Lifelong Learning Curriculum

Welcome to the seventh 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. 

Using different types of data to plan for children is important for us to provide a quality and holistic School Readiness curriculum. Our Educators use data in different ways to ensure our learning experiences are intentionally reflective of every child’s interest and skills with consideration of the developmental milestones. Click here to find out more!

It has been well-researched that loving, nurturing and responsive relationships are fundamental to child development. Our Health Beginnings curriculum offers infants a secure foundation for learning, like building blocks.

Simply put, data is a collection of information that is used to make informed decisions. In the Early Experiences age groups, educators use both data and teaching strategies like the Abecedarian 3A to ensure the Lifelong Learning program and educator practices are centered on children’s interest and developmental milestones. Although there are many ways data is collected, we will focus on the use of Progress Records.

Welcome to the sixth instalment 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. 

Affinity Education Group has announced the latest addition to the Lifelong Learning Curriculum – a partnership with Wandana Aboriginal Education to deliver purpose-built Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural education. Dr Lesley Jones, Head of Education and Pedagogy, said the exciting partnership would give Affinity Education Group Educators and Teachers access to a high-quality platform to deliver immersive cultural experiences for children in Early Education.

Quality Area 5 of the National Quality Standard focuses on educators developing responsive, warm, trusting, and respectful relationships with children and young people that promote wellbeing, self-esteem, security, and belonging. These relationships encourage children to explore the environment and engage in play and learning.

Affinity Education Group has proudly partnered with the University of Wollongong with the aim of enhancing the capabilities of our Teachers and Educators working with children in our School Readiness rooms. By leveraging the expertise of academic professionals, and integrating evidence-based practices into our curriculum, we can enrich the learning experiences of our students and set them on the path to success.

The use of data is a crucial part of early childhood education. Most educators rely on data provided through research surveys, conversations with families and children or ongoing observations of children to support children's development effectively. The data educators receive from these three avenues is documented and used in planning for the best outcomes for children's learning. At an Early Experience age, children are developing in relation to independence, mastery of language and social skills, and competency in lifelong skills. Continue reading to find out how these forms of data are used in our Lifelong Learning Centres to promote children between the ages of 1 and 3.

The recent AEDC data tells us that more young children are becoming developmentally at risk in several domains. Our Healthy Beginning curriculum is devised to support the foundational learning of young infants in the targeted domains. Read more in our latest Healthy Beginnings Article.

Saturday 17th of February 2024 is Random Acts Of Kindness Day! The day was created by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (RAK), a nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing kindness as the standard. Random Acts Of Kindness Day aims to enhance mental health and wellbeing, foster community connections and a sense of belonging, encourage empathy and compassion, and inspire change.

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, so we have developed a process that ensures your child transitions smoothly into their next classroom.

Many researchers have suggested that it can take up to 6 months to settle an infant into an Early Childhood setting! Click here to explore what behaviours your child may exhibit and how to ease this transition with our Healthy Beginning Educators!

Qualified and experienced educators, who develop warm, respectful relationships with children, create predictable environments and encourage children’s active engagement in the learning program.

This month, we are highlighting the Lifelong Learning Curriculum, our signature educational program that operates within all our Early Learning Centres.

This month, we are highlighting the Lifelong Learning Curriculum, our signature educational program that operates within all our Early Learning Centres.

Welcome to the third installment of our National Quality Standards series where we highlight the importance of implementing the 7 key Quality Standards throughout all Lifelong Learning Centres. The third Quality Area addresses physical environment. Quality Area 3, as outlined in the National Quality Standard, strives to guarantee a secure, appropriate, and stimulating physical environment that fosters children's learning and development.

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.

With work deadlines, holiday plans and gift shopping all demanding time from families, there is a great benefit in having access to childcare throughout the holiday period. The good news is that our Lifelong Learning Centres are open and providing quality education and care throughout the holiday season. Read more to explore how to make the most of our Lifelong Learning Centres this holiday.

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!

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.

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.

This month, we are highlighting the Lifelong Learning Curriculum, our signature educational program that operates within all our Early Learning Centres.

Did you know that 1 in 4 preschoolers have developmental delays? This month we uncover proven strategies within the Lifelong Learning Curriculum that promote language, social and emotional development.

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

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. We know how much families like to take this time to have some well-deserved time off; however, here are some benefits to maintaining your child’s routine with their Early Childhood Centre in the lead-up to Primary School.

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.

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 Milestones 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.

The beginning of positive behaviour and relationship starts with building secure relationships in the first five years of a child’s life.

When children reach the Toddler stage, their confidence blooms as they know you are there to catch them if they fall.

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).

National Safe Work Month is upon us! Our Early Learning 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.

A part of this fundraiser was a Dress Up and Donate Day on the 21st of September where the centre teams and their children were encouraged to dress up as their favourite Australian animal, as a farmer, swagman or to bring in their Australian wildlife soft toy.

When thinking about a typical day in the Nursery, it is common to have preconceptions about what happens and how the educators facilitate learning.

Early Childhood Education has proven to play a major role in a child’s transition to school, and here at Papilio, 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.

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.

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.

Over the week of the 21st of August, our 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.

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

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. We’re inviting all families and caregivers to make a special effort to say ‘Thank You’ to the educators who care for and teach their children in our centres.

Sensory play, messy play or creative play are just some of the terms used to describe a lot of fun!

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.

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.

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

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

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?”

For the third consecutive year, Affinity Education Group had a successful week raising funds for National Pyjama Day, reaching the ambitious goal of $20,000.

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.

Learning to use the toilet is an essential milestone in your child’s life, and as we know, each child develops at different rates; therefore, our experts suggest focusing on a variety of developmental cues, rather than age, when deciding to start the toilet training process.

Learning to use the toilet is an essential milestone in your child’s life, and as we know, each child develops at different rates; therefore, our experts suggest focusing on a variety of developmental cues, rather than age, when deciding to start the toilet training process.

Preparing for school is an exciting time in a child's life, and our staff are here to support your child during this learning journey whilst having fun along the way.

We know your toddler is ready to babble, socialize and make friends in a safe and nurturing environment.

Winter is almost upon us, but we thought we would squeeze in one more of our Autumn menu highlights for our families.

Our amazing team at Milestones Early Learning Blair Athol held a Morning Tea on 19th May in honour of their beloved ‘Fighter Frankie’ to raise funds to support him as he fights Stage 4 Neuroblastoma.

Our brand new Papilio Early Learning Centre in Tamworth is due to open within weeks and has almost 200 families ready to enrol on day one!

The Lifelong Learning Healthy Beginnings Curriculum for babies birth–1-year-olds emphasises the establishment of secure attachments and positive relationships between babies and educators through the use of Circle of Security and learning zones focused on play schemas that support babies' physical and intellectual development.

This Mother’s Day, our centres throughout Australia, celebrated this special day with their enrolled children and their mothers and mother figures.

As we race through Autumn, we are excited to provide another recipe straight from our Centre Cooks to your table!

Food exploration in a positive environment shows a reduced risk of children becoming picky eaters.

Affinity Education Group is excited to announce the launch of the Lifelong Learning Curriculum, available at all Milestones, Papilio, Kids Academy and Aussie Kindies childcare centres across Australia.

From 10 July 2023, the Australian Government will be increasing the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) rates for families within Australia resulting in reduced gap fees for your family. Families will benefit in a range of exciting ways from the changes, creating more affordable and inclusive childcare options for our families.

We are proud to announce Papilio Early Learning Tamworth will be open for fun and learning in early 2023! Papilio Early Learning Tamworth, is our second purpose-built centre in New South Wales, following the development of Papilio Early Learning Schofields which opened in April 2022.

This month our centres are celebrating Egg’citing April by creating Easter based activities that are designed to provide meaningful learning opportunities and of course have fun!

This month our centres are celebrating Egg’citing April by creating Easter based activities that are designed to provide meaningful learning opportunities and of course have fun!

Tummy Time is an essential activity for a baby’s development and is a regularly encouraging exercise for our centres 0-1 children in our Nursery rooms.

Sunday the 30th of October was Grandparents Day and marks the last day of Seniors month. Our centres have been celebrating to show our appreciation for all grandparents in our communities, and those, past and present, that play an active role in our children’s lives.

Our centres are focused on providing all the children in our care, with healthy and nutritious meals or snacks that have been designed to provide your child with a balanced diet whilst in our care. Working with our centre cooks, in line with, feedAustralia - an Australian Government initiative we provide a seasonal menu to suit even the fussiest eater.

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.

Our centres celebrated Harmony Day by creating activities that are designed to provide meaningful learning opportunities, whilst having fun! Kids Academy Springfield, located at 6 Meadow Road, Springfield in New South Wales, will be opening its doors with the capacity to accommodate 57 children ages 0-5 years of age* within the newly refurbished centre.

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! Kids Academy Springfield, located at 6 Meadow Road, Springfield in New South Wales, will be opening its doors with the capacity to accommodate 57 children ages 0-5 years of age* within the newly refurbished centre.

Our centres celebrated Holi by creating festival of colours based activities that are designed to provide meaningful learning opportunities, whilst having fun!

Papilio Early Learning Wakerley is thrilled to have been recognised by Affinity Education Group for the work of their Early Childhood Teacher Noopur Lakhera in providing equitable opportunities for children in the Kindergarten classroom.

After some 13 years as Kindamindi Warana, this much-loved Sunshine Coast-based childcare centre has just transformed into Milestones Early Learning & Kindergarten Warana.

As babies and toddlers start to explore, they’ll often use all of their senses (especially touch and taste) to gather and learn information about the many objects they find. This stage of development is completely normal and it signals their growing interest in the world around them.

We’re all aware of the benefits of fresh air and the outdoors, but did you know involving children in simple gardening practices has a range of benefits too?

Inspired by young Chloe Guiney in her mission to help children with disabilities who recently took the chop as part of Variety’s Hair with Heart initiative, Affinity Education Group centre Aussie Kindies Early Learning Kyabram has hosted a week of crazy hair days in December 2021.

From nursery to five years old the importance of exploration in a child’s development is paramount to their emotional, physical, social, language and cognitive growth.

Early Childhood Educators Day, is a very special day for our community. It’s an opportunity to celebrate and thank our teachers and educators for their dedication and commitment to ensuring high-quality early learning opportunities for all children.