At KU Maidstone Children’s Centre, childhood is celebrated. When they play and explore, children's imagination and curiosity is sparked - they enjoy learning and are inspired to continue learning more.
We are dedicated to providing a high quality education and care service that concentrates on individual children and embraces families as the child’s first educators.
Our play-based program and learning environment intentionally provide opportunities and activities based upon the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework, for your child to learn to socially connect with peers, their environment and their community. We encourage children to laugh, think, question and learn. Their sense of self and confidence grows as they make connections with each other, and build warm, trusting relationships with our team.
We observe and record children’s development, interests and strengths and plan the learning environment based on this knowledge. This approach facilitates in children a lifelong love of learning and curiosity.
Our centre is a welcoming and nurturing space where each child is immersed in a rich tapestry of educationally interactive experiences – a space where children are supported to be their own, unique selves, growing and developing a sense of belonging and empowerment.
Our educational program offers children the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of learning experiences, each specifically designed to promote children’s confidence as capable, active participants in their own learning. Children are presented with a range of experiences including gardening, arts and crafts, music and movement, physical play, block building, sand and water play, science experiments, early numeracy activities such as counting and measurement, and early literacy activities such as reading, drawing and writing.
We greatly value the strong relationships between our staff, children, families and our community, and we look forward to the opportunity of including your family in the life of our centre.
Our Focus Area
In addition to the high quality well-rounded educational programs we offer, all KU centres are encouraged to develop an area of focus.
At KU Maidstone, we have focus on the development of strong, respectful and reciprocal relationships with children and their families.
We build this approach into our program through the implementation of the key educator approach. We feel that the children benefit from this focus because continuity and consistency of care between the family and educators establishes familiarity for children, building a sense of trust and connection with educators and the service. This in turn leads to children’s positive engagement with educators, resources and learning.
The key educator approach assigns one educator to a small group of children within each room. This educator will be the link between home and service. The key educator will meet each individual child’s specific needs while building connection and relationship. Children remain in their room and age group for the calendar year and at the beginning of each new year will transfer with an educator to this next age group. This allows peer groups and educators to remain connected during their time at the service.
Our Quality
Our centre opened on 10 January 2022 and will be independently assessed by the Department of Education and Training Victoria under the National Quality Standards.
However what matters most is what our families think....
“Experienced, patient caring educators. Professional admin staff and nutritious meals. The team at KU are amazing. KU Maidstone is a brand new, spotless and calm environment for children to learn and grow; both my children attend there. We are a very happy KU family and would recommend to other families living in the area. 5 stars.” - KU Maidstone Parent
Our Environment
Each KU centre is unique. The best outcomes for children are created within relationships and interactions between children and staff, and children and their families, not within four walls. We work hard to create beautiful, interesting, homelike learning environments for children - whatever our setting.
Our playground is designed to maximise the use of the natural environment and allow children to play and explore as they would in their own backyard. We offer stimulating activities that arouse children’s curiosity and encourage them to choose from a variety of planned experiences, expanding their learning potential. Our playground includes natural elements such as sand, water, grass, mud, leaves and twigs, and we also offer gross motor experiences such as climbing, jumping and physical play. We foster the holistic development of each child so they feel inspired to create, imagine and play.
Our Practice Statement
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet, work, live, play and learn, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong Boon Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation.
We pay respect to Elders past present and emerging and acknowledge past and ongoing injustices experienced by Australia’s First Peoples.
We honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples connection to country, community and culture, and respect their right to take the lead in defining what and how their children’s culture is shared and who teaches them.
We recognise the legitimacy of the impact of bias and injustice on the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Recent history of bias and injustice include (but not limited to):
Children stolen from families
Children excluded from accessing education
Children incarcerated and abused in institutions
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people enslaved in unpaid work
Exclusion of local languages
No right to vote
No access to basic human rights
We commit to working for the self determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. We commit to join them in speaking their truths and providing culturally safe environments.
Other Features
Allied Health
Education for Sustainability
Storypark
University Qualified Educators
Transition to School
Public Transport
Play-based Learning
Parking
Nappies
Experienced Staff
Hat and Sunscreen
Extended Hours
Cooked Meal
Designed Centre
Child Care Subsidy
Allied Health
Education for Sustainability
The centre has embraced a commitment to a more sustainable early education community, embedding sustainability into pedagogy and practice. We welcome families participation.
Storypark
The centre provides a secure, private online communication portal called Storypark at no cost that is designed to document your child’s progress and learning and provide you with updates about your child.
University Qualified Educators
Transition to School
The centre offers a full preschool program and places a strong emphasis on programs which challenge and extend children’s abilities and confidence, aiding their transition to school.
Public Transport
The centre is accessible by public transport and is close to a train station and/or public buses.
Play-based Learning
Our high quality play-based programs are based on current research and are planned by experienced and qualified early childhood staff. Through play children learn the skills, knowledge, feelings and dispositions that provide a solid foundation for their life-long learning.
Parking
Parking for drop-off and pick-up is available.
Nappies
All nappies are supplied by the centre and included in the fee.
Experienced Staff
Hat and Sunscreen
As part of the centre’s duty of care in minimising exposure to Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR) and promoting sun safe practices among children, families and staff, the centre provides each child with a KU hat and sunscreen is administered by staff where possible 20 minutes before commencing outdoor play.
Extended Hours
The centre provides extended hours of care and operates a minimum of eight hours a day.
Cooked Meal
The centre has a chef and provides a seasonal menu with freshly cooked food, including morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and a late snack.
Designed Centre
The centre has been recently renovated and refurbished.
Child Care Subsidy
The centre is an approved service for CCS, therefore fees may vary depending on individual circumstances.
Rose Callick
Director
Rose Callick graduated with her Bachelor of Early Years Studies in 2014 and has been working in the early years’ field since 2012. Rose has held a number of roles throughout her time in the early years including Early Childhood Teacher, Assistant Director, Director and Educational Leader.
Rose is a strong believer in encouraging children to develop independence and a sense of ownership in their own learning. She encourages this by keeping an open mind to all children and families and their individuality. Rose has also spent a number of years’ growing up overseas which has assisted in the development of an openness to cultures different to her own. Further to this, Rose is able to connect to children and families to whom English is a second language and may be in Australia for the first time.
Rose also has a passion for early literacy and encouraging a love for reading in the early years.
Our Team
Our team of early childhood educators are qualified, experienced, caring and highly motivated. All hold specialist qualifications in early childhood education. We believe that the positive interactions children have with our staff are the most important component of our high-quality program.
The daily fees for 2023 at KU Maidstone Children's Centre are:
Age Group
Amount
Infants
$157.00
Toddlers
$157.00
Preschoolers
$157.00
This is the full daily fee. If you are entitled to Child Care Subsidy, this will reduce the daily fee you are charged.
In an increasingly competitive marketplace, KU has remained very proudly a not-for-profit provider of quality education for more than 125 years. Like all early childhood education providers, our costs continue to be subject to market factors such as CPI, salary costs, Government funding and the requirements of the National Quality Framework.
Our fees are designed to cover the operational costs of delivering the unique KU learning experience, and to ensure KU can continue delivering those experiences for many years to come. Any surplus we may make is reinvested into our local staff, continually improving the quality of our services, and ensuring our long-term sustainability. KU does not distribute our profits to shareholders or send them offshore.
About Child Care Subsidy
Child Care Subsidy is the main payment to assist families with the costs of childcare. It is paid directly to the childcare provider and passed onto families as a fee reduction wherever families meet the criteria. The level of subsidy you receive, as well as the number of hours you will be subsidised, depends on your individual family’s circumstances.
If you do not already have one, you will need a MyGov account linked to Centrelink to claim any subsidy you may be eligible for, and to find out more information, please contact Centrelink on 136 150 or visit https://www.dese.gov.au.
Victorian Kindergarten Funding
Our Victorian long day care services offer an integrated kindergarten program funded by the Victorian Department of Education and Training. If you have a child aged 3 or 4 years, you may elect to use your kindergarten funding at our service. Further information can be provided by the Service Director.
From 2023, the Victorian government will be providing Free Kinder funding, based on $2,000 per eligible 3 and 4 year old child attending a kindergarten program within a long day care service. This funding is applied as a weekly credit to the gap fee after CCS has been applied or to full fees where a family does not receive CCS. The Free Kinder payment will not impact CCS entitlements.
Free Kinder funding is for children who are 3 and 4 years old in the two years before attending formal schooling and can only be accessed in one service. This could either be in a sessional kindergarten or long day care service. If you have a child who may be eligible, please discuss this with your Service Director.
The Victorian Department of Education and Training requires parents to sign the declaration form at the time of enrolment. Your eligibility for Free Kinder funding is conditional upon signing this form.