First Day of Childcare Checklist

Essential Childcare Checklist for a Smooth Transition

Starting childcare is a big milestone for you and your child. A little preparation can make the first day feel calm, organised and positive.

We recommend beginning orientation two weeks before your child’s start date, to allow you to spend time in the room, share routines and goals, and ask questions. Creating a consistent goodbye routine also helps your child feel secure, knowing you’ll leave and return.

Here’s a simple checklist to help you feel confident and ready.

Before the First Day

In the days leading up to your child’s start date:

1. Confirm enrolment details

Start date and booked days
Drop-off and pick-up times
Room allocation (Nursery, Toddler or Preschool)
Centre contact details

2. Complete your paperwork early

Enrolment forms
Immunisation history statement
Emergency contacts
Authorised pick-up list
Medical management plans (if required)

Completing everything early helps educators support your child properly from day one.

3. What to Bring (Clearly Labelled)

Packing doesn’t need to be complicated. Many children have similar belongings, so clearly labelling items helps educators return them quickly.

Backpack
2–3 changes of clothes and socks
A drink bottle
Milk bottles
A wide-brim hat
Sunscreen (if your centre requests / if families prefer their own)
Nappy cream (with signed permission if required)
Formula or breastmilk

If you have any questions about preparing for your child’s first day, our team is always happy to help. We look forward to welcoming your family and supporting a smooth, positive start to their early learning journey at Where we Grow.

Supporting Your Child Through Milestone Transitions

Transitions whether moving to a new room, starting a new routine, or entering a new learning environment are a natural and important part of a child’s development. But for many children, change can feel stressful. Understanding why transitions matter and how to support them can make all the difference in helping your child feel confident, secure, and ready to learn.

Why Transitions Matter

Every child responds to change differently. Some adapt quickly; others may show worry even during small transitions, like shifting from indoor play to outdoor time. That’s why strong relationships, trust, and understanding your child’s unique temperament are so important.

Tips for Supporting Your Child Through Transitions

1. Talk With Your Child’s Educators

Open communication helps everyone feel prepared. Consider asking:

What will be similar or different in the new room or routine?
What does the daily routine look like and how will their day change?
Can my child visit the new environment ahead of time?
How can we work together to make the transition smooth?
How will educators get to know my child’s interests and needs?

Sharing your child’s likes, comforts, routines, or cultural traditions can help educators personalise their support.

2. Help Your Child Build Relationships in Their New Environment

Introduce your child to new educators early if possible. Encourage your child to share what they enjoy — like favourite games, books, or activities — and invite educators to talk about what children love in the program. These conversations build connection and help your child feel seen and valued.

3. Keep Open, Positive Conversations With Your Child

Talk about the transition before, during, and after the change. Discuss feelings openly and with empathy. Keeping a positive tone helps your child approach the new experience with confidence and optimism.

4. Work Together with the Service on Achievable Goals

Small steps can lead to big progress. Examples include:

Starting the morning in the old room and then moving to the new one.
Spending short, planned periods in the new environment (e.g., playtime or mealtime).
Gradually increasing time spent in the new room each day.

These manageable goals help your child settle in at their own pace.

Additional Ways to Support Smooth Transitions

Predictable routines help children feel secure.

Visual schedules with photos can support younger children or those with limited language.
Stay calm and model confidence — children will mirror your tone and behaviour.
Give warnings before changes. Simple cues like “When we finish playing, we’ll tidy up for snack” help children anticipate what’s next.
Make transitions fun. Try songs, movement games, or playful instructions (e.g., “Let’s tiptoe like little mice!”).
Minimise unnecessary transitions — too many changes can overwhelm young children.
Support friendships. Knowing they have a friend nearby helps children feel more at ease.

Transitions can be emotional, but with support, reassurance, and planning, they become valuable opportunities for growth. By partnering with our Where We Grow educators, staying attuned to your child’s needs, and maintaining a calm, predictable environment, you help lay the foundation for confidence, resilience, and lifelong learning.

Sources:

https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-01/PlanEffectiveTransitionsForChildren.PDF

https://startingblocks.gov.au/resources/how-to-support-your-child-through-early-childhood-education-and-care/supporting-children-during-transitions

Sleep Time Tips for Families

At Where we Grow we know how important sleep is for a child’s growth, mood, and development. Whether your child refuses to settle, wakes frequently or has trouble sleeping, you're not alone.

Here are some practical sleep time tips to help your family find a smoother path to sleep:

1. Create a Predictable Bedtime Routine

Children thrive on routines so having a consistent series of calming activities like storytime and cuddles helps signal that bedtime is coming. Try following the same steps in the same order each night.

2. Watch Out for Sleep Cues

Look for early signs of sleepiness such as rubbing eyes, yawning, or becoming clingy, and start the bedtime process before overtiredness sets in.

3. Limit Screen Time in the Evening

Blue light from digital devices like iPads and TVs can delay the body’s release of melatonin (the sleep hormone). Try turning off screens at least one hour before bedtime, and opt for calming, low-stimulation activities instead.

4. Stick to Consistent Sleep and Wake Times

Even on weekends, keeping regular sleep and wake times helps to regulate your child’s internal body clock, making it easier for them to fall asleep and wake up feeling refreshed.

5. Set Up a Sleep-Friendly Space

Make sure your child’s sleep environment is quiet, dark, and cosy. A nightlight, white noise machine, or comfort toy can help ease their fears and create a safe sleeping space.

6. Be Patient with Night Waking

Offer comfort, but try to avoid turning it into playtime or lengthy interactions. Keep responses calm and consistent, so that your child learns to settle back to sleep.

When to Seek Extra Support

If sleep issues continue or impacts your child’s behaviour, it might be worth talking to your GP or a child sleep consultant. Our Educators are also happy to discuss your child’s sleep needs with you based on their observations during care.

At Where we Grow, we support healthy sleep habits by building consistent routines and providing restful environments for naps. We understand every child is different and we’re here to help families find out what works best for them.

Music and Movement Incursion

At Where we Grow, we believe learning should be active, joyful, and engaging – and nothing captures that better than our Happy Feet Fitness musical incursions! These weekly sessions bring together music, movement, and imaginative play in a way that supports every area of your child’s development.

Happy Feet Fitness is more than just a fun dance class. It’s a play-based learning experience that blends educational themes, physical activity, social connection, and creativity into one action-packed adventure.

🎵 Why Music and Movement Matter

Music and movement are powerful tools in early childhood education. They:

- Boost brain development, especially in language, memory, and concentration

- Support coordination, balance, and gross motor skills

- Build confidence and encourage self-expression

- Foster emotional regulation and social skills

- Keep children physically active—setting healthy habits for life

💃 What Makes Happy Feet Fitness So Special?

Each Happy Feet class is a themed adventure, where children sing, dance, move, and imagine their way through stories, songs, and characters. Creative, original music is used, alongside handmade costumes and vibrant props to spark children's imagination. One week they might be pirates on a treasure hunt; the next, space explorers or jungle animals! All children are welcome to participate at their own pace, with no pressure to perform. It’s a safe space for creativity, joy, and movement.

👣 Growing Through Movement, Every Week

The Happy Feet Incursions are one of the many ways we enrich our curriculum and support children's holistic development. It’s just one more reason families choose Where we Grow Early Learning School.

Want to see the magic in action? Watch a recap of Happy Feet at our Where we Grow Narre Warren Victoria Road centre
here to experience the energy, joy, and learning that happens when music meets movement.

Supporting Our Educators and Strengthening Your Child’s Care

At Where we Grow we’re committed to providing the highest quality care and education for your child. That means not only nurturing their development every day, but also supporting the amazing educators who make it all possible. Thanks to the Australian Government Worker Retention Payment initiative, our educators will receive a 15% above-award wage increase, rolled out in two stages - 10% from December 2024, and a further 5% in December 2025.

Here’s why this matters to you and your child:

👩‍🏫 1. Consistency Matters: Familiar Faces for Your Child

Young children thrive when they have strong, trusting relationships with their educators. Better wages help reduce staff turnover, meaning your child sees the same familiar, caring faces every day.

💼 2. Attracting the Best Talent

Early childhood education is a rewarding career and this wage increase helps make early education a more attractive and sustainable career, allowing us to recruit and retain passionate, qualified educators who love what they do.

💛 3. Professional Recognition for Educators

This initiative helps recognise the profession across the sector and the care, dedication and expertise that our educators provide.

💰 4. No Extra Cost for Families

You might be wondering—will fees go up because of this? The answer is: No.
To qualify for this funding, early learning services must limit fee increases, ensuring the wage rise doesn’t get passed on to families.

🌱 5. A Stronger Sector for Everyone

Ultimately, this investment strengthens the whole early learning sector. When educators feel valued and supported, children learn and grow in richer, more stable environments—and families can feel confident they’re receiving the highest quality care.

At Where we Grow, we believe when our educators thrive, so do our children. We’re proud to be part of this important step forward and are committed to continuing to provide your family with the very best care and early education.

Thank you for being part of our Where we Grow community.

A GUIDE TO SCHOOL READINESS

Starting primary school is a big milestone—for children and parents alike! Between the ages of 0 and 6, your child develops the foundational skills they’ll use every day in the classroom and beyond. At Where we Grow, we prepare children with the confidence, curiosity, and resilience for school readiness.

Here’s our guide to best prepare your child for school:

1. Build Independence Early

Encourage your child to do simple tasks on their own like putting on shoes, packing their bag, using the toilet, or tidying up after play. These everyday activities help them feel confident and capable when it's time to manage this in a school environment.

2. Establish Routines

Help your child establish regular routines. Start with consistent wake-up, meal, and bedtime habits. By practicing morning routines similar to a school day—this will help make the transition much smoother.

3. Develop Social Skills

Enrolling your child into Where we Grow's Kindergarten program will allow them to learn in a group environment and establish key skills such as sharing, turn-taking, problem-solving with peers, listening and following instructions.

4. Encourage Language and Communication

Reading together daily boosts vocabulary, listening skills, and their imagination. Ask open-ended questions like “What do you think happens next?” or “How did that make you feel?” These conversations build strong language foundations.

5. Practice Fine Motor Skills

Activities like drawing or playing with playdough strengthens small muscles in the hand, which are essential for writing and other self-care tasks like buttoning clothes or opening lunch box containers.

6. Support Early Literacy and Numeracy

Introduce letters, numbers, shapes, and colours through play. For instance you can count blocks while building, sing the alphabet song, or spot shapes in nature. Keep it fun and pressure-free—children learn best when they’re engaged and enjoying themselves.

7. Foster a Love of Learning

Curiosity is one of the most important traits for school readiness. Encourage your child to ask questions, explore new ideas, and try new things. Celebrate their effort over perfection to help them build a growth mindset.

8. Build Emotional Readiness

Help your child recognise, name and express their emotions. Practice ways to calm down, like deep breathing or taking a break. Being emotionally ready means they can cope better with the new experiences, challenges, and friendships that school brings.

9. Visit the School Together

Attend orientation sessions as familiarity with the new school environment can ease anxiety and make the first day feel more exciting than overwhelming.

10. Partner with Our Educators

Where we Grow is here to support you. Talk with our friendly educators about your child’s strengths and areas to grow. Together, we can tailor learning experiences that nurture your child's school readiness.

Every child develops at their own pace. The goal isn’t about perfection - it’s about progress. By focusing on these areas early on, you’ll give your child the best possible start to their school journey.

UNLOCK YOUR CHILD'S LITERACY POTENTIAL!

We are thrilled to announce that Where we Grow Early Learning School has been implementing the Little Learners Love Literacy (LLLL) program into our curriculum! This engaging and structured approach is designed to equip your child with the foundational skills they need to become confident readers, writers, and spellers.

At Where we Grow, we understand that fostering a love for literacy begins early. That’s why we’ve chosen LLLL – a program that goes beyond simple ABCs to provide an explicit literacy curriculum packed with focused lessons, interactive games, creative crafts, music, puppetry, drawing, and a variety of other exciting activities, all designed to build your child's confidence in their emerging literacy skills.

A Structured Path to Literacy Success

The LLLL program is thoughtfully structured into seven sequential stages. This allows children to learn, practice, and apply new skills, continuously reinforcing their development towards proficiency. Stages 1-4 focus on the "simple code," teaching children the sounds of the alphabet and how to read and spell consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words.

We believe in making learning fun and accessible. That's why we’ll be incorporating the delightful story of Milo’s Birthday Surprise and the charming Ally Alligator puppet to introduce letters (graphemes) and sounds (phonemes) of the alphabet systematically. This explicit and engaging approach helps children understand that spoken words are made up of individual sounds, known as phonemes.

The Power of Phonemic Awareness

While recognising and reciting the alphabet from A-Z is a great start, truly developing reading, writing, and spelling skills requires understanding the 26 letters in accordance with their sounds. The Milo's Birthday Surprise storybook is specifically designed to teach these sound/letter links. It helps children develop crucial phonemic awareness skills like identification, blending, segmenting, and manipulating sounds. These skills are vital building blocks for future literacy success.

Our approach uses a multisensory learning environment, allowing children to learn these complex concepts through play. This aligns perfectly with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), which defines literacy as "the capacity, confidence, and disposition to use language in all its forms." Children develop a wide range of literacy skills from infancy, and the LLLL program will solidify these foundations, preparing them for the more formal reading and writing instruction they’ll encounter when they start school.

By embedding the LLLL program into our play-based learning environment, Where we Grow is creating rich literacy opportunities that will empower your child on their journey to becoming a proficient and enthusiastic reader and writer. We can't wait to see your child flourish with the Little Learners Love Literacy Program!

Watch our introductory video about LLLL on Instagram here!

JOIN OUR KINDER INFO NIGHTS 2025

Is your child ready to embark on an incredible learning adventure? We're thrilled to invite you to Where we Grow's upcoming Kinder Info Nights, happening at multiple centres on various dates! This is your chance to explore everything our Kindergarten program has to offer and see how we make learning an exciting journey for your little one.

At our Kinder Info Night, you'll have the opportunity to:

Kindergarten Unpacked: Get a clear and comprehensive overview of our kindergarten program. We'll delve into important topics like Kinder funding, gap fees, and our unique early learning approach that fosters curiosity and a love for learning.
Dive into Our Exceptional Programs: Discover how we give your child the best head start! Learn all about our renowned Little Learners Love Literacy Program 📚, designed to build strong foundational literacy skills, and our comprehensive School Readiness Program✨, which ensures your child is confident and prepared for their transition to school.
Meet Our Amazing Educators: This is your chance to connect with the heart of our centers – our dedicated Kindergarten Teachers and Educators! They'll be on hand to answer all your questions, share their passion for early childhood education, and discuss how they create a nurturing and stimulating environment for every child.
Explore Our Vibrant Learning Spaces: Step inside our engaging Kinder rooms! See firsthand the fun, stimulating activities and vibrant learning experiences we offer every day. From creative art projects 🎨 to imaginative play areas 🧸, you'll get a real sense of the dynamic environment where your child will thrive.
Enjoy Refreshments on Us: We'll have complimentary snacks and refreshments 🍪 available for you to enjoy as you learn more about our programs and chat with our team.

Ready to save your spot? Register now for FREE via the link below! One ticket covers the whole family. We look forward to seeing you there!

Event Dates

Where we Grow Narre Warren Tinks Road - 02nd July

Where we Grow Narre Warren Victoria Road - 14th July

Where we Grow Mernda - 21st July

Where we Grow Craigieburn - 31st July

Where we Grow Research - 06th August

Where we Grow Emerald - 07th August

Where we Grow Glenroy - 08th August

Where we Grow Gembrook - 14th August

CELEBRATING 3 YEARS AT NARRE WARREN (TINKS RD)!

🎉Where We Grow Narre Warren Tinks Rd is turning THREE, and you're invited to a day of FREE, unforgettable fun!🎈

We've planned an exciting day filled with fantastic activities and delicious treats for the whole family.

Here's what you can look forward to:

🍔 Delicious Food Trucks: Satisfy your cravings with mouthwatering halal food and indulge in sweet treats from our delightful dessert truck.

🎭 Magical Entertainment: Watch as Elsa and Superman bring smiles to children’s faces with amazing face painting and twisting balloons.

🐾 Adorable Animal Encounters: Get up close and personal with friendly animals from our mini animal farm.

🎨 Exciting Incursions: Enjoy interactive activities designed to delight children of all ages.

Event Details

📅 Date: Saturday, May 3rd
🕙 Time: 10 AM – 1 PM
📍 Location: 36 Tinks Rd, Narre Warren, VIC 3805
🎟 Tickets: FREE (Registration Required)

We can’t wait to see you there!

🔹 RSVP now and get your FREE ticket via the link below:
Register on Eventbrite

🎟 One ticket covers the whole family!

NARRE WARREN (VIC RD) AUTUMN HOLIDAY PROGRAM

Looking for exciting activities to keep your child entertained these school holidays? We’ve got you!

Join Narre Warren (Vic Rd)’s Autumn Holiday Program for children ages 6 to 12.

Our two-week program is packed with fun, safe, and engaging activities designed by our qualified Educators—ensuring your child has a fantastic time.

PLUS we provide fresh, nutritious meals cooked on site.

WHO: Children aged 6 to 12
WHEN: April 7th to 17th, 2025 (Monday to Friday, 6:30 AM – 6:30 PM)
WHERE: 36-38 Victoria Rd, Narre Warren VIC
WHAT TO BRING: Hat, drink bottle, enclosed shoes, and a sun-safe t-shirt
COST: $145 per day (before CCS)

Our Autumn Holiday Program Calendar is below:

Book a single day or multiple days! All casual bookings are welcome.
Hurry, limited spots available.
CALL 8753 7755 TO BOOK NOW!