Goodstart Kelso - Gilmour Street

At Goodstart Early Learning Kelso – Gilmour St our educational philosophy is to provide an environment where children can grow, learn, discover and create. We understand that children learn best in an environment that is engaging and reflects their interests. Each child is at a different place on the learning continuum and we treat every child as a unique individual.

We have embraced the Early Years Learning Framework as the foundation for documenting and assessing children’s learning experiences. Each classroom has an education program which is developmentally appropriate and based on the children’s interests and current levels of skill. Experiences and activities are planned and documented within the weekly program and linked to the Early Years Learning Framework. It is our aim to maintain a balance between teacher-directed experiences and child-initiated learning by providing a stimulating and engaging learning environment for the children.

Our long-serving, loyal team of early childhood educators and carers sets our centre apart. Some of our staff have worked at this centre for more than 10 years and we all share the common passion and dedication to seeing children develop and meet their potential. Our team are experienced, trusting and committed to ensuring you and your child experience the best quality care with us.

Both indoors and outdoors, our educators provide engaging play-spaces where children learn through play. A rich variety of quality open-ended resources are used to enable purposeful learning that will inspire children to explore, create, problem-solve, imagine and discover. Our three large outdoor spaces include sandpits, mud pits, garden beds, grassed area to run and play, climbing and play equipment.

All meals are cooked fresh daily by our cook who develops a weekly menu including breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and a late snack.  The meals are nutritionally balanced and provide children with the recommended daily intake of dairy, fruit, vegetables and protein as governed by the National Health and Medical Research Council Department of Health and Ageing. We are an allergy and anaphylaxis friendly centre and are happy to cater for any specialist dietary requirements.

Community is also important to us and engage through events at the centre and excursions. We have developed strong ties with our local support agencies including Bathurst Early Intervention Services, The Benevolent Society, and Gowrie Inclusion Agency in an endeavour to enrich every child entrusted in our care.

In 2021 Goodstart Early Learning Kelso – Gilmour St  took part in the Bathurst Waste 2 Art competition and won 1^st Place in the 2 dimensional  Preschool category.  The children combined their efforts and created a beautiful masterpiece using recycled materials. These materials included: Soda can ring pulls, Soda cans, Recycled chocolate wrapper foil, foil, and fallen leaves. We came up with the idea to create a Murray River Cod fish after discussions about the recent flood in Bathurst and all of the rubbish that was seen washed into the river because of it. Our beautiful artwork is called Munyaa which is the Wiradjuri name for the Murray River Cod. This experience provoked learning of sustainability, built on creativity, and encouraged group discussion and discovery.

We warmly welcome new families, so please stop by. We would love to explore how we can support you and your child on their pathway to lifelong learning.