Frequently Asked Questions

  • Cockatoo Community Childcare is a not for profit, community focused service. This means all money made by the centre, goes directly back into the centre and community; there is no owner who profits from our operation. The centre is is operated by a Committee of Management, made up of parents who have children attending the service and representatives from the staff team.

    The Committee is responsible for making the decisions about policies, procedures, fees and management of the service. The Committee has an Executive Team of 4 parent members who hold the roles of President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary; the Executive Team also are the employer and engage a Director to oversee the daily running of the centre.

    The Committee of Management are nominated and voted in by the Association and parents are welcome to nominate for a position if they would like to participate.

  • At Cockatoo Community Childcare we have educators that hold current recognised qualifications that support them to successfully performing the duties associated with their position.

    Our Kindergarten Teachers hold either their Bachelor of Education (Primary and Early Childhood) or Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood).

    All other educators hold their Diploma or Certificate 111 in Early Childhood Education and Care, or are studying towards these qualifications.

    All staff have a Working with Children Check or are registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching.

  • The service is located in the beautiful Alma Treloar Reserve in Cockatoo and we engage in regular outings within the reserve. These include visiting the Adventure Playground and the Ash Wednesday Memorial Playground, the pump track, bush walks and the grassy areas throughout the reserve.

    The kinder classes also participate in weekly Bush Kinder sessions from the start of second term and the 4-year-old program visit the library bus each Thursday for borrowing books and participating in the story time run by the librarians.

    Children enjoy weekly sports incursion, with Little Sports Heroes. The centre also offers other incursions, including science, safety incursions such as water or animal safety, sustainability incursions, cultural safety incursions and visits from the local emergency services.

  • The centre does provide nutritious meals for all children including breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and late snack. The menu aligns with the Australian Nutritional Guidelines for Early Childhood Services and is rotated over 4 weeks and changes with the seasons.

    Upon enrolment, families are required to inform the centre about any food allergies, intolerances, preferences and risk of anaphylaxis. Medical Action Plans are required for children with medical conditions and preference forms are required for all other preferences. Alternative meals are prepared daily for these children by our centre cook.

    Feedback on the menu is sought from families and the children, and feedback is incorporated and greatly appreciated.

  • The safety and wellbeing of all children attending the centre is our upmost importance and the service is committed to Child Safety through many different practices and procedures. Some of these are included below:

    • All educators and staff have current first aid, cpr, asthma and anaphylaxis training

    • All educators and staff have Mandatory Reporting and Child Protection Training

    • All educators and staff have Child Safe Standards Training

    • Ensuring compliance with the centre’s Child Safe Environment and Well-being Policy

    • Ensuring compliance with the centre’s Code of Conduct

    • Strict recruitment procedures and practices for staff and volunteers

    • Regularly checking WWCC and VIT registration to ensure they are current and free of notifications

    • Risk Minimisation Action Plans for all outings, excursions, environments (yards and classrooms) and higher risk activities such as cooking

    • Working with families to ensure we meet the individual safety needs of all children including cultural safety, medical conditions and inclusion requirements

    • Regular checking of all resources and the building and making sure these are fit for purpose

    • Cleaning schedules and practices that ensure a healthy environment

    • Updated policies and Emergency Management Plans

    • Regular fire and emergency evacuation drills