Explore & Develop Emu Plains is conveniently located at the foot of the Blue Mountains – 273 Great Western Hwy, Emu Plains. The service offers a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment for children aged 6 weeks to 6 years old, 7.00am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.
Our aim is to provide a welcoming home like environment where children and families feel they belong, and they are part of a community. Families can feel assured that the owners of the service will be available on site daily, together with an experienced and highly qualified team of educators.
Explore & Develop Emu Plains foster an emergent curriculum. This means that educators develop and deliver the education and care program based on the culture, interests, abilities and needs of each child. The program evolves over time to support each child’s learning progress. The educational program has a specific emphasis on play-based learning, which allows children to explore, wonder and be curious in their environment. This supports children to problem solve, think rationally, use skills of trial and error, and much more.
The benefits of play can be seen as a positive approach to learning that accommodates for educator involvement. This is important as we believe that educator involvement is crucial to support each individual child in their learning. Through play and interest’s, children learn to be independent in their learning however recognise when they need assistance. This, in turn, allows for educators to foster and scaffold children’s learning.
Another component of our curriculum that is very important to us is creating time for our families and building family partnerships. We feel by doing this we are able to find genuine ways to listen to and communicate with families. We want our families to feel valued, respected and empowered in their role as parents/guardians. By working in partnership, families better understand their child’s learning and development and children are much more likely to reach their potential.
Owned and operated by a local Early Childhood Education & Care Professional.
Explore & Develop Emu Plains educational curriculum is guided by Australia’s National Curriculum: The Early Years Learning Framework (ELYF). The EYLF supports our team of early childhood educators in extending and enriching children’s learning, from birth through to transitioning to school.
We actively seek ways to engage our local community, as our curriculum includes teaching and connecting the children to the world in which they live. This helps to invoke a sense of curiosity and fuels children’s inquiring minds. We have demonstrated at our Penrith and Penrith South services that we passionately support local community events – Relay for Life, 65 Roses Day and NAIDOC Cup, just to name a few. We plan to continue these partnerships at Emu Plains.
We believe the inclusion of indigenous perspectives and culture has many benefits for all children. Explore & Develop, as a group, have a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and working party. As an extension of this our service will develop our own RAP.
Our indoor and outdoor environments have been thoughtfully designed to create environments that are nurturing and stimulating. They incorporate appropriate levels of challenge and risk that engages a child’s natural curiosity and builds on their independent exploration.
Cathy Spain leads our Emu Plains team of educators and staff. Cathy is a qualified early childhood teacher and brings a wealth of experience to Explore & Develop Emu Plains. Cathy previously worked at our Penrith South service, where she embraced the role of Educational Leader since 2014.
Diane Pelle is a proud mum and her guiding rule of thumb is to provide her families with nothing less than she would expect and want for her own children.
She has a strong passion and commitment to care and education for all children and families at her service. With over 15 years’ experience within the Early Childhood Education and Care sector, Diane owns and operates Explore & Develop Emu Plains, Penrith and Penrith South.
Building trusting, respectful and collaborative relationships with children, families, educators and staff are of paramount importance to Diane and she believes these relationships are fundamental in achieving quality outcomes for children and to having a successful business.
It is truly her privilege to be trusted with the education and care of your child. Her hope is to become a valued extension of your family – as you are to hers.
0-2yrs
Our nursery provides our youngest children with a nurturing and calm environment, with soft textured furnishings to create a relaxing and home-like space designed to encourage confidence and a sense of belonging. We value your child’s individual sleep and feeding routine, ensuring we follow routines from home to help your child feel settled while with us.
2-3yrs
Our Sea Lion Room provides toddlers with dynamic spaces to explore, discover, create and imagine through play-based learning. The environment and programs are vibrant, flexible and responsive to the interests and abilities of each child. Educational experiences are designed to support your child’s cognitive, social and emotional development, as well as build their fine motor and gross motor skills.
3-4yrs
Our junior preschool is where children are supported to build strong social and emotional skills while also exploring early literacy, numeracy and STEM concepts. The learning environment is thoughtfully set up to flow easily between experiences, giving children the freedom to choose, create and explore at their own pace. It’s a space that celebrates individuality, fosters a sense of belonging and provides opportunities to make independent choices in a supported environment. Children are encouraged to collaborate with peers and educators, while developing the confidence to transition to our senior preschool program.
4-5yrs
Our senior preschool helps to prepare your child for a successful transition to kindergarten. We see every child as a capable and resourceful learner, and our aim is to support your child’s sense of self and wellbeing by equipping them with the confidence to interact with peers. Educational experiences encourage early literacy, numeracy and STEM skills, social and emotional development, motor skills, and creativity and imagination. These are the formative years where we aim to instil a lifelong love of learning in the children.
Our outdoor play space is designed to spark curiosity and imagination, with natural and sustainable features that encourage many different types of play. Our outdoor space invites children to explore, take on new challenges and discover the world around them while building a connection with nature. We’ve also created quiet, peaceful
273 Great Western Hwy
Emu Plains 2750
Phone : +61 1300 00 88 00
Service Email: emuplains@exploreanddevelop.com.au
Monday – Friday
7.00am – 6.00pm
