Food, Fun, & Friends: Why Group Mealtime Matters for Child Development
At Milestones, mealtimes are about so much more than just eating. They are a cherished part of our day that offers children the opportunity to bond with their peers, explore ...
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Promoting Positive Self-Esteem in Young Children
Helping young children develop a strong sense of self-worth is one of the most important things we can do to set them up for success. A healthy sense of self-esteem ...
Sustainable Learning, Sustainable Futures: How Environmental Education Leads to Lifelong Success
As parents, we all want to give our children the best start in life - one that equips them not only with knowledge but with the values and habits that ...
Superheroes in Disguise: How Early Childhood Educators Save the Day (and Your Sanity!)
When it comes to superheroes, most of us picture capes, masks, and superpowers. But what if we told you that some of the most powerful superheroes are the ones without ...
How Play-Based Physical Activities Boost Literacy Development in Children
Play is a fundamental part of childhood, and it's also one of the most powerful tools for learning. For young children, play-based physical activities like obstacle courses, climbing frames, and ...
Maximising Your Child Care Subsidy: Tips for Families
Navigating the world of child care can be challenging, especially when it comes to understanding how to make the most of the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) in Australia. Whether you're ...
How to Develop Maths & Numeracy Skills from Birth
Maths and numeracy skills are foundational to a child's development and success in life. But did you know that these skills can be nurtured right from birth? Engaging in simple, ...
A Day in the Life of a Preschooler at Milestones
At Milestones Early Learning, every day is carefully structured to foster growth, learning, and fun, providing a nurturing environment that supports the holistic development of each child. The integrated child ...
How Early Exposure to STEM can Help Close the Gender Gap in These Fields
Early exposure to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is essential for closing the gender gap in these fields. This blog explores how introducing STEM concepts early can challenge stereotypes, ...
How to Help Children Develop School Readiness
Starting school is an important stage in your child's life. Before they start though, a child should ideally have developed a range of basic skills and knowledge to help them ...
How To Help Children Transition From One Activity To Another
There are many times during the day when children have to stop doing one activity and transition on to another. For example, leaving the playground to go home, or putting ...
The Importance of Parent Teacher Interviews in Early Education
Three times a year Milestones' educators complete a Progress Record to assess your child's learning progress in relation to key developmental areas. After completing a Progress Record, we work with ...
Exploring the World Through Sand: The Benefits of Sandpit Play for Toddlers
Toddlers are like little explorers, constantly curious about the world around them. One of the most captivating and beneficial play experiences for them is the humble sandpit. This simple play ...
Splish Splash! The Surprising Benefits of Water Play for Toddlers
As parents and caregivers, we're always on the lookout for activities that not only entertain but also help our little ones learn and grow. One such activity that often brings ...
Unleashing the Benefits of Messy Play: How it Enhances Toddler Development
Messy play isn't just about creating a mess; it's about fostering crucial aspects of a child's development. From sensory exploration to cognitive growth, messy play opens doors to a world ...
Get to know your National Quality Standards – Series 5
Welcome to the fifth instalment of our National Quality Standards seven-part series, where we provide an in-depth look into the seven quality areas benchmarked against the Australian Children's Education and Care ...
Affinity Expands Lifelong Learning Curriculum Through Partnership With Wandana Aboriginal Education
Affinity Education Group has announced the latest addition to the Lifelong Learning Curriculum - a partnership with Wandana Aboriginal Education to deliver purpose-built Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural education. ...
Supporting Your Child’s Learning Journey: The Early Years Toolbox
Affinity Education Group has proudly partnered with the University of Wollongong with the aim of enhancing the capabilities of our Teachers and Educators working with children in our School Readiness ...
Using Research To Meet Your Child’s Developmental Needs
The Lifelong Learning Curriculum was developed through extensive study of how children learn, what they learn and where they learn. At the Early Experiences age, research shows that children are ...
Improving Language and Thinking Skills in Infants; A Data Informed Approach
The recent data from the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) proposed an increase in Language and Cognitive development of vulnerable children. Based on these findings and other relevant research on ...
Random Acts of Kindness Day: Teaching Acts of Kindness to Children
Saturday 17th of February 2024 is Random Acts Of Kindness Day! This annual event was created by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (RAK), a nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing ...
Supporting The Progression To Big School
With Graduation done and dusted, you and your child may be nervous about the transition into Big School. Here are five tips to support your child with this significant milestone ...
How We Transition Your Child To A New Room
Happy New Year! The holiday season is over, and it's time to return to our daily routines. It's incredible to see how quickly our children are growing up. This month, ...
Early Education: Navigating the First Weeks
The journey begins when your young child's education starts in the early childhood centre. The process of setting up orientation days and helping your child adjust to the new environment, ...
Get to know your National Quality Standards – Series 4
Welcome to the fourth installment of our National Quality Standards seven-part series, where we provide an in-depth look into the seven quality areas benchmarked against the Australian Children's Education and ...
Learning With Dr. Lesley Jones: New Year, New Rooms
This month we welcome many children and families to our Centres for the first time. We also welcome back the many thousands of children who will be transitioning into new ...
Decade of Excellence: Celebrating Three Consecutive ACECQA Exceeding Ratings
Milestones Early Learning Greensborough received their third consecutive exceeding rating in the ACECQA Assessment Process. This remarkable milestone not only speaks to their commitment to excellence but also highlights the ...
Unveiling a New Chapter: Milestones Early Learning Seaford Grand Opening!
We are thrilled to share the exciting news of the opening of Milestones Early Learning Seaford, marking the third purpose-built centre by Affinity Education Group in Victoria with a pipeline ...
This Year’s Top 5 Most Captivating Reads
This year has provided a wonderful opportunity to explore a multitude of Early Education topics in depth. Discover which of our blog articles from 2023 our families and Educators loved ...
2023 Affinity Awards Open for Nominations
Affinity Education Group is excited to announce the launch of its yearly national awards, celebrating outstanding achievements and excellence within the Early Education and Care sector. This year, the awards ...
Educational Programs During the Festive Season
Summer Program Launch In preparation for 2024, we're launching two exceptional programs that will run across December and January for all of our children, from the nursery through to preschool ...
Attending Early Education During the Holidays
The holiday period is such an exciting time for children and families, but it can also be busy and stressful. When your child is enrolled in a Milestones Learning Centre, ...
Festive Learning in the Nursery
Research shows that children's development and learning is continuous. There are plenty of opportunities to learn regardless of the season. There are two important reasons why children benefit from care ...
Navigating End of Year Transitions
The Lifelong Learning Curriculum offers an abundance of research-based practices that ensure continuous learning during the holiday season. As a parent, you may wonder what development your child is progressing ...
Get to know your National Quality Standards – Series 3
Welcome to the third instalment of our National Quality Standards series, where we highlight the importance of implementing the seven key Quality Standards throughout all Lifelong Learning Centres. National Quality ...
Affinity Increases Commitment to The Smith Family
Active Commitment to Sponsorship Affinity Education Group has further strengthened its commitment to The Smith Family Learning for Life program in the third quarter of 2023. The number of individual ...
Get to know your National Quality Standards – Series 2
Welcome to the second part of our National Quality Standards seven-part series, where we provide an in-depth look into the seven quality areas benchmarked against the Australian Children's Education and ...
Benefits of attending Early Childhood and Care during the Holiday period
Effective early childhood education is of utmost importance in a successful transition to school and love for Lifelong Learning. Our LLC program is dedicated to ensuring this is achieved all ...
What do infants achieve in an Early Childhood Education environment?
It is natural to wonder whether infants and young children can benefit from time spent in an early childhood environment. At Affinity Education-owned centres, our Lifelong Learning Curriculum (LLC) begins ...
The importance of using the Abecedarian approach to improve toddlers’ language skills
Language is a crucial component of school readiness. No matter a child's age, they actively develop skills to become proficient and active communicators. Research shows that language development is best ...
The Lifelong Learning Curriculum – a guide for families
This month, we are highlighting the Lifelong Learning Curriculum, Australia's most advanced approach to early education that operates within all our Milestones Early Learning Centres. Our Educators implement this program ...
Summer Program Sessions
Your child is invited to join us during our Summer Program! Throughout December, we have planned additional exciting activities to help your child continue their early learning journey whilst benefiting ...
Milestones Educator Participates in Leadership Training
Milestones Early Learning South Townsville Assistant Centre Manager Joanne Sawtell is one of 10 Affinity Education Group employees who participated in the 2023 ELACCA 'From the Ground Up' leadership project ...
The Importance of Friendships and Relationships in Childcare
This month, we wanted to share with you a little more about early childhood education, what it means, and how it works, and give you a glimpse of what your ...
Get to know your National Quality Standards
Our childcare centres are committed to a continuous improvement journey that enriches quality education and care delivery benchmarked against the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) standards. With ...
How friendships are formed
There is so much research and focus on just how crucial the first five years of a child's life are and how this has an impact on social, emotional and ...
Guiding your Toddlers future behaviours and relationships
When children reach the Toddler stage, their confidence blooms as they know you are there to catch them if they fall. Early Experiences Curriculum They become more curious about anything ...
Why friendships before ‘Big School’ are so important
Research continues to highlight the importance of the first five years of a child's life as the most critical period in the life span for brain development (Fox & Geddes, ...
Ahoy! Milestones Dalyellup Celebrates Talk Like A Pirate Day
Milestones Early Learning Centres hold a range of activity-filled events, fundraisers and awareness drives throughout the year, with each centre having some autonomy to choose days they celebrate with the ...
It’s Safe Work Month at Milestones
National Safe Work Month is upon us! Milestones Early Learning Centres have jam-packed this October with a variety of events and programs to highlight the steps our centres and their ...
Aussie Wildlife Champions Dress Up and Donate Success
Through the second and third week of September, all our Milestones centres participated in the Aussie Wildlife Champions fundraiser drive for the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. A part of this fundraiser ...
A day in the life – Childcare and your child’s development
This month, we wanted to share with you a little more about early childhood education, what it means, and how it works, and give you a glimpse of what your ...
How my Educators get me School Ready
Early Childhood Education has proven to play a major role in a child's transition to school, and here at Milestones, we have passionate Educators and Early Childhood Teachers who deliver ...
A day in the life of a Toddler
Every day in our Toddler room is filled with different types of learning that your child's Educators have intentionally planned to support children's growth and learning outcomes. From the moment ...
A Day of ‘Awe’ and ‘Wonder’ in your Nursery
When thinking about a typical day in the Nursery, it is common to have preconceptions about what happens and how the educators facilitate learning. Through online research and centre tours, ...
Milestones Celebrates Book Week!
Over the week of the 21st of August, our Milestones centres celebrated book week through the power of dress up, imagination and creativity as our Educators and Teachers developed learning ...
Finalist Outstanding Educator in NTEC Awards 2023
We are excited to announce that our very own Gabriela Savio, Lead Educator for Milestones Early Learning Darwin City, has been chosen from more than 30 nominees as one of ...
Spring has Sprung! What is happening at your centre?
Spring is the season for growth, and at our centres, growth can be seen in every room, program and child in our Lifelong Learning Village. Over this season, our Spring ...
Milestones get ‘active’ for National Science Week!
Last week, all Milestones Early Learning Centres participated in National Science Week, one of our more loved and educational events of the year for our children, educators and teachers! National ...
What the Child Care Subsidy mean for our families?
What does the new Child Care Subsidy mean for families? On the 10 July 2023, the Australian Government increasing the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) rates for families within Australia, resulting ...
Junior Conservation Program Starts at Milestones
Junior Conservation Program Starts at Milestones From August 2023 onwards, children at Milestones Early Learning Centres around Australia will start learning about 18 endangered and native Australian species through the ...
Saying ‘Thank you!’ on Early Childhood Educators Day
The countdown is on to Wednesday, the 6th of September, when our centres will celebrate Early Childhood Educators Day. We're inviting all families and caregivers to make a special effort ...
Get involved for National Science Week!
National Science Week is fast approaching, with the official date to launch from the 12th all the way through to the 20th of August. All our Milestones Early Learning Centres ...
Sensory Play: Nurturing your child’s early development
Sensory play, messy play or creative play are just some of the terms used to describe a lot of fun! As a child our senses are a vital foundation of ...
Your little junior is graduating! Whats next?
Graduating from the junior rooms to the older 3-5-year old programs is a significant and exciting transition for young children. In this article, we unpack what families can expect as ...
Successful transitions through care and trust
Secure relationships… the key to transitioning into care through our Healthy Beginnings Curriculum. Transitioning into care for the first time can often feel daunting for families and full of natural ...
Easing Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety is common in young children, it occurs when children are feeling nervous about being away from their parents or carers. Read this article as we unpack what separation ...
Dont miss our Preschool/Kindergarten information sessions
It's that time of year when families begin to turn their attention to deciding where their child should be enrolled for their preschool or kindergarten year. Enquire Now Find Your ...
Effective room transitioning in early childcare
Graduating from one room to the next is a significant event for children, their families and educators alike. In this article we explore what you can expect as your child ...
Tummy Time is an essential activity for a baby’s development
Tummy Time is an essential activity for a baby's development and is a regularly encouraging exercise for our centres 0-1 children in our Nursery rooms. Tummy Time is the activity ...
Healthy Beginnings (birth – 1year)
The Lifelong Learning Healthy Beginnings Curriculum for babies birth-1-year-olds emphasises the establishment of secure attachments and positive relationships between babies and educators through the use of Circle of Security and learning zones focused on play schemas ...
Big Thinkers STEM program now available
What is Big Thinkers STEM? Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) has always played a vital role in the development of our Lifelong Learning Curriculum for children aged 3 to ...
School Readiness: Lifelong Learning Curriculum For Your Preschooler
Our preschools (NSW, ACT and NT) or kindergartens (VIC, QLD and WA) are designed to encourage your child's growth and development further, focusing on building the necessary skills to set ...
What are the National Quality Standards (NQS)?
The Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) National Quality Standards sets a high national benchmark for early childhood education and care and outside school hours care centres in Australia. The ...
Toilet Training – Our Experts Top Tips
Learning to use the toilet is an essential milestone in your child's life, and as we know, each child develops at different rates; therefore, our experts suggest focusing on a ...
10 Things to do when it’s wet with your little ones!
Entertaining children when it's wet outside, can be difficult for an excitable and energetic child, and our Early Childcare Centres know all too well what it means when the grey ...
Early Experiences: Lifelong Learning Curriculum For Your Toddler
The Lifelong Learning Early Experiences Curriculum emphasizes the development of Toddlers' language and social development using the Abecedarian approach within our intentional learning zones focused on play schemas that support ...
Australian Breastfeeding Accreditation – Supporting our Milestones families
Returning to work as a breastfeeding mother is a right for employees and parents enrolled with Milestones Early Learning Centres. Affinity Education Groups community of Milestones centres are proud to ...
Milestones recognises National Reconciliation Week
Our centres across Australia recognised National Reconciliation Week by creating activities designed to provide meaningful learning opportunities while having fun! Milestones Early Learning Tamworth CBD Last week one of our ...
Affinity Education Group Offers Free Degrees
Early Childhood Teacher Naomi Bowditch enjoys free University Education through Affinity. Milestones Early Learning Aspley's Early Childhood Teacher Naomi Bowditch is one of more than 100 employees of Affinity Education ...
Milestones Early Learning Blair Athol Supports Fighter Frankie!
Our amazing team at Milestones Early Learning Blair Athol held an early Australia's Biggest Morning Tea on 19th May in honour of their beloved 'Fighter Frankie' to raise funds to ...
Happy Mother’s Day 2023
Happy Mother's Day to all our mothers and guardians who facilitate a motherly role for the children in our care and beyond. Our Milestones Early Learning Centres celebrated Mother's Day ...
Our commitment to reconciliation
Header artwork has been sourced by Reconciliation Australia. It was designed by artist Jessica Johnson for National Reconciliation Week 2021. Learn more about the artwork, its elements, and the artist ...
National Quality Framework: A parent’s guide
In Australia, Early Childhood Services are guided by the National Quality Framework regulated by the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). ACECQA is an independent national authority that ...
Happy Grandparents Day
Sunday, the 30th of October, was Grandparents Day and marked the last day of Seniors month. Our centres have been celebrating to show our appreciation for all grandparents in our ...
Milestones Early Learning Celebrate Valentine’s Day
Our centres celebrated Valentine's Day on Tuesday, the 14th of February, by creating Valentine's Day-based activities that are designed to provide meaningful learning opportunities whilst having fun! This week ...
Milestones Augustine Heights Walk For Autism
From 29 March to 5 April 2020, our educators at Milestones Early Learning Augustine Heights will be walking 10,000 steps per day to help change the lives of people on the ...
Gumtree Cottage Joins Milestones Early Learning Community
Affinity Education Group is pleased to announce the recent rebrand and refresh of Gumtree Cottage to Milestones Early Learning Everton Park. Milestones Early Learning is a well-respected childcare brand within ...
Milestones Wagaman 2022 Kindicare Awards Finalist
Milestones Early Learning Wagaman are delighted to be one of a small group of finalists for the 2022 Kindicare awards. The awards are to recognise and congratulate centres on the ...
Milestones Everton Park’s Community Focus
All our Affinity Education Group centres consider our families and communities an extension of our centres; therefore, our educators, teachers, managers, and support team actively engage and support our communities Australia-wide. ...
Change Makers at Milestones Middle Swan
The children at Milestones Middle Swan have been collecting containers to help keep our community healthy. Our Middle Swan team has a strong sense of community and are involved in various activities that help take care of our natural ...
When children take the lead
Every day, our educators work tirelessly to create a safe and stimulating environment where your children's love of learning can thrive. They do this by recognising, nurturing and extending their ...
The Importance Of Outdoor Play
From nursery to five years old the importance of exploration in a child's development is paramount to their emotional, physical, social, language and cognitive growth. Exploration is not all about ...
Celebrating Early Childhood Educators Day
Today, Early Childhood Educators Day, is a very special day for our community. It's an opportunity to celebrate and thank our teachers and educators for their dedication and commitment to ...