beyond closing time requires an extension of employment of the educators. A late fee is applied for every 15 minutes or part thereof when a child requires care after 6.15pm

When a child remains in the care of the service at closing time educators will attempt to contact the families.

• Two educators will remain on the premises until the child has been collected.
• If the family have not been located by 6.30 pm an Emergency Contacts- person/s will be called and asked to collect the child. 
• If both the family and Authorised Contacts cannot be reached, a manager will be advised and the Department of Health and Human Services Child Protection after hours response will be consulted. Police may then be called to assist with the location of the Family / Authorised Contact/s.
• An incident of Child Risk will be recorded 
• The Regulatory Authority, Department of Education will be notified if abandonment is suspected.

Cancellation or Alteration of Booking

Families are required to provide written notice allowing a minimum of 2 billing weeks when cancelling or reducing days of care.  

Centrelink does not pay the Child Care Subsidy for the last day of care when a child is absent on their last booked day of care.

Requests to increase days of care will be accommodated whenever possible and dependent on availability.

Parenting Responsibility / Shared Parenting Responsibility

Legal changes to parenting responsibility for a child are very important. It is necessary to inform the Childcare Centre Manager immediately when: 

• Changes occur in who is legally responsibility for a child
• A change occurs to a Court Order naming a child 
• Changes are made to the caring arrangements of a child such as may occur when parents separate or a parent travel overseas
• Family conflict or violence is occurring that has potential to affect the child’s wellbeing or safety or the wellbeing or safety of anyone else in the child's home. 

When a child’s care or wellbeing is supported by a Parenting Plan or a Court Order, a copy of the plan / order must be provided to the EACH Child Coordinator. The order will be kept on the child’s file.

Child Care Subsidy

The Australian Government assists families with their childcare fees. The Child Care Subsidy is paid directly to early childhood services. 

Requirements must be met for an individual to be eligible to receive Child Care Subsidy for a child. 

What families need to do:

• Sign into your Centrelink online account through MyGov My Gov - create an account
• Select Complete your Child Care Subsidy assessment task
• Work through the steps to provide new information and confirm your current details.

1. - The age of the child is right
2. - The child meeting the Australian immunisation requirements
3. - A parent or their partner, meeting the residency requirements listed in the legislation.
4. -Combined family income estimates for the current financial year
5. - The hours of recognised activity including work, training, study and volunteering
6. -The type of childcare your family uses.

Centrelink Policy requires that CHILD CARE SUBSIDY WILL NOT BE PROVIDED IF THE CHILD IS ABSENT ON THEIR LAST DAY OF CARE. When a child is absent on the last day of care the person responsible for payment of the fee becomes responsible for the full daily fee on the last day of care. If a child has not attended at all during the 2-week notice period, full fees will apply for the full 2 weeks.

For more information about this process visit education.gov.au/childcare.

Childcare Fees

Fees are charged for all booked care days regardless of whether the child attends the service. This includes Public Holidays. 

The exception to this is the annual closure over the Christmas period. 

Centrelink allocates 42 Allowable Absence days (per financial year) where CCS will still be paid by Centrelink. Any absence over the 42 days in any financial year will incur Full Fees unless a medical certificate is provided.

Priority of Access

Vacant positions will be allocated from the waiting list according to priority of access criteria. Priority is determined in accordance with the Australian government’s Priority of Access Guidelines Priority Guidelines  and other information gained from you as part of your waitlist process. 

1. 1. Child at risk of serious abuse or neglect.
2. 2.Child of a single parent who satisfies, or of families who satisfy, the work/training/study test under Section 14 of the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999.
3. 3.Any sibling’s currently attending service.
4. 4. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families
5. 5. Families which include a disabled person
6. 6.Families from non-English speaking background
7. 7.Socially isolated Families 

Under the Priority of Access Guidelines, a childcare service may require a Priority 3 child only to vacate a place to make room for a higher priority child. The service can only do so if: 

• The person liable for payment of the childcare fees was notified when the child first entered care that the service followed this policy; and
• The service gives the person at least 14 days’ notice of the requirement for the child to vacate the place.

Communication

Effective communication between families and educators is essential for the wellbeing of children. Contact methods include:

• Phone
• Email 
• Information displayed 
• iPads for signing children in and out
• Newsletter 
• Website
• Surveys

Kindergarten

Families are welcomed and encouraged to request a meeting with the teacher/s throughout the year. Parent teacher interviews are offered at the beginning and middle of the year.

The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) and guide our programming for each individual child.

In accordance with the (VEYLDF) and National Quality Standards (NQS) EACH Child adheres to the following guidelines:

• Every child is viewed as an individual who will develop and learn at their own pace. 
• Programs include experiences in language and literature, music and movement, art and craft, dramatic play, science and math concepts, sensory motor and activities which promote physical development and co-ordination
• Children’s experiences will be open-ended, and the children are free to choose the experiences in which they would like to participate. Educators support children in making choices where appropriate.
• Programs are planned to provide opportunities for passive as well as active play, indoor and outdoor play and for individual as well as group experiences.

Families will be provided with information on all areas of children’s development with reference to the VEYLDF through newsletters, notice board displays, family input into our program and weekly reflections.

Privacy, Confidentiality and Security

EACH is committed to protecting individuals’ rights to privacy. EACH Child complies with federal and state legislation relating to privacy, confidentiality and security of information. All personnel within EACH maintain the highest standards of professional practice and codes of conduct regarding the confidentiality of personal information.

Partnerships with Family

EACH Child encourages Family and community involvement within the Centre.  

A partnership between the family and EACH Child educators is vital for providing care that is meaningful and effective – culturally and educationally. Information will be given in a variety of ways to meet all needs.

Families are the most integral part of a child’s education and we welcome family’s involvement in the education we provide at the service. We encourage families to join us to participate in our program by perhaps playing an instrument, talking about their job, reading a book in their home language or bringing in a new baby. We appreciate that families are not always able to join in during work hours and we invite families to special events and celebrations through the year. 

We understand the importance of fostering high quality relationships with families. We acknowledge that every family is different, and this is celebrated throughout the centre.

Our educators promote:

• A welcoming and inclusive environment where all families are encouraged to participate in and contribute to experiences that enhance children’s learning and development.
• Shared decision making about a child’s learning and development plan. 
• Open communication between educators and families.
• Child led learning

Independent Toileting
Educators will discuss toileting with families and will follow the lead of both the child and families regarding toilet readiness. Guidance is available from educators or a health advisor on request.st.

Toys from Home
Children are encouraged to bring a soft toy or comfort item particularly during the settling in period, but other than this, bringing in toys from home is discouraged. It can be very distressing to a child if a favourite toy is lost or broken.

Celebrations
We celebrate many events throughout the year from various cultures. If your family celebrates special events at home, please let us know so that we can incorporate this into our program. 

We enjoy embracing other cultures: this allows the children to understand our diverse nation in a positive way.

Clothing
Families are asked to:

• Provide clothing that assists children to dress and undress themselves, thereby encouraging independence.
• Label all clothing with the child’s full name.
• Dress their children in clothing suitable for the variety of activities at the Centre, e.g. older clothing that won’t inhibit play and learning.
• Ensure children have appropriate footwear to protect their feet. Thongs, open toed sandals and crocs are not permitted. 
• Supply spare clothing, in case of accidents throughout the day. Multiple changes will be required for infants and toddlers.
• Ensure children are dressed appropriately for the weather.
• Provide a sun safe hat.

Nutrition

EACH Child provides nutritious meals that are cooked on site, nutritionally balanced for the needs of children and reflective of the cultural diversity of our community. 

Families are informed of the monthly menu which is displayed in the Centre hallway and provided by email monthly. 

A comprehensive Food Safety Program has been developed in consultation with Nutrition Australia Healthy Achievement Guidelines.  The Food Safety Program, the kitchen and our chef are assessed and approved by the Environmental Health Officers from the Maroondah City Council. The centre is a registered food premises under the Food Act 1984. All staff undertake appropriate levels of safe food handling training annually.

Food from Home
NO FOOD FROM HOME may be brought into the centre.

Several children have allergies, some of which are life threatening. Please ensure your children wash their hands and face prior to coming into the centre especially if they have eaten on the journey to childcare.

Health and Safety

Medical Conditions/Allergies - families Obligations

• Families are responsible to make important decisions about the primary health care of their sick children. Sick children need to be in the care of family members not attending childcare. 
• Families are asked to inform EACH Child if their child is absent due to illness and the specifics of the illness. This is so we can make an informed decision and let other families know of the presence of an infectious illness. 
• Families may be required to obtain a medical certificate of clearance from a doctor and to give the clearance to their child’s educators. When a child requires medication due to an infectious illness absence must be maintained until the infectious period has passed – a minimum of 24 hours on medication is generally required.  
• If a child is deemed to be distressed or unwell whilst at childcare, families will be contacted and asked to collect their child within an hour from the time person-to-person contact is made.
• If families are not available when contacted the emergency contact will be contacted to make these decisions. If families and emergency contact persons cannot be contacted and a child is sufficiently ill or distressed because of illness, an ambulance will be called to take the child to hospital. 
• The EACH Child Coordinator or next most senior staff member on site has the final say on whether a child can stay at the centre. This discretion may override a doctor’s certificate permitting attendance if an assessment is made that the child is becoming increasingly unwell.
• Children are not permitted to attend until 24 hours after the last episode of vomiting or the last episode of diarrhoea. If two or more children are affected by vomiting or by diarrhoea in the same day, then the exclusion period automatically increases to 48 hours for all the children who have vomited or had diarrhoea.
• If a child has a temperature of 38 degrees or above, they are to be excluded for 24 hours after their temperature has returned to normal. 
• No medication that is not prescribed by a doctor will be administered without a doctor’s letter. 

Notifying families or Emergency Contact Persons when an Illness is Present

It is the family’s responsibility to ensure contact details on their child’s enrolment form are kept up to date. Families are made aware of these procedures and the importance of being able to reach a family or authorised contact person at any time. Families will be asked to agree to this at the time of enrolling a child. 

The authorised contact person must be able to either take the child home or stay with them until the family can be contacted.

Allergies
Some people have life threatening allergies. Families must assist us to provide safe care for children who have allergies. It is essential that no food be brought to the centre. 

Foods that contain nuts are extremely dangerous to children with allergies. Common foods that trigger an allergic reaction are listed below; Peanuts – including M and M peanuts

• Cashews, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts and all tree nuts
• Peanut butter
• Nutella
• Sesame seeds – remember some bread rolls have sesame seeds on them, including some McDonald’s hamburger buns
• Foods that contain satay, e.g. Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian dishes
• Chocolate – blocks, biscuits and lollies
• Whole egg – boiled egg, curried egg.

We thank you for helping us to provide a safe environment for all our children.

Anaphylaxis Management 

Families must provide an up-to-date Anaphylaxis Management Plan at the time of enrollment and thereafter every 12 months or whenever there is a change to the plan. 

The Anaphylaxis Policy is provided in a hard copy on request and at enrolment. 

Anaphylaxis is a severe and sometimes sudden allergic reaction which is potentially life threatening. It can occur when a person is exposed to an allergen (such as food or an insect sting). Reactions usually begin within minutes of exposure and can progress rapidly over a period of up to two hours or more. Anaphylaxis should always be treated as a medical emergency, requiring immediate treatment. Most cases of anaphylaxis occur after a person is exposed to the allergen to which they are allergic, usually a food, insect sting or medication. 

EACH Child aims to minimise the risk of an anaphylactic reaction occurring at EACH Child by ensuring all educators are adequately trained to respond appropriately and competently to an anaphylactic reaction. We also aim to ensure the risk of children with known allergies coming into contact with allergens is eliminated or reduced. We do not allow food to be brought to the service by children in order that we can minimise risk of an allergic reaction.  

Asthma Management 

Families must provide an up-to-date Asthma Management Plan at the time of enrollment and thereafter every 12 months or whenever there is a change to the plan.  

The Asthma Policy is provided in a hard copy on request and at enrolment. 

Asthma is a chronic health condition, which is one of the most common reasons for childhood admission to hospital. Correct asthma management will assist to minimise the impact of asthma. Children under the age of six usually do not have the skills or ability to recognise and manage their own asthma effectively. Our Service recognises the need to educate its staff and families about asthma and to implement responsible asthma management strategies. 

EACH Child aims to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment for all children enrolled at the Service where all children with asthma can fully participate.

Child Supervision

Children are fully supervised whilst in the care of educators at the Centre. Educators are alert to possible dangers within the Centre and ensure they can always see or hear all children.

Sun Smart

EACH Child aims to protect all children and educators from the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.

All children and educators use a combination of sun protection measures whenever UV-Index Levels reach 3 and above from the beginning of September to the end of April in line with Cancer Council Guidelines.

Extreme Heat

In the event of extreme heat educators keep the children is well shaded and cool conditions. EACH Child has appropriate cooling which will maintain an acceptable temperature.

Safe Sleeping

Educators will abide by the latest information on safe sleeping practices guided by Red Nose when supervising rest times with the children - safe-sleep-and-rest-practices. Educators complete annual training on Safe Sleep Practices through Red Nose.

Rest

Each child’s wellbeing and comfort is provided for, including appropriate opportunities to meet each child’s need for rest and relaxation. Our environments are arranged to include a dedicated rest area for the babies. Individual mattresses and bedding are provided for children requiring a sleep or rest during their day.

No Smoking

EACH Child, the car parks and grounds are designated smoke free areas.

Water Safety

EACH Child will ensure the safety and supervision of children in and around water. This includes water play, excursions near water, hot water, drinking water and hygiene practices with water in the Service environment.

Environment

Our Service will ensure the environment is safe, clean, and well maintained for children, families, educators, and visitors. Children’s awareness of the environment and sustainable practice will be supported through daily practices, resources and interactions. The physical environment will support children’s participation and engagement, development, learning, and safety, and will provide supervised access to positive experiences and inclusive relationships..

Fire and Evacuation

EACH Child has a written emergency evacuation plan. These guidelines are in addition to EACH’s HSW Policies and Procedures which guide all HSW requirements within the organisation.

Authorised People in Childcare Rooms

• The only people permitted to be in a room other than employees and the families and those people authorised by the family to deliver or collect the child. 

• Visitors authorised (by the Childcare Manager) who have a specific purpose to be in attendance in the room. For example, internal auditors, students, therapists, health educators, bilingual workers, care assistants, aids, volunteers, authorised trades people, incursion staff.

Health Management
Medication Management - Educators Duty of Care: 

• Educators have a duty of care and a lawful duty to ensure that ONLY the correct medication is given as per instructions from the treating medical practitioner. 
• Medication must be in the original container.
• Educators will take every care with administration of medication by checking the family’s requests, medication, dose, method of administration and time to be given. Two educators will check every medication and ensure the medication is given to the correct child. Both educators will sign the Administration of Medication Form.

Program Development and Implementation

EACH Child provides education and care in accordance with the National Quality Framework (NQF). 

The framework has 3 parts:

• A National Quality Standard that provides families with information about quality care in early childhood education.
• A Nation Quality rating system that has five levels and a rating for each of the seven-key area of childhood development.
• A Victorian Early Years Learning Framework (VEYLF) to guide educators in development of play-based learning and development activities for children.

Further information on the National Quality Framework can be found in the following link About the National Quality Framework.

A funded 4 year old and 3 year old (due to commence 2022) Kindergarten Programs are delivered by a qualified Early Childhood Teacher (Bachelor).

Program PlanningEducators provide a program responsive to children’s interests and developmental learning needs. We offer high quality experiences which build on a child’s strengths and are mindful of the child's development, family and cultural context.

The program includes experiences that nurture: 

• Social engagement
• Language and literacy
• Music and movement
• Art and craft
• Science and math
• Sensory motor activities which promote physical development

The Victorian Early Years and development framework (VEYLF) guide our programming for each individual child. The program is planned to enable the children to develop and learn at their own pace and to achieve the 5 development outcomes

1. 1. Are feeling a strong sense of identity
2. 2. Are connected and contribute to their world
3. 3. Have a strong sense of well being 
4. 4.  Are confident and involved learners
5. 5. Are effective communicators

Families are provided with information on all areas of children’s development with reference to the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLF) through regular communication.

Families are encouraged to request family/educator meetings with Room Lead Educators at a mutually convenient time. Families of children accessing our funded Kindergarten Program have scheduled interviews with our Kindergarten teacher/s.

Additional EACH Health and Wellbeing Services 

EACH provides a wide range of integrated family health and support services EACH - About Us

Dental health screening through the Oral Health Program. For more information please visit https://www.each.com.au/service/dental-oral-health-program/

Development Team including Speech pathology, Occupational therapy and Child Dietetics For more information please visit www.each.com.au/service/child-development-team/

Early Childhood Intervention for children who have a disability or developmental delay and an NDIS plan. For more information please visit https://www.each.com.au/services/childhood-intervention-services/ 

Adult, Child, Drug and Alcohol, Mental Health and Family Counselling and Art Therapy. For more information please visit https://www.each.com.au/counselling/ 

Family relationship Centre for Parent education, family support and a range of health services for children and adults. For more information please visit https://www.each.com.au/service/family-relationship-centre/

Art Therapy 

The “Little Art Makers” Art Therapy program at EACH childcare is offered though our kindergarten program and aims to enhance the emotional and social well-being of children through creativity. Through art, imagination, exploration and play, children can express themselves and learn about the world they live in.  

In art therapy the emphasis is on the process of creativity, not on the product. There is no right or wrong way to make art. Through art, music, movement and storytelling children can be free to explore their creative selves.

Art therapy provides the opportunity for children to:

• Explore creativity 
• Increase self-awareness
• Develop social skills
• Improve communication
• Develop positive relationships
• Learn to regulate their emotions
• Express themselves
• Build confidence

Compliments, Comments and Complaints

EACH values the perspective and input from our consumers and the community and actively ensures that they have an accessible and a safe avenue for providing feedback that fosters a culture which supports consumers and the community to make positive comments as well as raise complaints.

All feedback provides EACH with an opportunity to review services, facilities or systems which can lead to quality improvements for the consumer.

Feedback and Complaints can be submitted in one of these ways:

• Pick up a “We Welcome your Feedback’ form from the Childcare foyer 
• Contact the Childcare Centre Manager directly.
• Email feedbackandcomplaints@each.com.au.
• Call us on 1300 00 3224 and ask for the EACH Consumer Liaison Officer.