How do I choose the right early learning centre for my child?

Choosing the right early learning centre means looking for qualified educators, a nurturing environment, strong safety standards, and a play-based learning philosophy like the one used at Sanctuary Early Learning.

What makes a high-quality early learning centre in South East Queensland?

A high-quality early learning centre is assessed under the National Quality Framework and offers structured learning programs, low educator-to-child ratios, and a strong focus on emotional wellbeing and early development.

Is an early learning centre better than family day care?

An early learning centre like Sanctuary Early Learning offers purpose-built facilities, multiple qualified educators, and structured early years programs that support school readiness and social development.

What age can my child start at an early learning centre?

Most early learning centres accept children from around six weeks of age through to school age, with age-appropriate programs designed for each developmental stage.

What curriculum does Sanctuary Early Learning follow?

Sanctuary Early Learning follows the Early Years Learning Framework, focusing on play-based learning that supports cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development.

What is play-based learning and why is it important?

Play-based learning allows children to explore, problem-solve, and build confidence through guided play, which research shows supports stronger early brain development and lifelong learning.

Does Sanctuary Early Learning prepare children for school?

Yes, Sanctuary Early Learning offers structured school readiness programs that build early literacy, numeracy, independence, and social skills to support a smooth transition to primary school.

Are learning programs tailored to my child?

Educators at Sanctuary Early Learning observe each child's interests and development to tailor learning experiences that support individual strengths and needs.

Are educators at Sanctuary Early Learning qualified?

All educators at Sanctuary Early Learning hold or are working towards nationally recognised early childhood education qualifications and participate in ongoing professional development.

What educator-to-child ratios apply?

Sanctuary Early Learning meets or exceeds Australian educator-to-child ratios to ensure children receive individual attention and high-quality care.

How does the centre support emotional wellbeing?

Educators focus on secure relationships, predictable routines, and positive behaviour guidance to support children's emotional wellbeing and sense of belonging.

How are children settled into care?

Sanctuary Early Learning offers gradual orientation sessions and flexible settling-in periods to help children feel safe, comfortable, and confident.

How does Sanctuary Early Learning keep children safe?

The centre follows strict health and safety policies, secure access procedures, and daily safety checks to create a safe and protected learning environment.

What illness policies are in place?

Sanctuary Early Learning follows national illness exclusion guidelines to reduce the spread of illness and protect the wellbeing of children and families.

Are meals provided at the centre?

Many Sanctuary Early Learning centres provide nutritious, age-appropriate meals designed to support healthy growth and development, while accommodating allergies and dietary needs.

How are allergies and medical needs managed?

Individual health management plans are developed in partnership with families to safely support allergies, asthma, and other medical requirements.

How much does early learning cost in South East Queensland?

Early learning centre fees in South East Queensland typically range from $110 to $180 per day before subsidies, depending on location, age group, and services provided.

What are the fees at Sanctuary Early Learning?

Fees at Sanctuary Early Learning are competitively priced and vary by centre and age group, with detailed fee information provided during the enrolment process.

What is the Child Care Subsidy and am I eligible?

The Child Care Subsidy is a government payment that reduces out-of-pocket childcare costs for eligible families based on income, activity levels, and hours of care.

How much will childcare cost after subsidy?

After Child Care Subsidy, many families pay between $30 and $80 per day, depending on their individual circumstances and hours of care.

Sanctuary Early Learning Adventure | Early Learning Centre

At Sanctuary Early Learning Adventure, learning is an adventure — one guided by curiosity, connection, and a deep respect for each child. As a family-owned early learning provider, we offer high-quality care and education across our centres throughout Queensland.

Our approach is grounded in our core values of Connection, Collaboration, Inclusion, and Respect, shaping welcoming environments where children feel safe, supported, and confident to explore the world around them. We follow each child’s interests, allowing learning to unfold naturally through play, relationships, and meaningful experiences. Across our centres, children engage in rich programs including movement, creative arts, outdoor play, and wellbeing practices that support resilience, independence, and emotional growth.

Every Sanctuary centre is thoughtfully designed to reflect its local community, providing engaging, home-like spaces where children can learn and thrive. Our programs align with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines (QKLG), ensuring a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

We invite you to experience the Sanctuary difference — book a tour and explore enrolment opportunities at a centre near you.

At Sanctuary, we take a holistic approach to early learning — recognising that children develop through the connection of mind, body, emotions, and relationships. We follow each child’s interests, allowing their natural curiosity to guide learning experiences that are meaningful, engaging, and developmentally appropriate.

Our programs support children’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive wellbeing through a balance of play, movement, creativity, and quiet moments of reflection. From outdoor exploration and creative expression to mindfulness and calm transitions, children are supported to build confidence, resilience, and a strong sense of self.

Learning at Sanctuary is shaped through responsive educators, nurturing environments, and strong relationships with families. This integrated approach ensures every child feels secure, valued, and empowered — laying the foundations for lifelong learning and wellbeing.

At Sanctuary Early Learning Adventure, our centres are designed to provide a safe and stimulating environment for your child to learn, grow and thrive. Each facility is thoughtfully crafted, offering a range of amenities and features to support your child’s development. Our Cairns facility, for example, boasts:

Spacious and well-equipped indoor and outdoor play areas
Age-appropriate resources and learning materials
Dedicated rooms for babies, toddlers and kindergarten-age children
Qualified and experienced educators who truly care about your child’s wellbeing
Secure premises with modern safety measures in place
Eco-friendly practices and sustainability initiatives

We understand that every child is unique and we cater to the individual needs of children from as young as 6 weeks old up to 5 years of age. Our programs are designed to support children’s growth across all developmental stages, including:

Babies: Our nurturing educators provide a safe, clean and loving environment for your baby to grow, ensuring their needs are met with warmth and responsiveness.
Toddlers: we encourage exploration and curiosity, while promoting independence. We know our toddlers have a big world to investigate and wrap every element of our program around their interests and activities.
Kindergarten: Our kindergarten programs prepare children for their transition to school, fostering a love of learning and developing essential life skills. This is all accomplished by following their lead, unpacking their investigations and diving a little deeper into topics.

At Sanctuary Early Learning Adventure, we believe in providing a comprehensive and engaging curriculum that incorporates both STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) and the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).

This combination ensures our kindergarten program offers:

A strong foundation in science, technology, engineering, arts and maths, encouraging problem-solving and critical thinking skills
A focus on play-based learning and child-led interests, promoting creativity and self-expression
Opportunities for children to develop a sense of belonging, confidence and resilience
A supportive environment where children are encouraged to explore, take risks and learn at their own pace

How do I choose the right early learning centre for my child?
Choosing the right early learning centre means looking for qualified educators, a nurturing environment, strong safety standards, and a play-based learning philosophy like the one used at Sanctuary Early Learning.
What makes a high-quality early learning centre in South East Queensland?
A high-quality early learning centre is assessed under the National Quality Framework and offers structured learning programs, low educator-to-child ratios, and a strong focus on emotional wellbeing and early development.
Is an early learning centre better than family day care?
An early learning centre like Sanctuary Early Learning offers purpose-built facilities, multiple qualified educators, and structured early years programs that support school readiness and social development.
What age can my child start at an early learning centre?
Most early learning centres accept children from around six weeks of age through to school age, with age-appropriate programs designed for each developmental stage.
What curriculum does Sanctuary Early Learning follow?
Sanctuary Early Learning follows the Early Years Learning Framework, focusing on play-based learning that supports cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development.
What is play-based learning and why is it important?
Play-based learning allows children to explore, problem-solve, and build confidence through guided play, which research shows supports stronger early brain development and lifelong learning.
Does Sanctuary Early Learning prepare children for school?
Yes, Sanctuary Early Learning offers structured school readiness programs that build early literacy, numeracy, independence, and social skills to support a smooth transition to primary school.
Are learning programs tailored to my child?
Educators at Sanctuary Early Learning observe each child's interests and development to tailor learning experiences that support individual strengths and needs.
Are educators at Sanctuary Early Learning qualified?
All educators at Sanctuary Early Learning hold or are working towards nationally recognised early childhood education qualifications and participate in ongoing professional development.
What educator-to-child ratios apply?
Sanctuary Early Learning meets or exceeds Australian educator-to-child ratios to ensure children receive individual attention and high-quality care.
How does the centre support emotional wellbeing?
Educators focus on secure relationships, predictable routines, and positive behaviour guidance to support children's emotional wellbeing and sense of belonging.
How are children settled into care?
Sanctuary Early Learning offers gradual orientation sessions and flexible settling-in periods to help children feel safe, comfortable, and confident.
How does Sanctuary Early Learning keep children safe?
The centre follows strict health and safety policies, secure access procedures, and daily safety checks to create a safe and protected learning environment.
What illness policies are in place?
Sanctuary Early Learning follows national illness exclusion guidelines to reduce the spread of illness and protect the wellbeing of children and families.
Are meals provided at the centre?
Many Sanctuary Early Learning centres provide nutritious, age-appropriate meals designed to support healthy growth and development, while accommodating allergies and dietary needs.
How are allergies and medical needs managed?
Individual health management plans are developed in partnership with families to safely support allergies, asthma, and other medical requirements.
How much does early learning cost in South East Queensland?
Early learning centre fees in South East Queensland typically range from $110 to $180 per day before subsidies, depending on location, age group, and services provided.
What are the fees at Sanctuary Early Learning?
Fees at Sanctuary Early Learning are competitively priced and vary by centre and age group, with detailed fee information provided during the enrolment process.
What is the Child Care Subsidy and am I eligible?
The Child Care Subsidy is a government payment that reduces out-of-pocket childcare costs for eligible families based on income, activity levels, and hours of care.
How much will childcare cost after subsidy?
After Child Care Subsidy, many families pay between $30 and $80 per day, depending on their individual circumstances and hours of care.

Recent Articles From Sanctuary

Bottling the Moments at Sanctuary Buderim

By Lauren Hall • August 20, 2026

Welcome back to Bottling the Moments, where I take you behind the scenes of my centre visits and share some of the moments that make me smile, make me laugh and remind me why early childhood education is such a special place to be. My recent visit to our beautiful Buderim centre was all about connection. Connection with our children, our team and many of our families during pick up. Families who trust us with their children every single day. When I arrived, Cody was waiting to take me on a tour of the centre, popping into every room to say good morning to the team, and to the children. I love starting a visit this way. It gives me the chance to say hello to everyone and get a feel for what is happening across the centre before I settle in and spend time with the children. Most of my morning was spent with our littlies in Starfish and Jellyfish. I was greeted by our Jellyfish toddlers with the most beautiful smiles. Mateo and Lenny could not have been more excited to see me, and honestly, it filled my heart with joy. Being welcomed like that by our little ones is pretty special, and it was the perfect way to start my morning with them. Lunch in Jellyfish was chicken curry, and I will admit, I did not expect to be quite so impressed watching a room full of toddlers tackle it. Spoons loaded, little hands determined, they fed themselves with a level of focus and independence that had me completely captivated. I loved watching how confidently they were feeding themselves. It was another one of those everyday moments that reminds me how much learning happens throughout the entire day. I then spent some time in Starfish with our littlest ones. With only four babies there that day, I was very lucky to get plenty of smiles, cuddles and playtime with Mauve, Lola, Ayla and Oliver. Oliver is still settling into his new environment, so I was more than happy to sneak in a few extra cuddles to help him feel safe and secure. Starting care is such a big transition for our babies, and for their families too. It is such a privileged position we are in. Our families trust us with their most precious little people, and in those early days, our babies are learning to trust us too. To learn that when they need comfort, we will be there. That they are safe. That they are cared for. And eventually, that Sanctuary is a place where they belong. Being part of building that trust is pretty special. After rest time, I found myself with Turtles and Dolphins for a treasure hunt. My group was Remi, Ella, Charlie and a couple of their friends, and off we went in search of treasure. We found an ant. We found a leaf. We found some bark on a tree. And apparently, according to every single member of my group, we also saw a bird. I did not see the bird. But they were absolutely adamant it was there, and despite my best efforts to tell them I couldn't see it, I was very clearly outnumbered! It was so much fun following their excitement as they discovered each new piece of "treasure" along the way. Over in Coral, it was story time, and this one was a little bit special for me. I had brought along a couple of books from my own son Austin's collection, and the group chose A Hero Like You and Boogie Bear. They loved them. Genuinely, properly loved them, calling out, pointing, joining in with the parts they already knew by heart. I absolutely loved being able to share a couple of Austin's favourite books with the children, and seeing how much they enjoyed them made this moment extra special for me. Over in Seagulls with our kindy children, everyone was outside enjoying the beautiful sunshine and there was plenty of energy to burn, so naturally, a game of tag was the perfect choice! Before long we were running around the playground, with everyone very determined not to be caught (and equally determined to make sure Miss Lauren was!). Very quickly I had about ten children chasing me, and at one point I somehow ended up on the ground being tickled, with a few of our team looking over to make sure I was okay! There was lots of laughter, lots of running and I think it's fair to say the children had a little more energy left in the tank than I did. After all that excitement, I found a quieter spot with Austin and a few of the children who were drawing. Austin and I have shared lots of special little moments since he first started with us as a baby in Starfish, so it was lovely to sit together drawing pictures and having a chat. It was one of those beautiful little moments that reminded me just how special it is to watch our children grow. From those early nursery days to now sitting beside me in Seagulls, these are the connections I feel incredibly lucky to have. Some of my favourite moments from a visit are also connecting 1:1 with our team members, either while they are in their element in their environment with the children, where they share the exciting activities from the week, or over a cuppa or lunch in the staff retreat. I had a beautiful conversation with Josie, one of our educators, who was so curious about our other Sanctuary centres. We chatted about what makes each of them different, what they are like and some of the wonderful things happening across our wider Sanctuary community. I loved her genuine interest and curiosity. I also spent some time with Chloe for one of our Future Leaders mentoring sessions. These are conversations I absolutely love. Creating opportunities for our future leaders to reflect, grow in confidence and discover what they are capable of is one of the most rewarding parts of my role. Cody, Laura and Annie had organised a special lunch in the lunchroom so I could sit with the team on their break, away from the busyness of the rooms. We talked about everything and nothing. Everyone was buzzing about the upcoming Long Lunch, and somewhere along the way the conversation turned to what everyone was currently watching, which, if you have ever sat in a staff room, you will know is a very serious topic of debate. Moments like these matter just as much as anything that happens in the rooms. Our educators give so much of themselves every day, and getting the opportunity to sit, laugh, chat and simply connect with them is something I really treasure. As I drove home that afternoon, I found myself smiling again, not because of one big moment, but because of dozens of little ones. The excitement on Mateo and Lenny's faces. A room full of toddlers proudly feeding themselves. A bird I apparently missed. Sharing two of Austin's books with a new little audience. A beautiful conversation with Josie. Time spent with Chloe talking about her leadership journey. And a lunchroom full of laughter and excitement about our upcoming Long Lunch. These are the moments that remind me why creating the right environment matters so much. They are the moments that make Sanctuary what it is. Until next time… Lauren x