Our Centre
Ginninderra Early Childhood Centre (GECC) provides an environment for children that allows them to reach their full potential. In addition to expansive wet, dry and outdoor play areas, we have a dedicated art space where children can develop their creativity and explore different materials and media.
As we are located inside the Belconnen Community Centre, children get opportunities to visit the Belconnen Community Gallery and Theatre, and to develop their gross motor skills in the large sports hall. We also collaborate with the CRCS Involve Seniors group, take trips to the Belconnen Library, and participate in local walks to Margaret Timpson and John Knight Memorial Parks. Our community engagement allows for opportunities to build a community of relationships, values and culture.
Our practice aims to reflect the diversity of our community, children, families and Educators. Our Educators have a special focus on embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures into the curriculum.
A note from our Director
Hi, my name is Ana, and I am the Director of Ginninderra Early Childhood Centre. Growing up, I was always around children as I come from a big family. This led to having a family-orientated upbringing where I was ‘raised by a village’. This led me to pursue my career in Early Childhood Education and Care.
I have been working in this profession since 2017. During this time, I have grown a passion for nurturing relationships with children and, most importantly, families.
A personal philosophy of mine is that it is important to build secure and healthy relationships between children and families to encourage children to know that, wherever they may wander in life, there will always be a place like home.
Our environments
Ginninderra Early Childhood Centre is a small and intimate centre located in the heart of the Belconnen community. Our centre provides a friendly, warm and supportive home-like environment where children, families, Educators and community members feel included and connected.
Our location, nestled within a thriving community hub, provides a large variety of experiences both at the centre and within the surrounding buildings, spaces and natural environments.
We have expansive outdoor areas and strongly value each child’s relationship with the natural world. Being in the middle of a town centre, we appreciate the importance of allowing access to natural resources and environments. We believe in building each child’s understanding of environmental responsibility and sense of wonder.
Nursery Room
We believe that children are the master of their own play and development. The infants’ room (for children from six weeks to two years old) focuses on routine and developing quality, trusting relationships with key Educators.
The Infants room embeds quality practices and principles of Magda Gerber and Emmi Pikler approaches. These outline advocacy for the rights of the child to move freely and naturally without force.
Our Educators create a safe and trusting with all children and families, as we know it may be difficult to transition your child from home to care. We gain knowledge and understanding by getting to know you first and the aspects and inspiration you would like your child to receive, so we can create an environment and routine for your child that reflects your home.
Our Respectful Infant Educating approach allows our Educators to critically reflect on our practices in our infants’ room and ensures a high quality of care.
Toddlers Room
The toddlers’ room is a safe space for children from 18 months to three years old. The design is heavily influenced by the principles and practices of Reggio Emilia, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygostky.
Our Educators within the toddlers’ space work with the children to help them embed respectful relationships with both Educators and peers.
Throughout their day, they are encouraged to use their exploration and independence within their routine rituals. Encouraging our toddlers to be active participants in their daily routines allows them to make decisions and foster a sense of belonging.
Preschool Room
The preschool space caters to 22 children aged three to five years old, with highly experienced Educators to support consistency within the area. We provide rich learning experiences where children can develop a sense of wonder in their own curriculum based on their interests.
Our Educators work closely with families during the transition to funded preschool programs, providing support throughout the next developmental milestone for not only children but families too.
The preschool space implements a wide variety of theorists, including Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson and Urie Bronfenbrenner, to accommodate the differences in each child’s sense of self-identity and curiosity to learn in a play-based learning environment.