Nurturing curiosity, confidence and a lifelong love of learning
Saint Stephen’s College Early Learning Centre provides a nurturing and inspiring environment where children are known, valued and respected.
Through genuine care, respectful relationships and meaningful learning experiences, children are supported to grow in confidence, curiosity and independence.
Children also benefit from specialist learning experiences with College teachers, visits to the College library and opportunities to participate in the wider life of Saint Stephen’s College.
Early Learning Centre at a glance
- Junior Kindy and Pre-Prep programs
- Children aged 2.5 years to school age
- Open Monday to Friday, 7am–6pm
- Purposefully small, three-room Centre
- Licensed for up to 68 children each day
- Educator staffing above minimum educator-to-child ratio requirements
- Queensland Government-approved kindergarten programs
- Free Kindy program available for eligible children
- Degree-qualified early childhood teachers
- Located within the grounds of Saint Stephen’s College
A welcoming community
Relationships with children and families are at the heart of everything we do.
Our purposefully small, three-room Centre intentionally maintains educator staffing above minimum educator-to-child ratio requirements. This supports responsive care, meaningful interactions and opportunities for educators to know each child and family well.
We recognise children as capable, confident and active participants in their learning. Educators build upon each child’s strengths, interests, culture, experiences and ideas to provide learning that is meaningful and responsive.
As part of Saint Stephen’s College, our Early Learning Centre is guided by the College values of Perseverance, Responsibility, Integrity, Diversity and Empathy. These values are embedded in everyday relationships, learning experiences and interactions, supporting children to care for others, appreciate differences, take increasing responsibility and persist when learning is challenging.
Our holistic approach supports children’s learning, development and wellbeing while nurturing confidence, resilience, agency and independence.
Our learning programs
Grasshoppers
Junior Kindy | 2.5–3.5 years
Children must turn three by 30 June in the year of enrolment.
The Grasshoppers program provides a caring and responsive environment where children can build secure relationships, strengthen communication and develop confidence and increasing independence.
Children are given time and space to play, explore, create and connect with others while experiencing the awe and wonder of the world around them.
Dragonflies and Butterflies
Pre-Prep | Approved kindergarten program | 3.5 years to school age
Children must turn four by 30 June in the year of enrolment.
Our Dragonflies and Butterflies rooms deliver Queensland Government-approved kindergarten programs led by degree-qualified early childhood teachers.
Through play, inquiry, intentional teaching and collaborative investigation, children develop the knowledge, skills and learning dispositions that support a positive transition to school and foster lifelong learning.
Pre-Prep and Free Kindy Information
Our Pre-Prep program provides a rich and engaging kindergarten experience for children in the year before they start school.
School readiness is about more than academic knowledge. Our holistic program supports children to develop confidence, independence, resilience, communication skills and positive relationships.
Through play, inquiry and intentional teaching, children are encouraged to express their ideas, build friendships, solve problems, persist with challenges and strengthen their early literacy and numeracy understandings. Educators use ongoing observation, assessment and professional reflection to recognise each child’s progress and plan meaningful next steps.
The Queensland Government’s Free Kindy program provides eligible children with access to 15 hours of an approved kindergarten program each week for up to 40 weeks of the year.
At Saint Stephen’s College Early Learning Centre, the approved kindergarten program is delivered by degree-qualified early childhood teachers and incorporated into our long day care program.
Learn more about Free Kindy, eligibility and fees
Curriculum and Learning
Our educational program is guided by the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2.0 and, in our Pre-Prep rooms, the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline 2024.
Children learn through an intentional, play-based and inquiry-focused curriculum shaped by their strengths, interests, ideas and emerging questions.
Play-based learning gives children opportunities to explore, imagine, create, solve problems, build relationships and make sense of the world around them. Children can make choices, test ideas, take on different roles and become confident, active participants in their learning.
Educators complement child-led learning with purposeful, educator-guided experiences that extend children’s thinking and strengthen important knowledge and skills.
Learning opportunities include:
- Language, communication and early literacy
- Early numeracy and mathematical thinking
- Science, technology, investigation and problem-solving
- Creative arts, music, movement and dramatic play
- Physical development and active outdoor learning
- Fine motor development
- Social and emotional learning
- Nature, sustainability and environmental responsibility
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and connections to Country
- Multicultural perspectives and cultural learning
- Opportunities for children to make choices, share ideas and influence their learning
Uninterrupted play, small-group experiences and purposeful interactions allow educators to respond to children’s ideas and extend their learning. Children are encouraged to ask questions, investigate possibilities and discover the “why” behind their learning.
Learning within the College
Our location within Saint Stephen’s College provides children with access to enriching experiences and learning environments.
These include:
- Visits to the College library
- Health and Physical Education classes with specialist teachers
- Music classes with specialist teachers
- Walks and nature investigations around the College grounds
- Visits to learning spaces such as the sports oval, basketball courts, and The Grove
- Familiarisation and transition experiences for Pre-Prep children
These opportunities extend children’s learning, inspire new interests and help Pre-Prep children become familiar with the College environment, supporting a confident and successful transition to Prep.
Within the Early Learning Centre, children also participate in engaging incursions, cultural celebrations, family occasions and community initiatives. These experiences bring children and families together and strengthen the sense of community and belonging within the ELC.
Partnerships with families and positive transitions
Families are children’s first and most important teachers. We value your knowledge of your child and work in partnership with you to support their learning, development and wellbeing.
Open and respectful communication allows families and educators to share insights, ideas, aspirations and concerns. Family cultures, experiences and perspectives contribute to curriculum planning and help us provide meaningful and individualised learning.
Families are warmly encouraged to participate in the life of the Early Learning Centre and contribute to the learning program and environment.
We also work closely with children and families as they begin at the Early Learning Centre, move between rooms and prepare for school. Secure relationships, familiar experiences and thoughtful transition practices help children approach each new stage with confidence.
Families are invited to share information about their child’s strengths, interests, needs and aspirations so that transition experiences can be responsive to each child.
Safe, welcoming and inspiring environments
Saint Stephen’s College is committed to being a child-safe organisation. The safety, wellbeing and best interests of every child are central to our culture, decisions and everyday practices.
Our indoor and outdoor environments are intentionally designed to encourage exploration, creativity, movement, connection and discovery. Flexible spaces and open-ended resources respond to children’s changing interests and support them to feel safe, capable and confident.
Learn more about our Commitment to Child Safety
Join our Early Learning Centre community
We warmly welcome children and families into a caring and connected community where they can belong, thrive and grow.
We look forward to sharing the wonderful journey of early learning, growth and discovery with your child and family.
