LITTLE Beacons Head of Campus Vicki Reid knows all of the 300 or so tots that come to the centre by name.
She’s so proud of the new Little Beacons Learning Centre and said there was nothing like it out there.
Little Beacons has relocated from its former off-campus address further along Toomuc Valley Road and it opened to weeks ago.
Each room is tailored to each age group and there’s a small space known as the Nook for breastfeeding mums.
Mum Sarah Ramage has one child at the new centre and another in Year 1 at the college.
She said the new location was a safe and peaceful environment with easy access to the junior school – and described the new building as “beautiful”.
The new centre’s design has taken into account particular needs of its infant to five-year-old clientele, along with the needs of staff responsible for the children’s day-to-day care.
Features include child-level sinks and low feature windows, a library with child-sized armchairs, media areas with interactive whiteboards where children can work in small groups and twinkling ‘night sky’ lighting in babies’ sleeping room.
The idea was to also make sure the children at the centre transitioned well into junior school, as well as making sure they are comfortable.
“A mum remarked to me the other day that it felt like home,” Ms Reid said.
“We wanted to create outdoor areas that allow for greater self-expression, so we have features such as a bridge and defined stage areas and seating,” she said.
Ms Reid said children and staff were excited to be in the new centre and had already stood outside to wave to the junior school, which they can now see for the first time.
