CCCI is a community-run Early Learning Centre, providing Long Day Care and Kindergarten in the heart of Coburg. Our programs, physical spaces, staff and culture are focussed on providing a safe, supportive, and engaging environment so that children can grow and flourish.
We openly accept each family’s uniqueness and support the family as a whole. Our values encompass the ethos of diversity, acceptance, inclusion, and recognition of abilities. In addition, we emphasise the role of the environment and sustainability at every level of our practice. You can find out more about our philosophies here.
Long day care services are rated under the National Quality Framework – our staff’s dedication and hard work is reflected in our NQF rating of exceeding the National Standards, with CCCI meeting all standards and exceeding 6 out of 7 of the standards.
Our philosophies guide how we care for and educate children and how we operate our centre. Our community’s dedication to acting on our philosophies is reflected in our strong reputation within the community. This is something we take great pride in.
What Makes CCCI Unique
A number of factors go into creating our unique and highly-regarded centre. These include:
A safe and Welcoming Environment
CCCI is a Child-Safe organisation – we work hard to create an environment and organisational structure that provides safe physical spaces and a safe and supportive culture.
We focus on providing a welcoming environment to all families and staff, and we celebrate the uniqueness and diversity of our community. We welcome children and families of all abilities, Aboriginal families, gender diverse and LGBTIQA+ families, and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Our diversity is our strength.
High-Quality Learning Programs
We know that quality early learning can significantly impact a child’s wellbeing and future. Our highly-qualified and caring staff are dedicated to delivering enriching, stimulating and fun learning experiences so that children can build the skills essential for learning and flourishing.
We focus on play-based learning to help children develop skills they will use for the rest of their lives. Research shows that play-based learning helps children develop physical dexterity and fine motor skills (like doing up buttons and using a pencil), but it also helps children develop critical social, cognitive and behavioural skills. These skills include learning how to socialise and make friends, solve problems, think creatively, negotiate, and overcome barriers.
Find out more about our Education Programs here.
Early Childhood Language Program
In 2019, we were successful in our application to facilitate the DET Early Childhood Language Program and introduced learning AUSLAN as an additional language in our 4 year old Integrated and Sessional Kindergarten.
Education experts have found that there are many benefits to learning additional languages at a young age, including increased reading and writing skills, cognitive flexibility, strengthened brain development and improved problem-solving skills.
Qualified and Supported Staff
Our Educators are all qualified and we recruit staff whose values align strongly with the centres’ values and philosophies.
Having a strong team means we’re better able to support our CCCI community, and we want our staff to be healthy, supported, and happy. CCCI helps to support staff through a range of wellbeing and training opportunities so that while the children grow and learn, so can our staff. In a sector that often has a high staff turnover, there is a high percentage of staff that have worked here from 7-20 years.
Call or email us to find out more about job opportunities at CCCI.
Communication with Families
Our staff are here to support families in the orientation and transition to and from the centre. We are also keen to keep families well informed about their time at the centre through regular communication about their children’s engagement in the program, progress, and wellbeing, by encouraging face to face communication during that drop off and pick up time. Longer conversations or a scheduled meeting can always be arranged and the Centre management have an open-door policy.
We encourage families to participate at every level of our organisation and our families play a significant role in our governance, with the Board of Management being made up primarily of current, centre families.
Sustainability and the Environment
As part of an interdependent, living ecosystem, caring for our natural environment helps support a child’s development but is also essential for our future. Sustainability is a part of every aspect of our work at CCCI. Native plants, water, and outdoor play make up an important aspect of our Long Day-Care and Kinder programs (including our Bush Kinder program), and we employ sustainable practices throughout the centre.
Find out more about our sustainability program here.
Find out more
Call us to visit our centre or talk to our staff, call us on:
You can also explore our website to find out more about our educational program and the centre facilities: