A safe & nurturing environment
We offer a secure, happy, welcoming and enriching environment that responds to each child’s individual needs and interests. Warm and caring people support children’s growth, and ensure they are nurtured and encouraged to develop physically, socially, cognitively, emotionally and spiritually.
Close relationships and communication with families
Because a child’s first and most important teachers are their families, family beliefs and learning practices are valued at St Mark’s. Our program is a strong and effective collaboration between home and the centre. We value our close, genuine partnerships with our children’s families and welcome their input into the operation of the centre as well as the programming for their child. St Mark’s also holds special family events, such as our Family days, supportive community events and celebration of Christmas.
Quality education based on enjoyable activities
St Mark’s provides a child-centred, play- and inquiry-based curriculum that helps children become ready for life. Guided by the Early Years Learning Framework, our program stimulates children’s interests to become independent learners as well as becoming socially, physically and academically confident.
All fees go towards our centre
As a not-for-profit organisation, St Mark’s reinvests any surplus from our fees back into the centre. This ensures we can continue to improve the quality of our services, maintain and upgrade our centre and invest in our staff’s professional development. We keep our fees as low as possible, while delivering an excellent service at a competitive price: comparative analysis with neighbouring child care centres shows that St Mark’s fees are generally lower. Please contact us to find out more about our fees and vacancies.
Accreditation
St Mark’s is accredited under the Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority, which has devised a national benchmark to ensure a high quality of education and care services. Accreditation includes a combined assessment by staff, families and independent observers. To date we have proudly achieved an excellent quality rating in six areas and exceeded the national quality standard in the area of sustainability. We are implementing a range of initiatives to ensure our continual improvement.
Healthy & nutritious meals
At St Mark’s we have a strict policy on food handling. Families are asked not to bring food into the centre, as a number of our children have potentially life threatening food allergies. The centre supplies all meals, including morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and late afternoon snack. We employ a cook who creates seasonal, nutritious and delicious meals using fresh produce. Good nutrition is particularly important for growing children, building healthy bodies and providing an important base for good habits as children grow older. We work closely with Nutrition Australia. We are proud of our 5 star Eat Safe rating from Brisbane City Council. Click here to download our Sample Menu.
A safe & hygienic centre
St Mark’s takes great pride in providing a safe and hygienic environment for children in our care and our staff. We have installed a CCTV system to enhance security, which helps us to provide a safer and more supportive environment (it is not used to view children). We also aim to minimise cross- infection with a range of health and safety initiatives for both staff and children, such as daily professional cleaning of our facilities, strict personal hygiene controls and regular maintenance checks for equipment and the grounds
Valuing diversity
St Mark’s is respectful and accepting of the individuality of children, families and staff, encompassing the elements of culture, ability, family diversity and gender.
A caring workplace
Our staff are important to us. St Mark’s strives to create a happy and supportive working environment. We genuinely believe we are a team and work together to ensure the best care for children. Staff are encouraged to continue their education, and the centre provides regular training to build upon their skills and to achieve their personal and professional goals.