When Can Children Attend Childcare?

Every child and family situation is different, so we know there isn’t one simple answer. However, the beauty of childcare at Stepping Stone (SA) is that you’ve got plenty of options and flexibility to suit your situation.

At Stepping Stone (SA), there is no age that is considered to be too young or too early — our highly educated team are there to care for your child from the teeny tiny baby stage (0 years old) all the way through the toddler and kindy stages, until they start school.

So if you’re starting to think about your options — let us help make your decision a little bit easier.

Our curriculum is designed specifically for each age group, and the daily activities and schedule is altered to suit the range of children that are in each class. Overall, we encourage children to learn through play and intentional teaching, while also allowing them to make their own choices to take part in the activities that they are most interested in — whatever that may be!

Babies

Suitable for children aged 0-2

One beautiful aspect of babies is that they all have their own unique routines and schedules. Our educators use your baby’s individual routines as a guide, and then work to introduce daily activities providing a safe, secure and nurturing environment.

The activities that are arranged for the baby age group are all designed to develop their physical strength, hand-eye coordination, senses, spatial orientation, and communication skills.

Our team understands that leaving your baby for any period of time can be daunting at first, so we promise to maintain regular and ongoing communication with families.

Babies

Suitable for children aged 0-2

One beautiful aspect of babies is that they all have their own unique patterns and schedules. Our educators use your baby’s individual patterns as a guide, and then work to introduce daily activities providing a safe, secure and nurturing environment.

The activities that are arranged for the baby age group are all designed to develop their physical strength, hand-eye coordination, senses, spatial orientation, and communication skills.

Our team understands that leaving your baby for any period of time can be daunting at first, so we promise to maintain regular and ongoing communication with families.

Toddlers

Suitable for children ages 2-3

Toddlers are busy-bees, so we aim to provide them with a whole new world that they can see and discover! Through the art of play, each child is encouraged to explore and experience the world around them, as well as engage with other children of a similar age to improve social skills and overall communication.

There is a strong focus on each childs’ unique skills and interests, and our team works with each child to increase their ability in the areas that they are most interested in.

Toddlers are at such a progressive age, as their personalities begin to develop and shine through. We encourage feedback and open communication between educators and families to draw on home life experiences, and to keep parents updated on their child’s progress from day-to-day.

Kindy

Suitable for children aged 3-5

Kindy children are encouraged to use non-verbal and verbal communication through various forms. Artistic, musical and sensory experiences provide opportunities for non-verbal expression. Verbal communication is developed through group games, stories, social interactions, and ‘show and tell’ activities.

Our centres run a preschool program to support children to develop the essential skills and confidence to prepare them for starting school. The resources provided and programmed activities provide opportunities for children to develop literacy awareness. This is inclusive of recognised programs such as Letterland or Jolly Phonics.

We reflect on each child’s progress and encourage feedback and open communication between families and educators to draw on home life experiences. This is an important time in your child’s life and regular communication with every parent is maintained to keep you informed about the progress of your child’s day.

Kindy

Suitable for children aged 3-5

Kindy children are encouraged to use non-verbal and verbal communication through various forms. Artistic, musical and sensory experiences provide opportunities for non-verbal expression. Verbal communication is developed through group games, stories, social interactions, and ‘show and tell’ activities.

To give your child a head start in school, our educators also start to incorporate some pre-writing and reading activities based around letterland or Jolly Phonics, which is used in most reception classes, giving your child a head start in school. Unique to Stepping Stone is our ‘readiness for schools’ program, which provides your children with the essential skills and competence to assist them when they start school.

We reflect on each child’s progress and encourage feedback and open communication between families and educators to draw on home life experiences. This is an important time in your child’s life and regular communication with every parent is maintained to keep you informed about the progress of your child’s day.

Flexibility and communication is the key

Flexibility

Every single living situation and family dynamic is different, and for this reason our team at Stepping Stone (SA) is proud to offer flexibility where possible.

For parents of young children, committing to a full day of childcare can seem overwhelming at first — for this reason, we encourage you to instead start small with a half day, before progressing through to full days.

If your childcare schedule depends on your work schedule, we will also work with you to create an achievable dropoff and pickup arrangement.

Communication

Above all else, we invite all parents and guardians to get in touch with Stepping Stone (SA) to speak about the suitability of childcare for your child’s individual needs and age.

We would love to help guide you through this process.

Enquire about enrolment at one of our centres

Enrol today