The Learning Sanctuary Mary Street (Brisbane City)

Our Early Learning Environments

The Learning Sanctuary Mary Street in Brisbane City is a purpose-built centre that emphasis engaging learning experiences and encourages every child’s exploration. Our resource-rich early learning environments have been carefully designed to immerse your child into a world of exploration, curiosity, and learning.   

Our “sky garden” is one of the few open air playgrounds in the Brisbane City and features room for children to run, play and climb in the fresh air. It also includes a climbing house, rock-climbing wall, mud kitchen, tepee, sandpits, veggie gardens and much more. Our outdoor learning program focuses on the development of your child’s strength, balance, and self-confidence. We also have a massive forte and an unique undercover outdoor space for all-weather play.

Every room in our childcare centre features purposefully placed resources that have young children’s optimal development in mind. Equipped with the latest natural and tech-based early learning resources, including open-ended wooden toys to inspire imaginative play and tech-based resources such as an interactive whiteboard.

Longstanding team of Educators and Teachers

At the heart of our child care centre in Brisbane CBD is our longstanding team of early childhood educators and teachers with some team members at the centre for over 6 years We are a multicultural early learning centre with educators proficient in languages including Columbian, Indonesian, Filipino, Jamaican, Korean, and Japanese.

We’ve carefully selected our team of highly experienced and passionate early childhood educators and teachers who help bring our vision to life with their wealth of knowledge in early education. They’re committed to developing a strong relationship with your family to ensure your child’s learning experience is tailored to their interests and needs. 

Health and Nutrition

Our Brisbane CBD child care centre provides children with nutrient-rich, unprocessed, and seasonal whole foods created to please even the fussiest of eaters. For variety, our seasonal menu rotates every four weeks, with our cook catering to the unique dietary requirements of every child.   

Here at our Brisbane city early learning centre, we believe that by encouraging active participation in food preparation (such as growing & harvesting the fruit and vegetables, preparing, and helping cook the meal) – children learn to appreciate and understand the importance of healthy eating.   

At The Learning Sanctuary Mary Street early learning centre in Brisbane CBD, we recognise the importance of play in a child’s learning and development journey. Our team tailors play-based learning activities in line with national standards, specifically the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), helping prepare them for kindergarten and school readiness.

We also offer the following enriching learning experiences:

• Music & Movement Program: Designed to develop fundamental skills that help support children’s self-regulation, memory, and concentration. We have a music teacher, regular African drumming sessions and Mini Monstars program.
• Community engagement activities: We often have visits from local community members in Brisbane City to help familiarise the children with their local community. Our children also go on excursions to the Botanic Gardens.
• Sustainability Program: Each age group participates in a sustainability project that helps children embed sustainable practices into everyday life. We also have a sustainability officer who focuses on telling our sustainability story. She has a scrapbook and makes plans around sustainable practices and how we incorporate this into our learning journey.

Our Kindergarten programs are tailored to meet your child’s individual learning needs across numeracy, literacy, emotional and social development, resilience, and self-regulation.

At our Brisbane City early learning centre, we offer a QLD Government-approved Kindergarten enhanced learning program, supporting your child’s development and well-being from now, at school and beyond. In Queensland, 4-year-old children are able to access a funded Kindergarten program that fosters play based learning, led by a Bachelor Qualified Early Childhood Teacher. If eligible, your child will be able to participate in the Government-approved Kindergarten program, at no cost, up to 15 hours per week, 40 weeks per year. Talk to us about how this reduces your out-of-pocket costs.

The added benefits of our Kindergarten program include:

• QLD ‘Free Kindy’ Government-approved program
• Extended opening hours
• Open all year round (excl public holidays)
• Programs developed and delivered by our Early Childhood Teachers
• Exclusive music and movement program for self-regulation

Hannah

I have been working in the Early Childhood Education and Care profession since 2014. I hold a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, and I am now currently completing my Bachelor in Early Childhood Education at Queensland University of Technology.

I have always loved working within the childcare profession and playing an important role within each child’s experiences within the service and my care. A child’s early year learning journey is extremely important and I have always wanted to support them to reach their milestones and achieve their learning goals. Seeing happiness in a child and progressions within their learning is the most amazing thing to witness.

Children love to learn and love to be cared for. I make sure that when they are within my care that all of these needs and their wellbeing is met. As early childhood professionals, we can make an important difference in many children’s and families’ lives. I am very passionate and committed to supporting those who come into my care within the centre. 

My team is very passionate and they each provide a very exciting program for their children within their rooms. They are all so nurturing, kind and caring. I couldn’t ask for a better team! Each of our rooms provides a very exciting and innovative program that is age-appropriate to the child. These programs include experiences that support their learning around S.T.E.M, creative arts, community and focus on their motor development.

Each morning I welcome families and communicate with them. I make it my priority to know their names and to build strong relationships with them. I am always available and approachable to support them where I can.

Nursery Room (0-2 years)

Learning starts from before birth. Our nursery Educators have created a welcoming and nurturing environment where each baby feels safe to explore and discover new things – through their senses, their communication, cues (body language, facial expression, and sounds) and by experimenting. 

We work closely with families and accommodate the child’s needs and routines to make it a smooth transition from a home environment to a child care environment. We have two cot rooms to respond to different sleep needs. Children have access to a variety of resources such as books, musical instruments, blocks, home corner, puzzles, gross motor equipment. On any given day you can see the nursery children engaging in all types of meaningful play, such as water play, music time, story time and more. Each day provides a brand new, exciting opportunity for our nursery children.  

Toddler Room: (2-3 years)

Toddlers are at a stage of rapid development, and their learning goals should be focused on building a strong foundation in various areas of development: language, social emotional, cognitive, gross motor, fine motor.  Children build these skills through carefully planned music, dance, games and reading experiences.  On any given day the children can be seen developing their numeracy by building a tower, sorting objects, pointing and identifying shapes and patterns and participating in counting songs and games. 

Children in our toddler rooms are encouraged to participate in group play. Group play is important, as it helps our toddlers develop important social skills such as, turn taking, developing self-confidence and emotional self-regulation. From 2 years of age, children are also more actively participating in extra curricular activities such as language lessons, and sports activities. 

Kindergarten: (3-5 years) 

Kindergarten is a unique time for learning with peers and developing skills for later learning.  Our play-based preschool program encourages active engagement in learning and supports a range of positive developmental outcomes including resilience, independence, critical thinking, and creativity. 

Our early learners and little learners rooms (3 to 4 years old) are led by a qualified early childhood teacher with the support of a qualified diploma educator. The kindergarten room (4 to 5) is also led by a qualified early childhood teacher and is specifically designed for children who are attending their last year of child care before moving to primary school. Their learning goals are designed to build upon the foundation established in their toddler years and prepare them for their upcoming formal education.

A centre tour is a convenient way to experience the centre of your choice and meet with our qualified educators at a time suitable to your family schedule. The Learning Sanctuary also offers the virtual tour option in all our centres. Click here to book a tour online.

On the day of the tour, you’ll have the opportunity to observe practices and interactions within the centre environment. You’ll be able to see all the rooms and playgrounds, ask the team members any questions you have in mind, and get all the information you need to make the best decision for your child.

The Learning Sanctuary Family Support team will add your child’s name to our waitlist if one of our centres is currently full in your child’s age group. We will then contact you as soon as a place becomes available.

We also do monthly check-ins to review the availability, and you will receive a text message confirming if you’re still happy to remain on the waitlist each month. If you would like to get an update at any point, you’re welcome to reach out on our Web Chat or give us a call. 

Our Family Support team can also help you find more G8 early learning centres near you, with the same offerings at The Learning Sanctuary centre you are interested in that have immediate availability.

It’s common for a child to experience separation anxiety when they first start child care. When you’re getting ready to start child care, you can help your child overcome anxieties by visiting the child care service together for a Stay and Play session, and easing into new routines at home.

Click here to read more tips about how to make the transition easier for your child.

Most of The Learning Sanctuary child care and early education centres offer the following:

• Nappies and wipes
• Sunscreen and hats
• Nutritious meals prepared by our in-house cook

Some centres also provide sheets and formula, so you may not need to remember to pack them.

For nursery children, be sure to bring: nappy rash cream, dummies, bottles and teats, comfort toys or blankets, three spare outfits, spare socks and a plastic bag for wet clothes.

For toddlers and preschool or kindergarten-aged children, it’s best to bring: spare underwear, water bottle or sippy cup, sun hat, closed-toe shoes, two spare outfits, spare socks and a plastic bag for wet clothes.

Plus anything else your individual child may need, such as breast milk, a sleeping bag, a comforter or medication.

It’s best to speak to your centre of choice for a full list of everything included.

The Learning Sanctuary uses Xplor Home as our family communication app. It is the best and easiest way to keep track of your child’s day.

After you enrol your child with the centre, you can utilise Xplor Home to book child care days, manage your account, receive the photographs that capture your child’s learning, learn about your child’s progress, as well as keep up-to-date with upcoming centre events and important information.

If your child shows signs of an infectious illness when they arrive at the centre or becomes sick during the day, you may be notified that you need to make alternative arrangements or pick up your child from the centre, and keep them home until they are no longer infectious. While we understand that this can be inconvenient, The Learning Sanctuary is committed to maintaining a healthy environment and reducing the risk of infection for all children.

Under the Child Care Subsidy (CCS), families are allowed 42 absence days per child, per financial year. These can be taken for any reason, including public holidays and when children are sick, without the need for families to provide documentation.