The nursery at Maroubra Junction Early Education Centre is for babies from 6 weeks to 18 months. Twelve to fourteen babies, three to four educators, and the same educators every day. We are open 7.00am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday, on Level 1 at Pacific Square in Maroubra.
We call it the feeling
Parents notice it before they notice anything else. You walk into the centre and there is a feeling of love, calmness and genuine care.
It is not an accident and it is not a good day. Everything below is what builds it.
How many babies are in the nursery?
On any given day there are twelve to fourteen babies, with three to four educators. Never fewer than one educator to every four children, which is what the National Regulations require, and on many days better than that.
The ratio is not a choice we made. The size of the room is. Fourteen is small. It means fewer competing needs at any one moment, and an educator who can sit on the floor with your baby instead of managing a crowd.
Do you use casual or agency staff?
No. Our nursery is staffed by the same permanent educators every day. Not low turnover. The same people, in the same room, every day.
If an educator is away, the person who steps in is someone your baby already knows. Most often it is the Director herself.
That is the part most centres cannot promise, and for a baby it is the part that matters most. Attachment is built by repetition with the same people. A baby who meets a new face every few weeks spends energy staying watchful that should be going into playing, eating and sleeping.
How does settling a new baby work?
Slowly, and at your baby’s pace rather than to a date on a form.
Every family is offered a free stay and play session before starting, so your baby meets their educators in the room they will actually be in, with you there. From there we build an individual settling plan with you. Short visits to begin with, with you in the room, then nearby, then away.
We prefer not to start a baby in full care until they are settled. A baby who has had that time arrives already knowing where they are and who has them.
Do you follow my baby’s routine?
Yes. Your routine, not ours. Babies do not arrive on a timetable, so we follow the sleep, feed and settling pattern you use at home.
When your baby’s routine changes, ours changes with it. Not when the roster suits us.
How do you handle bottles and breastmilk?
Expressed milk is stored in the fridge, defrosted if it comes in frozen, and warmed in a bottle warmer.
Your baby is held while they feed, every time. We do not give a baby a bottle in a cot.
That second point matters more than it sounds. A bottle propped in a cot is a choking risk and it takes away the part of the feed that a baby actually needs, which is being held by somebody who knows them.
Every feed is recorded in the Kinderm8 Family app, so you can see what your baby took and when without waiting until pick up.
How do you keep babies safe while they sleep?
We follow the Red Nose safe sleeping recommendations, which are the national standard in Australia. Our sleep and rest policy is built on them.
Every baby is placed on their back to sleep, with their head and face uncovered, on a firm mattress with lightweight bedding. No pillows, no soft toys in the cot, and jewellery such as amber beads removed before sleep.
Each baby has their own cot, and it is sanitised between uses.
An educator is in the room the whole time babies are sleeping, and every sleeping baby is physically checked every ten minutes. Each check is recorded.
Once a baby can roll from back to tummy and back again on their own, we still place them on their back, then let them settle in the position they prefer. That is what Red Nose advises, and it is usually the point at which parents start asking.
Bassinets are not on our premises at any time. That is a national requirement rather than a preference of ours.
We assess the sleep space for risk at least once every twelve months, and again as soon as anything changes that could affect it.
If your baby sleeps differently at home, tell us. Where a medical condition means a different sleep position or arrangement is needed, we will ask for that in writing from your doctor.
How will I know what my baby did today?
Through the Kinderm8 Family app, posted as things happen rather than written up at the end of the day. Sleeps, bottles, nappy changes, photos, observations and learning moments.
You should not have to wait until pick up to know how the day went.
What is included, and what do I pack?
Nappies, wipes, sunscreen, hats and all meals are included in your daily fee. Meals are cooked fresh on site by our in-house chef, to individual allergy and dietary plans developed with you.
You bring a change of clothes. That is it.
Why is the baby room so calm?
Because needs are answered before they escalate. A baby whose needs are met early does not have to cry loudly to be heard.
Calm is the product of two things. Routines that are genuinely established, and educators who know one particular baby well enough to read them early, telling tired from hungry before it becomes a cry.
Come and stand in the doorway
You are welcome to stand in the doorway of the nursery on a tour and watch for a few minutes before you decide anything. It will tell you more than we can.
Maroubra Junction Early Education Centre, Level 1, 142 Maroubra Road, Pacific Square, Maroubra NSW 2035. Phone (02) 9315 5588. Open 7.00am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.