Learning through pets, gardening

Bunbury's College Community Child Care Centre has been nominated as a finalist in the 2012 Australian Child Care Week Awards.

This year is the first nomination for the centre which has operated out of Bunbury TAFE grounds since 1996.

Centre co-ordinator and supervisor Judith Cluning said she was proud of the team’s effort as finalists in the Best Overall Australian Child Care Week Program category.

Mrs Cluning said the awards meant national recognition of the work staff did with their children throughout the year.

“The children are learning about recycling and growing plants and get excited when they see their little seeds popping up through the ground,” she said.

The centre’s second in command, Catheryn O’Brien, said their children also learnt about providing for animals.

“We collect food scraps for our chickens and have a worm farm. We are being Environment Warriors,” she said.

Mrs Cluning said the centre had 17 staff, who cared for children aged from six weeks to six years. Their program was designed to teach skills for life.

“The program (awards) gives us a chance to show the rest of our industry colleagues what we’re doing here, by extending their learning and hopefully making a better environment for them to grow up in,” she said.