There was a very interesting article about childcare centres not adhering to their duty of care in last Saturday’s Courier Mail newspaper.

We know some centre operators are better at their job than others for a variety of reasons, and those centres that are not caring for children properly should be pulled up and made to comply with the regulations.

Courier Mail Saturday 14th Nov 2009

Even at Fridays child we have had the odd small compliance notice over the years, always to do with the premises (peeling paint maybe, a cracked tile or two), plant life (you may have noticed some shrubs missing) or surrounds. We don’t mind, because it keeps us on the lookout and your children are the ones who benefit. And it proves the system works, up to a point.

But what struck me most about the article was the photo that accompanied it.

Looking at the 5 children who are staring at the television, you have to wonder what those parents are really paying for?

“Unsupervised children, poorly qualified staff, unacceptable child-to-staff ratios and unresponsive carers were also discovered during recent compliance visits …” is the lead paragraph of the article.

At Fridays Child Montessori Preschool we don’t have a television (here is why) - children have to be under the care of multiple staff members at all times and staff have to interact with the children. Staff are not allowed to stand in a corner and gossip whilst looking after children from the “corner of their eye”.

Staff at Fridays Child are also well qualified - we have two with a Degree in Early Childhood, real Montessori qualifications from London, and the rest have certificate III as a minimum, and working towards a certificate IV or diploma.

When you consider we have 4 full time staff looking after a maximum of 24 (and usually 21 children), then you can see that the ratio is pretty good. Some other centres would only have 2 staff to look after the same number of children. And our staff work hard too.

This means lots of individual and loving attention for your child so they can learn and grow at their own pace.

Just as an aside, three out of four staff are mothers who have a lot of life and teaching experience, so you know that your children will be properly nurtured and kept in a safe environment.

Please contact Laurena and she will be happy to explain why Fridays Child Montessori on the Gold Coast is an ideal option for the care of your two and half year old to preschool aged child.

Well whoever heard of a Noisy Friar Bird coming to learn at a Gold Coast Montessori preschool?

We have a nesting pair and they are very tough on our poor Kookaburras who hang around on the old TV aerial.

This is what the adults look like. The Noisy Friarbirds eat nectar, fruit, insects and other invertebrates. They spend their time feeding on nectar high up in trees, only coming down to the ground sometimes to feed on insects.

Noisy Friarbirds form long-term pairs, with both parents defending the nest and surrounds. The female builds a  deep cup-shaped nest from bark and grass, bound with spider webs, in a tree-fork. You can see it (sort of) in the movie high up in our Fig Tree.

Watching these birds and what they get up to is another way for children to learn in any Gold Coast Montessori preschool, if you are lucky enough have great natural surroundings like Fridays Child.

gold-coast-montessori-friarbirds

When making a decision about what Gold Coast Montessori pre-school school to enroll your child in, take a close look at Friday’s Child Montessori.  It is a Gold Coast childcare centre that uses the Montessori method and lives the Montessori philosophy.

The school opened in 1986 and is run by Laurena Rakauskas.

Because there are other choices out there, before you make a decision be sure to research each facility and get to know something about each school’s program first.  You can do some research into the Montessori method on the internet or schedule a day when you can actually visit each possible choice and see how the teachers and students interact with each other.

It is important that you feel completely at ease with whatever learning environment you choose for your child.

Laurena Rakauskas has a passion for helping little minds develop naturally. She is an expert at early childhood education and is there joyfully teaching the children in her charge every day.  She earned a three year Diploma of Teaching (Primary) from Murray Park College in South Australia, a diploma from the London Montessori School, and a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood). In addition she has first aid training and a number of other workplace and health and safety certficates.

At Friday’s Child Gold Coast childcare, safety is a priority so you can be sure that your child is safe.  Laurena’s own children were taught using the Montessori method. Children who have attended Fridays Child have become high acheivers in university, school captains, a lot are in business, with happy fulfilling careers.

Because Friday’s Child Montessori is a fully staffed preschool with a 3 staff to 21 student ratio, it is an excellent choice when considering a Gold Coast Montessori pre-school.  This allows for plenty of attention and interaction with the children.

It is a homelike environment with a natural canopy of shady trees. Even though there is plenty of shade the children use chemical free sunscreen and hats as it is a “Sun Smart” center. They cater to pre-school age children with mixed age children that range from two and a half years old to five.

They accept all children for Gold Coast childcare regardless of ability. They teach with an emphasis on manners, respect for others and their environment, how to put things away, as well as the importance of good hygeine.

In keeping with the Montessori prepared environment, they provide extensive group activities and have a broad array of learning materials.  They make sure to rotate the activities to keep boredom from setting in.

Here is how it works…

Laurena and her staff encourage the children to do an activity correctly the first time and then allow them to experiment with it on their own. This reduces fear of failure and builds self esteem.

They give the children the freedom to choose activities that they feel comfortable in doing.  Each activity is designed to extend the child’s knowledge and skills while challenging them.  They encourage the children to work independently this allows their natural love of learning to blossom while building on their self motivation.  Sometimes the children will form small groups and teach and motivate each other.

By teaching the children in the Montessori way, the emphasis is on teaching the whole child.  That is including mentally, physically and emotionally. In this way the children become bright, loving, people who are high acheivers.

Gold Coast childcare staff treat the children as individuals who learn in different ways. They empower the children to look after themselves, stick up for themselves and not be afraid to ask for help if they need it.

Because Fridays Child teaches the children to cooperate, communicate and play together quietly they learn to deal with problems appropriately and without violence.

Children educated in the Montessori method are happier, love learning and challenging themselves and ultimately become adults that value themselves and their contributions to Society.

So when you are ready to see why Friday’s Child is the best option for Gold Coast Montessori education, call Laurena at (07) 55782092 and schedule your free Gold Coast childcare trial day!

I always wonder when I hear of or see children in child care centres parked in front of a TV set.

At Fridays Child Montessori Preschool children are activley engaged with staff at all times, even when it becomes quieter after most pickups have occurred in the afternoon. We still do quiet activities or read stories.

I think if parents are paying us to care for their children, then that is what they should get. TV babysitting is just a lazy way to keep children distracted in my opinion and they are not learning very much that is useful to them.

What do you think? Please comment below.

Thank you.

Laurena.

Well we finally have a website for Fridays Child Montessori Gold Coast, sparse as it is at the moment. Soon there will be more content explaining how we can help nurture your child so they can enjoy their life and love of learning for a lifetime.

We plan to have some videos shortly, just waiting for parents whose children will appear to sign consents. We value privacy very highly here…