Penguin Childcare Caroline Springs

Spacious and resource-rich environments   

Penguin Childcare Caroline Springs is designed to be a home away from home that encourages every child’s exploration. Our resource-rich early learning environments has designated book area, home corners, arts and crafts, and dining areas that have been carefully designed to immerse your child into a world of exploration, curiosity, and learning.   

Each learning space extends onto our beautiful outdoor environment, which encourages endless ways and opportunities for play! Our outdoor environments include sandpits, bike track, climbing equipment and slides, arts and crafts areas, vegetable garden, as well as construction areas including mud and tanbark areas with trucks and diggers, for children to safely develop their strength, balance, and self-confidence through play-based learning.  

Dedicated and passionate team of educators

Our long standing team of passionate educators make up the heart of the child care centre. We know each child has unique talents and interests. Our experienced educators are passionate about helping every child succeed in discovering their identity and become confident, happy and resilient learners.

Delicious and healthy meals prepared on site   

We provide children with nutrient-rich, fresh and seasonal whole foods created to please even the fussiest of eaters. For variety, our menu rotates every four weeks, with our cook catering to the unique dietary requirements of every child.   

Here at Penguin Childcare Caroline Springs, 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.   

For added convenience, we also offer our families a grab-and-go breakfast snack and coffee.  

We look forward to partnering with you and your family to provide information, support, and high-quality early education and care in your child’s formative years. Contact our Family Support Team to start your journey with us today.   

Play is essential to every child’s learning and development. It enables children to make decisions, learn, take risks, and have fun. At our Caroline Springs child care centre, our experienced team plan play-based learning activities in line with national standards. The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) is designed to engage in your child’s interests and allow them to experience each day in a new way, supporting their learning in the lead-up to primary school.   

Our Early Learning Curriculum also provides children with   

• Real Life experiences: Children participate in fun and exciting experiences such as woodworking, harvesting the veggie garden, caring for our worm farm and basic cooking skills.  
• Sustainability program: Each age group participates in a sustainability project that help children embed sustainable practices into everyday life. Children learn about recycling, conserving water, growing food and the importance of looking after and protecting our planet.  
• Sports program: Our sports program is offered to our kinder aged children and is designed to encourage activity and movement, while also building the children’s motor skills.
• Music and movement programs: Our music programs have been designed to help develop fundamental skills that help support children’s self-regulation, memory and concentration.   
• Community engagement activities: We often have visits from local community librarians, local police, and other community services in Caroline Springs to help familiarise the children with their local community. We also have excursions to our local school libraries, we go on walks to Coles to pick some fruit, and we have excursions to the animal farm. We also visit our local Springside Primary school to assist our Kindergarten children with their transition to ‘big school’.  

Emma Borg

I started working in early learning in 2013. I have been with Penguin Childcare Caroline Springs since then. I have a Certificate III and a Diploma in Children’s Services.
I have always loved children, and I love that we play an important part in their early years. I believe that all children have an amazing capacity to learn from a very young age. A dedicated early learning environment helps children learn the social skills they need to prepare them for primary school and beyond. I am passionate and committed to creating a nurturing, safe and inspiring early learning environment for all children in our care.

We have a wonderful team here at Penguin. Some of them worked here for more than a decade. We have great relationships with families. I always ensure I have time to talk to families in the morning or evening. We talk about their children’s development and constantly ask for feedback.

I look forward to welcoming your family into our community.

Rooms

Our centre provides care for the following age groups:

Facilities

Our service provides the following facilities:

• Nappies
• Breakfast
• Morning Tea
• Lunch
• Afternoon Tea
• Other meals
• Sustainability program
• Veggie garden
• On-site parking
• Music program
• In-house cook
• Halal meal options
• Fully air-conditioned
• Large, natural play environments
• Water Play Area
• Early Childhood Teacher
• Government Approved Kindergarten program

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. Penguin also offers the virtual tour option in all our centres in Victoria. 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.  

Penguin Childcare’s Family Support team will add your child’s name on our waitlist if a Penguin centre is currently full in your child’s age group. We will then contact you as soon as a place become 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 Penguin 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 our Penguin child care and early education centres offers 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 toy or blanket, 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, comforter or medication.

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

Penguin Childcare 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, Penguin 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.