Kids Academy News

In the realm of childhood, messiness is often synonymous with fun, laughter, and learning. Engaging in messy play allows children to explore the world around them in a hands-on and immersive way. From squishing mud between their fingers to creating intricate sandcastles, the benefits of messy play extend far beyond the visible chaos. Let's delve into what children learn from these wonderfully messy experiences.

Welcome to the fourth installment of our National Quality Standards seven-part series, where we provide an in-depth look into the seven quality areas benchmarked against the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) standards.

With Graduation done and dusted, you and your child may be nervous about the transition into Big School. Here are five tips to support your child with this significant milestone and set them up for success.

Transitions can be challenging for some children, Affinity has developed a process that ensures your child transitions smoothly into their next classroom.

Many parents are curious about their baby's experience after commencing care in an Early Childhood setting. In the early weeks, it is best to take things slow and allow time for your baby to process all the learning in our Healthy Beginning Curriculum.

These top 5 blogs have captured hearts and minds, providing a treasure trove of knowledge and inspiration for parents, educators, and anyone passionate about the growth and well-being of our youngest learners. Join us in celebrating the year's most-read blogs.

Affinity Education Group has increased its commitment to The Smith Family Learning for Life program again in the third quarter of 2023, with 236 individual child sponsorships now being actively supported on behalf of centres around Australia. The program acknowledges the importance of additional support for children facing disadvantages, recognising that such support is essential for maintaining their engagement in education.

At this time of year, many families are turning their thoughts to the festive season and family holidays. We know that December and January is a busy time of year, so we wanted to reassure you that our centres are not scaling down activities over the festive period. Unlike primary schools, we remain fully operational and focused on children's learning goals.

Welcome to the second part of our National Quality Standards seven-part series, where we provide an in-depth look into the seven quality areas benchmarked against the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) standards.

The Lifelong Learning Curriculum offers an abundance of research-based practices that ensure continuous learning during the holiday season. As a parent, you may wonder what development your child is progressing with during this time. Throughout the holiday season, your child is able to engage in our play-based School Readiness Intensive program that encourages shared sustained thinking with peers.

Are you juggling gift shopping, decorating, work obligations and keeping your child entertained over the festive season? Learning doesn’t stop at Lifelong Learning Centres; in fact the festive season offers fantastic learning opportunities for our Early Experience Children!

Research shows that children's development and learning is continuous. There are plenty of opportunities to learn regardless of the season. There are two important reasons why children benefit from care throughout the holiday period. Consistency and predictability of care are essential benefits, as is a more gradual transition into the new year.

Welcome to the second part of our National Quality Standards seven-part series, where we provide an in-depth look into the seven quality areas benchmarked against the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) standards.

Effective early childhood education is of utmost importance in a successful transition to school and love for Lifelong Learning. Our LLC program is dedicated to ensuring this is achieved all year long.

It is natural to wonder whether infants and young children can benefit from time spent in an early childhood environment. At Affinity Education-owned centres, our Lifelong Learning Curriculum (LLC) begins as soon as your child commences their enrolment with us, regardless of age.

Language is a crucial component of school readiness. No matter a child's age, they actively develop skills to become proficient and active communicators. Research shows that language development is best supported by early exposure to language and sound awareness skills.

As we begin 2024, we would like to share with you more information about our Lifelong Learning Curriculum, which is the cornerstone of how we work here at Affinity Education.

This month, we are highlighting the Lifelong Learning Curriculum, Australia's most progressive approach to early education that operates within all our Early Learning Centres. Our Educators implement this program to support our little learners to reach their full potential.

Your child is invited to join us during our Summer Program! Throughout December, we have planned additional exciting activities to help your child continue their early learning journey whilst benefiting from a rich variety of learning opportunities.

Research continues to highlight the importance of the first five years of a child’s life as the most critical period in the life span for brain development (Fox & Geddes, 2016).

Children express themselves through different behaviours and experiment with ways to build friendships. Read more to find out how we do it!

There is so much research and focus on just how crucial the first five years of a child’s life are and how this has an impact on social, emotional and future academic success.

We all know that, in general, having friends is an important aspect of life and one that provides us with some of our most cherished experiences throughout life.

Our Kids Academy centres are committed to a continuous improvement journey that enriches quality education and care delivery benchmarked against the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) standards.

National Safe Work Month is upon us! Kids Academy Centres have jam-packed this October with a variety of events and programs to highlight the steps our centres and their amazing teams take to ensure the well-being and safety of those in our community.

Through the second and third week of September, all our Kids Academy centres participated in the Aussie Wildlife Champions fundraiser drive for the Australian Wildlife Conservancy.

This month, we wanted to share with you a little more about early childhood education, what it means, and how it works, and give you a glimpse of what your child may actually experience while with us each day.

When thinking about a typical day in the Nursery, it is common to have preconceptions about what happens and how the educators facilitate learning. Through online research and centre tours, you will most likely obtain information that highlights how the infant room follow the baby's routine, focuses on relationships, provides sensory play, and the role of the educator may be described as an expert multitasker.

Every day in our Toddler room is filled with different types of learning that your child’s Educators have intentionally planned to support children’s growth and learning outcomes. From the moment you drop them off to our Educators to the moment your Toddler runs back to your arms with a big smile in the afternoon, your child’s day is enriched by our age-specific 1–3-year-old Early Experiences Curriculum, to ensure every child learns something fascinating and exciting every day.

Early Childhood Education has proven to play a major role in a child’s transition to school, and here at Kids Academy, we have passionate Educators and Early Childhood Teachers who deliver a range of programs to extend children’s curiosity, growth, and independence. This article will explore a typical day in our preschool/Kindergarten rooms.

Over the week of the 21st of August, our Kids Academy centres celebrated book week through the power of dress up, imagination and creativity as our Educators and Teachers developed learning experiences inspired by the books the children read every day.

Spring is the season for growth, and at our centres, growth can be seen in every room, program and child in our Lifelong Learning Village.

Last week, all Kids Academy centres participated in National Science Week, one of our more loved and educational events of the year for our children, educators and teachers!

On the 10 July 2023, the Australian Government increasing the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) rates for families within Australia, resulting in reduced gap fees for your family.

Entertaining children when it’s wet outside, can be difficult for an excitable and energetic child, and our Early Childcare Centres know all too well what it means when the grey clouds roll in.

In an exciting Australia-first, more than 10,000 children aged between 3-5 years will have access to the new Aussie Wildlife Champions Lifelong Learning Curriculum program as the result of a partnership between Affinity Education Group and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC).

The countdown is on to Wednesday, the 6th of September, when our centres will celebrate Early Childhood Educators Day.

National Science Week is fast approaching, with the official date to launch from the 12th all the way through to the 20th of August.

Sensory play, messy play or creative play are just some of the terms used to describe a lot of fun! As a child our senses are a vital foundation of how we experience the world around us, and sensory-based play is an essential part of babies, toddlers and preschoolers' learning development.

Transitioning into care for the first time can often feel daunting for families and full of natural curiosities and ‘what if’ type questions, like “What if my baby doesn’t eat the food you provide?”

Graduating from the junior rooms to the older 3-5-year old programs is a significant and exciting transition for young children.

Separation anxiety is common in young children, it occurs when children are feeling nervous about being away from their parents or carers.

It’s that time of year when families begin to turn their attention to deciding where their child should be enrolled for their preschool or kindergarten year.

Graduating from one room to the next is a significant event for children, their families and educators alike. In this article we explore what you can expect as your child transitions from one room to the next.

Returning to work as a breastfeeding mother is a right for employees and parents throughout Australia and here and Kids Academy Centres, we are committed to making this transition as easy as possible.

Our Kids Academy centres recognised National Reconciliation Week by creating engaging activities designed to provide meaningful learning opportunities whilst having fun!

The importance of language development in early childhood cannot be overstated. During these vital years, children’s ability to understand, process and produce language flourishes in an amazing way.

Play-based activities are a valuable learning technique for infants. “Playing allows babies to practice skills they’ll need as they continue to grow and develop. Babies are naturally curious, and playing enables them to experiment, explore and problem solve,” explains Jola Sung, Education Advisor at Affinity Education Group.

Outdoor play is so important to a child’s education, Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) have included it within their Early Years Learning Framework and is a part of their centre assessment criteria.

Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) has always played a vital role in the development of our Lifelong Learning Curriculum for children aged 3 to 5 years old.

National Quality Framework: A parent’s guide In Australia, Early Childhood Services are guided by the National Quality Framework regulated by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).

When Kandas was the Assistant Centre Manager at Kids Academy Warnervale almost three years ago, she delighted families with her professionalism, her commitment to their children’s education, and her drive to go above and beyond.

We are excited to announce Kids Academy Springfield will be hosting its Grand Opening on the 6th of March to a new village of little learners and their families! Located at 6 Meadow Road, Springfield in New South Wales.

Across our Kids Academy Centres, we proudly celebrated International Women’s Day today. Our community of early education and care centres are privileged to play such a special role in children’s lives.

Through December, the team at Aussie Kindies Early Learning Kyabram hosted Crazy Hair Day to raise important funds for Variety’s Hair with Heart.

As families in our community continue to face disruptions due to COVID-19, we are working hard to keep our centres healthy and open for our families. Learn more about what we are doing to protect our community.