Our professional educators are proud to be part of the local Murrumbateman community, and incorporate our natural environment and farming community background into the educational programming. They work to build safe and trusting relationships with each child and family at Fairley.

We are passionate about providing high-quality early childhood education to give your child the best start in life and develop their life-long love of learning.

Director: Jamie

Jamie’s personal philosophy is based around forming and maintaining trusting and respectful relationships with children and creating strong partnerships with families, to provide high-quality education and care. Her biggest passion is providing each child with the individual support they need to grow and develop to their full potential.

Jamie holds a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care and has worked in the early childhood sector since 2014.

She joined YWCA Canberra in 2021 and is grateful to have the opportunity to work with so many amazing children.

Our flexible learning environments have been designed to promote children’s inherent curiosity and develop their learning skills and autonomy.

Based on early education theory, we work with children to provide opportunities to consolidate their learning and reorganise their understanding of the world around them as they develop and gain knowledge. We focus on creating relationships, making connections, and establishing a dialogue with and between children. Our educators respect and embrace children’s different points of views, ideas, theories and suggestions. We listen to, document, and work alongside children as co-researchers.

We have areas dedicated to specific fields of learning and experience and flexible learning spaces with room to tinker, explore, and inquire. We provide a range of creative resources and use the elements of repurposing, rethinking, and recycling with them.

We have five learning spaces at Fairley, for children age:

• six weeks to one year
• one to two years
• two to three years
• three to four years
• four to five years.

We have expansive outdoor spaces where your child can play and connect with the natural environment. As a regional centre, we love the natural world around us and recognise our local farming heritage and have designed these spaces to connect with our community.

We recognise our children as future caretakers of our land and provide opportunities for them to expand their knowledge, including nurturing your child’s love of sustainability through recycling and composting initiatives.

We know that children are particularly curious. At Fairley, we are dedicated to giving them an avenue to find answers to help their unique growth and develop a lifelong love of learning.

Our educational program is based around school readiness and preparedness for real-life experiences, with a focus on developing independence, autonomy and resilience. This includes a dedicated school readiness program to help children in our service transition to primary education.

Our team of educators take a holistic approach to children’s learning and provide a wide range of child-led and interest-based learning opportunities. We respect that each child’s learning journey is different, equally meaningful and may not appear predictable or linear. We document each child’s individual learning journey, and provide an ongoing group inquiry project throughout each year.

We believe that the environment is the third teacher. We use our wonderful spaces and natural resources to challenge and enrich each child’s experience and help them develop an understanding and appreciation of sustainability. This also helps children develop connections to culture and their local community.

The educational setup of our service provides opportunities for children to engage in structured mixed-aged learning experiences. Mixed-age learning and play has significant benefits for children. It allows siblings to interact and gives children opportunities to play and learn from those outside their age group. Older children develop supporting and nurturing behaviours, while the younger ones learn social skills and language, and develop further confidence.

Located in the heart of Murrumbateman town centre, we have strong links with our local community. Our families value that their children can make friendships with neighbours.

We believe that children are active and involved young people, and encourage this by connecting your child with their local community through a range of local activities.

We have a strong focus on reconciliation and acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, who are the traditional custodians of the land on which Fairley stands. We recognise not only their connection to this land but to the community and children.

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