Casa Bambini Essendon

Spacious and resource rich environments

Casa Bambini Essendon is designed to be a home away from home that encourages every child’s exploration. The resource-rich early learning environments at our child care centre have been carefully designed to immerse your child into a world of exploration, curiosity, and learning.

Each learning space extends onto our beautiful outdoor environment, which encourages endless ways and opportunities for play! Our spacious outdoor environments include a shaded sandpits and climbing equipment for children to safely develop their strength, balance, and self-confidence through play. Our purpose-built indoor spaces including interactive whiteboards and natural resources that are designed to encourage open-ended discovery through play-based learning experiences.

Dedicated and passionate team of educators

Our team of passionate and long-standing educators make up the heart of our Essendon child care centre. We know each child has unique talents and interests. Our experienced early childhood educators are passionate about helping every child succeed in discovering their identity and become confident, happy and resilient learners. We are a multicultural early learning centre with several languages being spoken across our team.

Delicious, healthy meals prepared on site

Our Essendon child care centre provides children with nutrient-rich, fresh and seasonal whole foods created to please even the fussiest of eaters. For variety, our menu rotates every four weeks, with our cook catering to the unique dietary requirements, allergies and religious needs of every child.

Here at Casa Bambini Essendon, we believe that by encouraging active participation in food preparation (such as growing & harvesting the fruit and vegetables, preparing, and helping cook the meal) – children learn to appreciate and understand the importance of healthy eating.

We look forward to partnering with you and your family to provide information, support, and high-quality early education and care in your child’s formative years. Contact our Family Support Team to start your journey today.

Play is essential to every child’s learning and development. It enables children to make decisions, learn, take risks, and have fun. At our Essendon child care centre, an experienced team plan play-based learning activities in line with national standards. The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) is designed to engage in your child’s interests and allow them to experience each day in a new way, supporting their learning in the lead-up to primary school.

Our Early Learning Curriculum also provides children with:

• Real Life experiences: Children participate in fun and exciting experiences such as woodworking, harvesting the veggie and herb garden and basic cooking skills as well as self-help skills at mealtimes and throughout the day.
• Sustainability Program: Each age group participates in a sustainability project that help children embed sustainable practices into everyday life. Children learn about recycling, conserving water, growing food and the importance of looking after and protecting our planet.
• Music and movement programs: Our fortnighly “Hey-Dee-Ho” music program has been designed to help develop fundamental skills that help support children’s self-regulation, memory and concentration.
• Sports program: We have a sports program every fortnightly, aiming to help children develop their motor skills.
• Community engagement activities: Our children go on community walks and visit the library on a regular basis.

Serena Zito

Since my career in the early childhood sector began in 2012, I’ve become increasingly passionate and committed to quality child education and care.

I was born and raised in Italy, in the land of ‘Reggio Emilia Education’. This is an inclusive, village-style approach that engages children, parents, and the community in the learning process. I believe each child is unique. There is no framed structure or method when it comes to children. While you are working and connecting with each one of them, you are opening a new world of possibilities!

Children gain confidence and skills while they build relationships with their peers and educators. Children who attend early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) settings are more likely to transition to schools smoothly and be equipped with future life skills.

Teaching is one of the most direct ways to make an impact. If you are driven by the desire to help those around you, being a teacher is an invaluable contribution. My favorite thing about education is to contribute to the community in a meaningful way.

Most educators have more than 20 years of experience in the sector. The majority have been at Casa Bambini between 8 and 15 years, showing a stable environment and strong passion for this field.

My tertiary qualifications are from Australia and Italy and include a Bachelor of Early Childhood; Diploma and Certificate III in ECEC; Certificate IV in Training and Assessment; Diploma of Quality Auditing and Human Resources; a Bachelor of Art and Philosophy and a Diploma in Socio-Pedagogic.

In my spare time, I love to cook (being Italian this is natural!), act and theatre, and enjoy time with friends and family. I also have a passion to convey my knowledge to aspiring Early Childhood educators.

At Casa Bambini, we support and cater to our families’ individual needs and gradually build trust and connection.

We’d love to hear from you. So please feel free to contact us to find out more about our service.

Rooms

Our centre provides care for the following age groups:

Nursery Room 

Learning starts from before birth. Our nursery Educators have created a welcoming and nurturing environment where each baby feels safe to explore and discover new things – through their senses, their communication, cues (body language, facial expression, and sounds) and by experimenting.
On any given day you can see the nursery children engaging in all types of meaningful play, such as water play, messy play, music time, story time and more. Each day provides a brand new, exciting opportunity for our nursery children.

Toddler Room

Our Teachers and Educators encourage the toddler children to learn through play to help enhance their sensory-motor development. This learning happens through carefully planned music, dance, games and reading experiences. On any given day the children can be seen developing their numeracy by building a tower, sorting objects, pointing and identifying shapes and patterns and participating in counting songs and games.

Children in our toddler rooms are encouraged to participate in group play. Group play is important, as it helps our toddlers develop important social skills such as turn taking, developing self-confidence and emotional self-regulation. Our team helps children through talking, planning and role modelling.

Kindergarten

Kindergarten is a unique time for learning with peers and developing skills for later learning. Our play-based Kindergarten program encourages active engagement in learning and supports a range of positive developmental outcomes including resilience, independence, critical thinking, and creativity.

Facilities

Our service provides the following facilities:

• Nappies
• Breakfast
• Morning tea
• Lunch
• Afternoon tea
• Other meals – late snack/fruit available
• Sports Program
• Sustainability program
• Veggie garden
• On-site parking
• Music program
• SMART Interactive Whiteboard
• Classroom technology (computers)
• In-house cook
• Halal meal options
• Fully air-conditioned
• Large, natural play environments
• Water play area
• Early Childhood Teacher
• Government Approved Kindergarten Program
• Xplor – a parent communication app that connects families with their children’s progression, development and daily learning

A centre tour is a convenient way to experience the centre of your choice and meet with our qualified educators at a time suitable to your family schedule. Casa Bambini also offers the virtual tour option in all our centres in South Australia and Victoria. Click here to book a tour online.

On the day of the tour, you’ll have the opportunity to observe practices and interactions within the centre environment. You’ll be able to see all the rooms and playgrounds, ask the team members any questions you have in mind, and get all the information you need to make the best decision for your child. 

Casa Bambini’s Family Support team will add your child’s name on our waitlist if one of our centres is currently full in your child’s age group. We will then contact you as soon as a place become available.

We also do monthly check-ins to review the availability, and you will receive a text message confirming if you’re still happy to remain on the waitlist each month. If you would like to get an update at any point, you’re welcome to reach out on our Web Chat or give us a call.

Our Family Support team can also help you find more G8 early learning centres near you, with the same offerings at the Casa Bambini centre you are interested in that have immediate availability.

It’s common for a child to experience separation anxiety when they first start child care. When you’re getting ready to start child care, you can help your child overcome anxieties by visiting the child care service together for a Stay and Play session, and easing into new routines at home.

Click here to read more tips about how to make the transition easier for your child.

Most of our Casa Bambini child care and early education centres offers the following:

• Nappies and wipes
• Sunscreen and hats
• Nutritious meals prepared by our in-house cook

Some centres also provide sheets and formula, so you may not need to remember to pack them.

For nursery children, be sure to bring: nappy rash cream, dummies, bottles and teats, comfort toy or blanket, three spare outfits, spare socks and a plastic bag for wet clothes.

For toddlers and preschool or kindergarten aged children, it’s best to bring: spare underwear, water bottle or sippy cup, sun hat, closed-toe shoes, two spare outfits, spare socks and a plastic bag for wet clothes.

Plus anything else your individual child may need, such as breast milk, a sleeping bag, comforter or medication.

It’s best to speak to your centre of choice for a full list of everything included.

Casa Bambini uses Xplor Home as our family communication app. It is the best and easiest way to keep track of your child’s day. After you enrol your child with the centre, you can utilise Xplor Home to book child care days, manage your account, receive the photographs that capture your child’s learning, learn about your child’s progress, as well as keep up-to-date with upcoming centre events and important information.

If your child shows signs of an infectious illness when they arrive at the centre or becomes sick during the day, you may be notified that you need to make alternative arrangements or pick up your child from the centre, and keep them home until they are no longer infectious. While we understand that this can be inconvenient, Casa Bambini is committed to maintaining a healthy environment and reducing the risk of infection for all children.

Under the Child Care Subsidy (CCS), families are allowed 42 absence days per child, per financial year. These can be taken for any reason, including public holidays and when children are sick, without the need for families to provide documentation.