Finding quality education and care for your children when you are new to town is always a challenge. In between moving house and starting new jobs, inspecting early learning centres and schools is time consuming and can be overwhelming. Then there are the added complexities if you are shift-working parents.
That’s exactly why Acorn Child Care Centre in Bundaberg West was created in 2005 – to meet the needs of medicos, emergency service workers, educators, business owners and professionals who work long hours. Locally owned and operated by a medical family, and open from 6.30am to 6.30pm, demand for their services grew quickly. They soon started welcoming babies, before opening a second centre in Bundaberg East.
Now they are preparing to open the doors to a purpose-built facility on Bargara Road, providing vacation care and before-and-after school care for school age children.
Manager Jessie Munzenberger said Acorn School-Age Care Centre would cater for up to 60 children at any one time, as well as continuing to offer ten places at Bundaberg West. “Across our two childcare centres, we previously provided vacation care to 30 children but we were always heavily booked,” she said. “We’ve seen an influx of new families from interstate who have relocated for work and want to know their children are well cared for and are enjoying themselves – that they’ve found a little haven away from home.”
As well as having access to the adjoining Child Care Centre’s nature playground, children will have their own dedicated playground with sporting equipment and two rooms to rotate through various activities. They will also embark on excursions outside the Centre. “With input from the kids, our educators design the activity program based on the cohort at the time. We offer everything from science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, as well as cooking,” Jessie said. “All meals are provided, with many of the ingredients on our vegetarian menu sourced from our own kitchen garden.”
Jessie, who has worked in the childcare industry for 18 years, said the Centre also had space to facilitate in-house training and professional development for employees.
For more!
ACORN SCHOOL-AGE CARE CENTRE 140 Bargara Road, Bundaberg East 07 4153 0333 Acornchildcare.com.au