Why choose Adeona?

Finding the right early childhood education centre isn’t always simple, so how can you be sure Adeona is the right fit for your family?

Our Relationship-based Curriculum

Our infant and toddler programs are heavily influenced by Magda Gerber’s Educaring® Approach.

An Educaring® Approach, also commonly known as RIE® (Resources for Infant Educarers), is a way of being with infants and toddlers that nurtures their whole being and appreciates the processes that children progress through to become their authentic selves.

Through our responsive, respectful and reciprocal relationships we are able to create an environment where children feel safe, secure and supported to learn.

By allowing children to be agents in their own learning and have control over their environments, they develop a life-long love of learning.

“Adeona strives for the development of a happiness-centered service. We are dedicated to providing high quality care through a commitment to best practice. We understand that early childhood is a critical time for children’s growth and development, and as such, our environment, interactions and curriculum are child-focused and centered around the community that exists within Adeona.”

Sammy, Adeona Mitchelton Teacher

Qualified Teachers and Educators

At Adeona, we’re committed to supporting and nurturing new generations of lifelong learners through our unique RIE inspired approach to early education and care.

Our degree-qualified Teachers, Educators and Educational Leaders achieve this through providing a holistic learning environment where children are free to observe, question, experiment and explore. This includes:

• Promoting and developing children’s dispositions for lifelong learning through play, open exploration and intentional teaching
• Encouraging children to be socially competent, respectful of diversity and actively contributing to the community
• Creating an environment where children feel valued, trusted and confident
• Providing children with the tools to develop autonomy, interdependence, resilience and a sense of agency
• Encouraging children to have a sense of belonging and achievement
• Acquiring a deep understanding of the holistic child in order to create authentic and effective programs and practices

As lifelong learners ourselves, Adeona Teachers and Educators are provided with a wide range of opportunities for on-going professional development. This ensures that Adeona is always at the forefront of unique and contemporary approaches to early education and care.

Family-driven Tools and Resources

We know how hard it can be to balance all those daily commitments, which is why we offer a wide range of support and initiatives designed with one goal: making your life just that little bit easier. We do this through:

• Establishing excellent communication practices through the StoryPark app that keep you informed throughout the day with photos, videos and updates about your child. All photos, videos, documentation and discussions with Educators are easily accessible instantly through email and the simple to use StoryPark app. Information about your child’s day can also be viewed in your child’s room at the end of each day
• Encouraging parents to share their ideas and suggestions on StoryPark to support a meaningful connection between home and childcare
• Creating the Adeona podcast to provide families, parents and caregivers with the tools and resources they need to better understand and meaningfully engage with their children. From early childhood education and development to practical parenting tips, all our podcast episode content comes as a result of real conversations with Adeona parents and caregivers
• A simplified drop off and pick up process to help with busy mornings and afternoons
• Events and evenings where parents can get to know each other
• Events and information nights where the Adeona team share vital information and insight into a range of areas and topics relating to childcare and child development
• Exposure to a range of cultures and languages via our diverse and multicultural educator mix and language programs
• The Fathering Project, introduced to Adeona centres in 2020, gives fathers and caregivers advice on how they can build positive relationships with their children as well as building community amongst the Adeona dads
• Open days that invite families, friends and members of the community to our centres. Likewise, parents can participate in the program by sharing special skills like cooking and music, as well as by collecting recycled materials for art and helping at social functions
• Access to the parents retreat to work and unwind

By working together, parents and educators can help each child develop to their full potential. We encourage parent input and suggestion for our centre policies, philosophy and parent information documents.

Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten Programs

Adeona centres operate a Queensland Government Approved Kindergarten program designed and led by Bachelor qualified Early Childhood Teachers.

Our Pre-Kindergarten program has a strong focus on building emotional capacity as children learn to play collaboratively.

Here, we focus on creating environments that allow children to engage deeply in the flow of play, providing many opportunities for imaginative and exploratory learning. This is extremely important in building cognitive capacity and creativity, both of which are identified as essential skills for future prosperity.

Our Kindergarten program provides an environment where children can explore and grow, with a focus on building the social skills, emotional intelligence and learning dispositions that will help them succeed not just at school but in life.

Our program gives children access to a teacher for 7.5 hours a day where, through open-ended play-based experiences, they learn:

• Early literacy and numeracy skills
• Encouraging children to be socially competent, respectful of diversity and actively contributing to the community
• Arts and sciences in the curriculum through play, exploration and enquiry
• The ability to make friends and enter into play
• A love of learning and curiosity
• Resilience, self confidence and persistence
• The ability to regulate emotions
• How to develop a balance of interdependence and independence with peers and teachers as well as the ability to do things such as toilet independently, open and close food containers, wash hands, remove and put on clothing and shoes

Environments and Resources

We believe children have the right to learn in a way that is natural and meaningful to them. As such we provide an environment where children can explore and grow, with a focus on building the social skills, emotional intelligence and learning dispositions that will help them succeed not just at school but in life.

At Adeona centres, we believe in freedom of movement for children. That’s why we create environments that promote learning through exploration, curiosity and play. As part of our Educaring® Inspired Approach, we value children as competent and self directed learners who grow and develop in their own time.

We believe in children’s gross motor development naturally unfolding and so provide open ended resources such as passive toys, as well as refraining from placing children in restrictive equipment such as high chairs, bouncers and rockers.

Children are provided with a range of natural resources, materials and sensory-rich learning activities that inspire creativity, discovery and curiosity. Likewise, we make our environments safe and engaging without overstimulating children while focusing on processes involved in gross motor development rather than the end result.

Adeona educators allow children freedom throughout the day including during care moments and uninterrupted play. Children are not placed into positions in which they cannot get into themselves, but rather are emotionally supported through physical challenges, with intervention if required.

This allows primary carers to read each individual child’s cue’s and respond appropriately.

Health, Happiness and Wellbeing

At Adeona, we endorse a healthy food program throughout our centres. We provide nutritious morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea through Kids Gourmet Food (KGF) while respecting cultural and family values, allergies and special dietary requests.

Our permanent team members are fully trained and certified holders of current Senior First Aid certificates, with qualifications in responding to asthma and anaphylaxis. Likewise our team members are fire safety trained and certified.

The Adeona team are dedicated to providing and maintaining healthy environments that safeguard children and staff, which include:

• Safe pick up and drop off procedures
• Sun protection and safety
• Illness and communicable disease procedures including temperature checks
• Excursions and incursions
• Diligent hygiene and handwashing procedures
• Safe sleep and rest time
• Risk management strategies
• Food safety
• Child protection training

Community and a Sense of Belonging

Just as building relationships is an important part of our primary care model with the children at Adeona, we also aim to bring about a sense of community, connection and belonging for all of our Adeona parents and caregivers.

Placing a strong value on children and families first languages, Adeona employs a diverse team who can speak a wide range of languages. This is not only vital in promoting a sense of belonging for all children and families, but has many developmental benefits.

As active members of our communities, we aim to provide our families with everything they could need, including:

• Family information nights and hosted events for parents and caregivers
• Community development groups like the Fathering Project
• The Adeona podcast which provides parents with tools and resources they need to better understand and meaningfully engage with their children
• Incursions such as tennis, happy feet fitness, and other events
• Parental retreat space where parents and caregivers can work and unwind
• Partnering with local business and supporting family and community projects

“Childhood is not a race to see how quickly a child can read, write and count. It is a small window of time to learn and develop at the pace that is right for each individual child.”

Magda Gerber