Questions we get asked all the time

Can't find what you're looking for? Get in touch directly — we're happy to talk through anything.

FAQs

  • Our daycare welcomes children from 6 weeks through to school age across six purpose-designed learning studios.

    Each studio is tailored to the developmental stage of the children inside it — the materials, the pace and the kinds of experiences on offer.

    For more information, check out our Age Groups webpage.

  • We're open Monday to Friday, 6:30am to 6:30pm.

    We're closed on Queensland public holidays.

  • Yes. Our Karang Studio runs an approved kindergarten program for children in the year before school, delivered by a qualified early childhood teacher and aligned to the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline.

    Queensland Kindy funding applies — making it significantly more affordable for eligible families.

    For more information on our kindergarten, check out our Age Groups webpage.

    For more information on the cost, check out our Fees & Childcare Subsidy webpage.

  • Yes — we provide nappies and wipes for children in our care.

The basics

  • To keep your child comfortable, please bring:

    • A broad-brimmed hat for outdoor play

    • Two or more changes of clothes — we encourage messy play

    • A named water bottle

    • Bed sheets for rest times

    • For infants, also bring formula or breast milk and any bottles required for feeds.

    Our team will walk you through anything specific to your child during orientation.

  • Outdoor play is central to our program, not an add-on to it. Children move freely between indoors and outside throughout the day, following their own curiosity.

    Our outdoor space is large, natural and open-ended — designed for climbing, digging, building and the kind of unhurried physical play that builds real confidence and resilience.

    For our Karang kindergarten children, this extends to weekly Jagun Bush Kindy on Mununjali Country — time on the land with dedicated Bush Kindy educators.

    To view our outdoor spaces, view our Environment webpage.

  • Yes. Our chef prepares fresh meals on-site every day — morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. Everything is made from scratch with seasonal ingredients. Nothing comes from a packet.

    We cater for all dietary requirements including allergies, intolerances and cultural or religious needs. Please let us know at enrolment and our chef is briefed directly.

    For more information, see our Nutrition webpage.

A typical day

  • We don't run structured literacy sessions or formal writing lessons — and that's deliberate. Research is clear that premature formal instruction in reading and writing can undermine children's confidence and long-term relationship with learning.

    Instead, literacy is woven through meaningful, real contexts throughout the day — storytelling, mark-making, books, conversations, signs in the environment, children writing their own names when they're ready.

    By the time children leave us they have a strong foundation in language, communication and early literacy without ever having sat through a worksheet.

  • School readiness at The Learning Garden isn't about rote learning of letters and numbers. It's about building the whole child — confident, curious, resilient and capable of collaborating with others.

    Through play-based and inquiry-driven experiences, children develop the language, problem-solving skills, emotional regulation and independence that actually predict success at school.

    Children who love learning arrive ready — we focus on that first.

  • Through a mix of face-to-face and digital communication via OWNA, our family platform.

    • Daily — educator conversations at drop-off and pick-up.

    • Weekly — a Learning Thread sharing how the term's research is unfolding, plus an Emerging Play Concept for the week ahead.

    • Twice a year — a personal Summative Assessment for your child.

    • Any time — phone or in-person meetings on request.

    We value real conversation over platform notifications. If you want to talk, just ask.

Learning & development

  • Child safety is a culture here, not a policy document.

    Every educator holds a current Working With Children Check, completes annual child protection training and follows clear supervision and reporting procedures.

    We have a no-phones policy while working with children, active supervision across all spaces and CCTV throughout the centre.

    We're aligned with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and the Child Safe Standards.

    For more information, see our Health & Safety webpage.

  • We'll contact you promptly.

    We follow Queensland Health exclusion guidelines for infectious illness and ask that children who are unwell stay home — both for their own recovery and to protect the rest of the community.

    Our team are also all first-aid qualified and anaphylaxis trained.

Safety & wellbeing

  • Start by filling out our enquiry form. When a spot becomes available, we will reach out to book in a tour and discuss your care needs.

    See our Enrolments webpage for more information on the process.

  • Most families pay significantly less than the headline fee once the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is applied.

    For kindy-age children, Queensland Kindy funding applies on top of CCS — for many families this makes kindy at The Learning Garden cost very little out of pocket.

    The Services Australia CCS estimator gives you an accurate figure based on your household income and activity hours.

    Our team is also happy to walk you through it.

    See our Fees and Childcare Subsidy webpage for more information.

Enrolment and fees

Still have questions?

We're happy to talk through anything, just reach out.