Early Childhood Services

YWCA CANBERRA

Education for life starts here

At YWCA Canberra, we understand that the experience of childhood is a unique journey. Every part of the journey is important to us.

Our role is to give children a sound foundation for their future learning and development by providing them with the skills and experiences needed to develop as lifelong learners and become competent, active and informed individuals. We achieve this by developing and creating rich, engaging play-based learning environments and activities as part of a gender-neutral curriculum that reflects children’s interests and allows for exploration.

We enable a sense of belonging in the children and families in our services through our safe, supportive, respectful and inclusive environment.

Our Early Childhood Services

Campbell Cottage

Conder Early Childhood Service

Currawong Early Childhood Service

Fairley Early Childhood Service

Spence Children’s Cottage

Winyu Early Childhood Service

Reid Early Childhood Service

Our Professional Practice

Our educators uphold the professional standards and values of the Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics and the principles and practices of the National Quality Framework. Our educational programs are designed to promote children’s holistic development and are influenced by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Our ACT services are fully licensed, and assessed and rated by the ACT Government’s regulatory body, Children’s Education and Care Assurance (CECA). Our Fairley Early Childhood Service in Murrumbateman is licensed, assessed and rated by the NSW Government Early Childhood Education and Care Directorate (ECECD).

Our Centre Directors and educators participate in a wide variety of professional development and training to further extend their skills and knowledge.

Lifelong Learning

Many of our services are linked with local primary schools and YWCA Canberra before and after school care services nearby, providing continuity of care and an existing network for your child.

What we Offer

Meals

All of our early childhood services have a dedicated chef committed to providing children with nutritionally balanced meals using the Australian Dietary Guidelines.

We provide

All meals are prepared to take each child’s dietary requirements into account.

View a sample menu.

Nappies and Hygiene Supplies

All nappies, wipes, Sudocrem and sunscreen are provided. If your child has a sensitivity to Sudocrem or sunscreen, we may ask you to provide your own.

Educational Program

Our professional early childhood educators are committed to supporting each child’s individual learning and development. Our dedicated educational leaders and early childhood teachers actively drive the curriculum process, and design programs that reflect the needs of the children, their families and the community.

Our educational program is inspired by the children—their interests, their voices and their ideas—with a vision to develop lifelong learners. Twice a year, we provide families with a summative assessment of their child’s learning and interests, based on the five learning outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework.

We use OWNA as a platform to share educational documentation with our families. Through OWNA, you can see snapshots about your child’s day and what’s going on at the service.

Testimonials

"An absolutely amazing centre. Our little one is enjoying her last day there before transferring to another YWCA Canberra centre. The staff are wonderful and our daughter has had a great start because of them."

“I continue to be amazed by the level of care and education my daughter continues to receive. As I watch my daughter exhibit her sense of individuality and compassion at such an early age I certainly attribute this to her time spent with the educators and other children at the service. We certainly owe a large portion of her level of capabilities and development to the service and its educators. They are truly amazing professionals in a great environment”

“We are so pleased to have found this little hidden gem for our two children. They have received exemplary care, they love the small group and the fantastic outdoor play area. It has been particularly good for our youngest who settled in well as she wasn’t separated from her older brother. The director and educators are caring, experienced and approachable. Communication has always been fantastic and we enjoy the updates we receive during the day”

“As I said previously, we are all sad to be leaving as you and your team have been great. Izzy’s loves coming to school and that’s because of the wonderful educators and care that she receives – she has an absolute ball most days. Thank you don’t seem enough but thank you for looking after our little girl and I’m always the first to recommend Winyu if anyone asks.”

“If all the teachers and educators were as kind and compassionate as the team at Winyu, the world would be a better place!”

“Thank you for providing such warm, loving care of my beautiful boy. He has learnt so much and made so many friends. You have also given us (parents) support coming to pick up my boy at the end of a stressful day and to be met by your smiling team was always one of the highlights of my day. We loved coming to daycare and will miss it.”