First5Years Calliope
Growing curious, capable children in the heart of Calliope.
First5Years Calliope is an 88-place early learning centre for children from six weeks to school age, built around strong relationships, thoughtful environments and the belief that children are capable, curious and full of possibility.
At a glance
- Places
- 88
- Hours
- 6:00 am–6:00 pm
- Days
- Monday to Friday
- Ages
- Six weeks to school age
- Care
- Long day care
- Fee
- $170 per day
- Centre Director
- Matthew Davis
- calliope@first5years.com.au
First5Years Calliope
A centre shaped around childhood.
Calliope is a growing regional community, and our centre gives children the space, relationships and experiences they need to thrive within it.
There is room for movement and quiet, for big ideas and small discoveries, for familiar routines and the unexpected things children bring into each day.
Our role is not to fill childhood with activity. It is to create the conditions in which children can investigate, participate, build relationships and become increasingly confident in who they are.
The environment
We believe the environment is the third teacher.
The spaces children spend their days in matter.
At First5Years Calliope, indoor and outdoor environments invite exploration, connection and independence. Natural light, timber, open-ended materials and access to the outdoors help create spaces children can genuinely inhabit rather than simply move through.
We continue to observe how children use their environment and allow the spaces to evolve with their interests, capabilities and ideas.
Our approach
Children are capable, curious and full of possibility.
Children learn through relationships, movement, play, experimentation and the freedom to return to ideas again and again.
Our educators observe closely, listen carefully and respond thoughtfully.
Sometimes that means introducing a new material. Sometimes it means asking a question. Sometimes the most valuable thing an educator can do is notice what is already happening and give a child the time and space to stay with it.
Our practice continues to be influenced by ideas associated with the Reggio Emilia philosophy, including respect for the capable child, the importance of relationships and the role of the environment in learning.
Our people
Good centres are built around good people.
Children experience a centre through the people who know them.
The educator who notices when something is different. The person who knows what helps a child settle. The familiar face at drop-off. The team member who takes the time to listen properly to a family.
At First5Years, we take the growth of our people seriously too.
Our educators are supported through regular one-to-one conversations, personal and professional goals, coaching and accessible leadership.
Matthew Davis
Centre Director
The rhythm of the day
Familiar rhythms. Plenty of room for possibility.
There are important anchors in every day: arrival, meals, care routines, rest, outdoor play and reconnecting with family at the end of the day.
Around those rhythms, children have time to follow ideas.
A question can become an investigation. Water can become engineering. A collection of leaves can become sorting, drawing, conversation and storytelling.
Not every meaningful moment needs to be planned before it happens.
Rooms
Spaces that grow with children.
Food
Good food is part of a good day.
Meals are an important part of the daily rhythm: a chance to pause, sit together, try new things and refuel for everything still to come.
Food at First5Years Calliope is prepared with young children in mind, balancing nutrition, variety and the simple pleasure of eating together.
Kindy
The year before school is still a year of childhood.
Fees
$170 per day
Flat daily fee
Understanding Child Care Subsidy.
The Australian Government Child Care Subsidy can reduce the amount eligible families pay for early learning. Your subsidy depends on your circumstances, including family income, activity and the type of care used.
Read our Child Care Subsidy guide →Families
Families are part of the learning community too.
Strong relationships with families help us understand children more deeply.
Through OWNA, families can stay connected with centre communication, information about their child's day and learning, photographs, forms, bookings, absences, accounts and invoices.
But the important conversations still happen between people.
We want families to know the educators caring for their child and to feel comfortable asking questions, sharing what matters and being part of the life of the centre.
Our region
Part of something bigger, still grounded in Calliope.
First5Years is deliberately focused on regional Australia. Our centres are connected by a shared belief in exceptional early learning, while each remains shaped by the community it belongs to.
Calliope should feel like Calliope. That means listening carefully, building strong local teams and making decisions with an understanding of the families and community around us.
Come and see us
The best way to understand a centre is to spend some time in it.
Walk through the rooms. Step outside. Meet the people who will know your child.