North Star - Guiding Growth
At North Star, your child enjoys a distinctive advantage by benefiting from Finland's globally renowned early education system
Our Vision
North Star introduces internationally acclaimed Nordic childcare practices to the Australian childcare market, establishing a new standard for the childcare experience for children, parents, and staff. We uphold a ‘best in class’ philosophy across child experience, curriculum, centre design, and personalised learning, ensuring excellence in all aspects of our childcare services.
Exceptional Education
What sets us apart is that we provide a meticulously designed daily learning curriculum crafted by genuine education and early childhood experts, a feature not commonly found in other childcare centres across Australia. This curriculum is thoughtfully delivered through a play-based approach, ensuring your child’s learning experience is both joyful and intuitive.
Our
Philosophy
We are firm believers in holistic learning, where every child should have the freedom to learn and flourish within a nurturing and stimulating environment. This environment not only supports their unique traits and interests but also fosters the self-assurance necessary for their future development and success.
A typical day at North Star
Going the ‘Extra’ Mile
We offer a variety of extracurricular activities for your child as part of our daily routine.
Music classes in our centre offer children the opportunity to explore the world of sound, rhythm, and self-expression. Through engaging activities and play, these lessons nurture a lifelong love for music, boost cognitive development, and enhance social skills as children collaborate in making joyful melodies together.
We provide cooking lessons in our centre as it provides children with valuable life skills while fostering their creativity and confidence in the kitchen. These hands-on experiences not only promote healthy eating habits but also encourage a sense of independence as children learn to prepare simple, nutritious meals.
Our sports programs promote physical activity, teamwork, and motor skills in children, featuring activities such as soccer, basketball, yoga, dance, and more. These programs foster active play, social skills, and enjoyable experiences. Ensuring age-appropriate and safe activities, qualified instructors or staff members supervise and lead these activities.
At North Star, we promote community engagement by staying connected with families, hosting events, encouraging involvement, partnering with local organisations, using social media, and celebrating diversity to create a supportive and inclusive environment.
Art is more than just painting and drawing — it's a powerful tool for expression, exploration, and development. Our art classes are designed to inspire creativity, build confidence, and support fine motor skills in a fun and nurturing environment.
We believe that helping children understand and manage their emotions is just as important as learning letters and numbers. Our emotional intelligence program is woven into daily life, teaching children the skills they need to recognise feelings, express themselves, and build healthy relationships.
Nutrition
At North Star Early Education, we prioritise wholesome, safe, and balanced meals. That is why we partner with Atopic Nutrition, led by paediatric dietitian Jenna Swift, to guide our seasonal menu planning and staff education.
Who We Partner With
Atopic Nutrition is a Melbourne-based service specialising in allergy, eczema, and gut health support for children.
Founder Jenna Swift is:
- An Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) with a diverse background in clinical, community and private practice.
- Certified in Paediatric Nutrition (Royal Children’s Hospital) who has worked extensively with families to support fussy eaters and foster positive relationships with food from an early age.
- A parent with lived experience supporting her daughter’s allergy journey
- A passionate educator on child-focused, functional nutrition
Learn more: atopicnutrition.com
At North Star Early Education, Jenna plays a key role in reviewing and enhancing our nutrition program. Her support ensures that our menu reflects best practices in early childhood nutrition; with a focus on variety, cultural inclusion, seasonal ingredients and allergen-friendly options. Jenna partners with families and educators to ensure meals that are nourishing, inclusive and developmentally appropriate.
Parent & Educator Support
Jenna also provides direct services to our families and educators, including:
- Video consultations for parents – covering allergies, gut health, eczema, fussy eating, and more
- In-house seminars for staff – practical guidance on allergy management, food handling, and nutrition education in childcare
Why It Matters
- Meals are balanced, allergy-aware, and dietitian-reviewed
- Staff are trained and supported in best-practice food handling
- Parents have access to expert one-on-one support when needed
- Our kitchen is backed by an evidence-based process—not guesswork
Our Promise
We are committed to serving food that is safe, nutritious, and inclusive for every child in our care. Through our partnership with Atopic Nutrition, families can feel confident that we take nutrition as seriously as you do.
Always Connected
We recognise that, as parents, you have a natural desire to stay informed about your children’s daily activities. That’s why we utilise a specially designed childcare app, StoryPark, to offer real-time updates on your child’s experiences, including details about their sleep, meals, and a wealth of delightful photos taken throughout the day. This technology allows you to stay closely connected to your child’s journey and well-being while they are at our centre.
Educator to child ratios
The educator to child ratio is dependent on the age of your child
We aim to secure continuity for your child with the same teacher throughout the week. If for any reason staff are absent, our main priority is to inform parents as soon as possible of the replacement for that day, to ensure there are no surprises for you or your child.
The daily FinlandWay® programme also ensures continuity and helps all children to feel comfortable and settled with the staff who support them.
Ratio for on-site activities
Want to know more about North Star?
Let’s talk! We’d love to tell you more about our childcare centre.
