LOCALLY OWNED

We are proud to be locally owned by individuals who are active and engaged members of the Bangalow community. Our boutique centre has been an absolute passion project and has become a truly bespoke brainchild of those behind the scenes. Our centre is fortunate to stand independently, outside of limiting big-corporate parameters. We have had the luxury of building business from scratch, doing things our way, true to our values, and with your child’s best interest at heart.

ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS SPACE

A strong belief about the importance of sustainable practices and looking after our natural environment is a central pillar of our ethos at Mirabelle. We are certain that the future generation hold enormous power and potential to do great things in this this space, if given proper guidance and encouragement with these conscious practices incorporated into everyday life.

Our centre is filled with natural, eco-friendly materials and educational resources, as we’ve made a genuine effort to purchase plastic free and from as many Australian producers and distributors as possible. We reserve food scraps for our compost, worm farm, and happy chooks, and aim to have a minimal impact on our stunning natural environment.

THE GARDENS

Our outdoor haven is comprised a mini orchard of fruit trees and a functional veggie patch. From this space, the littles are able to learn about sustainability and experience first-hand the cyclical nature of tending to a personal, food-producing garden. We regularly incorporate compost from our kitchen and involve the children in planting new seeds, providing TLC to the plant babies, and reaping produce when ripe. While our veggie patch serves as an onsite window into how the farm to fork movement looks in practice, we actually source more substantial harvests for some meals at the centre from a local plot of land planted to mirror what’s being grown at the centre.

CREATIVELY CURATED ENVIRONMENT

Our space has been thoughtfully designed to maximise your child’s creative capability and sense of wonder throughout the day. No detail has been overlooked, as we’ve approached the completely custom fit-out with the intention of harnessing every square metre’s potential for encouraging play and dynamic growth. Each of our educational resources has each been hand selected with love and is composed of natural materials.

ATELIER SPACES

Situated on each of our room’s decks are the “ateliers”, or art studios. These spaces are the heart and soul of Mirabelle’s Reggio Emilia approach to early learning. We encourage every child to express their individual way of seeing the world through the language of art.

You’ll find cupboards bursting with art materials, natural bits and pieces foraged from nature, light projectors, and beyond. Everything your child might need to express intuitive, spontaneous creative experimentation is at their fingertips in these spaces. The littles artwork is displayed with pride on the learning space walls and in Mirabelle’s entrance hall so your child knows their unique creations and ideas are valued. Educators encourage your child to talk through their artistic processes, an activity that plays a crucial role in brain development.

OUR EDUCATORS

Our team of educators are the backbone on which the children’s daily experience hinge. Their passion for guiding children and allowing space for them to explore their powerful potential cannot be taught or measured merely with a certificate. With this in mind, we are slowly and consciously building our team as the right candidates come along. There is something magical about a space that’s safe for a child to truly express themselves and learn from their surroundings, and our educators create and hold this space for your child. Connectedness and interactions between the teacher and child is paramount to the Reggio Emilia approach.

Our educators bring about children's knowledge, rather than simply filling it in, which requires a heightened level of awareness and emotional availability, as well as the skills to be able to listen and learn from and alongside the children and their parents.

MINDFULNESS PROGRAM

Our mindfulness program encourages the children to focus on the present moment, and in doing so, take in the full sensory experience that each moment has to offer. We see mindfulness as a tool to build self awareness, self esteem, and effective emotional regulation. We incorporate regular yoga, meditation and breathing exercises into the days here at Mirabelle.

INDIGENOUS CONNECTIONS

We have formed a special connection with local Indigenous Elder/Artist, Mark Core, a proud Minijumbal man, who’s based in the Tweed Shire with a vision to grow the cultural competence and capacity of our First Nations people.  We are super excited to share that a strong point in our Curriculum “Horizon” will draw on Mark’s rich cultural knowledge of Storytelling and Art.

Mark is an independent artist focusing on landscapes that represent Country.  Inspired by natural materials, shapes and energy his vision absorbs our beautiful mountains, breathtaking rainforests, majestic beaches and its colourful shoreline. His work reminds us of the cultural significance of nature and seasons with a deep spiritual connection to the land.

Mark’s purpose at Mirabelle is to provide Art Workshops in each of our rooms based on the local Bundjalung language. His work will involve the children and educators to create a special meeting place where they will come together in a social context to learn language that represents the artwork and our local community.

Along with the little ones, his intention will stretch to create Storyboards with the curation of a very special Mirabelle Story. We are pleased to share that on an ongoing basis Mark will meet with our Room Leaders and create his extraordinary content to complement their lesson plans. We truly couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate and connect with our First Nations people and authentically engage our children.

EXTRA CURRICULAR

Playball is a new slice of extra curricula we have integrated into our Horizon (curriculum) with ballstar guru, Russell Kennedy, every Monday here in our beautiful gardens at Mirabelle. This unique specialised sports coaching program for our little ones focuses on: Basketball, Soccer, Baseball, Hockey, Cricket, Tennis, Netball, and Football

…and it aligns beautifully with The Early Years Learning Framework expanding on our littlie’s growth and wellbeing! These sessions with Russ are designed to not only be a big giant ball of FUN but will build on self-esteem and confidence, and socially it’s such a great way to spend quality time together interacting and building strong connections outdoors amongst nature. Think of all those fundamental skills the littlies will learn too, and there are a myriad of important learning opportunities to build on, such as gross and fine motor skills, spatial skills, finger and hand strength, hand-eye and foot-eye coordination, grasping skills, balance, teamwork, sportsmanship and the list goes on and on.

School readiness is another additional bonus and contribution to the repertoire of the Playball Program; where the children will be presented with opportunities to concentrate, listen, focus and self-regulate.  It’s also an effective way to teach about resilience because children won't always win.

The important life skills of patience, turn-taking, understanding rules and cooperation will not only make Playball fun and challenging, but an extra dose of fresh air to stimulate the immune system will get the little ones moving.  After all, plenty of outdoor time links in beautifully with healthy, strong, and happy children.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

We are so privileged to be part of the Bangalow Community, and our belief is that children thrive in environments that embrace what it really means to be part of such a community. We are delighted to bring your family together with others as part of a wider Mirabelle family, and create connection that embraces the beautiful diversity. There are so many variations amongst individual families enrolled with us, and we celebrate the fact that many children are coming from bilingual and multicultural homes. We are proud to utilise as many local suppliers as possible, and are excited about the establishment and nurturing of ongoing relationships with other small businesses within our area. A sense of place for a child is so far beyond a simple physical locality, and we are passionate about this contributing to a deep sentiment of belonging.

THE 100 LANGUAGES OF CHILDREN

The Reggio Emilia philosophy is based on the premise that children have a symbolic 100 Languages and they learn and express themselves in all these forms. We view each child is a capable individual, able to communicate their unique abilities in extraordinary ways.

Children are competent, naturally curious and full of wonder and we encourage each child’s endless potential to be embraced through multiple ways of seeing and being. Loris Malaguzzi, the founder of the Reggio Approach, describes the "infinite ways that children can express, explore, and connect their thoughts, feelings and imaginings."

GINA

Cert III Trainee

Gina loves to be surrounded by children, and with only 6 months of experience working in Early Childhood, you would think Gina has been in the industry for years! Her natural teaching style absorbs children into her orb with her purposeful interactions that are warm, caring, and encouraging. Gina believes children need respectful bonding and encouragement so she is a key contributor in cultivating the positive attitudes and values that children need, to learn and engage effectively in their world. For fun, Gina loves to travel, soaks up the beach as much as she can, and spends quality time connecting with friends catching up over fancy dinners and when not at work, you can find Gina crunching it out at her local Pilates studio. Gina’s hopes and dreams for this year at Mirabelle is that she can lead more child experiences as she grows and stretches in her Traineeship. However, most of all, she wants to build trusted and confident relationships with all the children and their families at Mirabelle.

INGRID

Support Worker

Ingrid comes with a myriad of early childhood experiences of over 6 years of nannying and supporting many children all over the Byron Shire. A natural at heart, she finds early learning extremely rewarding and feels so much joy when caring for little ones. Ingrid believes that supporting children through fun and meaningful interactions rewards her with a deep sense of satisfaction, and she strongly believes in making a positive impact in children’s lives, no matter how small. Ingrid’s teaching philosophy is to expect the unexpected and adapt to change. These human qualities are perfect for working with little humans! For fun, Ingrid's favourite leisurely activity is to celebrate the great outdoors as she enjoys the freedom and scenery when riding her bike on the beach, especially with her bond of a dog in tow! Ingrid’s hopes and dreams at Mirabelle this year is to create special experiences so much so, that when the little ones look back on their time here, their memories will exude joy and happiness.

TIA

Cert III Trainee

For Tia, her teaching experience begins in the heart. Inspired by her mother’s influence of working as an early childhood teacher for 30 years, set Tia on her path to follow her dreams and work with children. Seeing the little ones grow and develop brings her so much purpose and joy. So much so, that Tia feels it a great privilege to be such an important part of the children’s journey. At Mirabelle, Tia plans her days around supporting children to be happy and comfortable and her teaching style communicates love, acceptance, and belonging so that children feel joyful and present in the world. Tia also loves to be in the garden, and if she’s not tending to the gardens at Mirabelle, you can find her deeply satisfied and excited in her own little garden at home growing fresh food or reading a great novel in her hammock! This year Tia’s hopes and dreams at Mirabelle are for the children to feel her room is a special haven away from home, to feel safe and happy to explore, to love, and to learn.

BROOKE

Advanced Diploma - Early Childhood Teacher

Brooke, our baby nurturer, fell in love with early learning a long time ago and worked as an educator for 10 years before having her own little cherubs. Now that her children are all grown up, proud earth Mumma Brooke has found herself back in the industry with her one true love, the babies! Brooke’s deep passion and natural style of teaching are holistic, paying attention to the connectedness of the mind, body, and spirit so that the little ones feel enormously loved and supported. Her integrated and interconnected approaches focus on a broad range of teaching goals creating a fun and safe space that’s inclusive to all. Brooke is deeply passionate about babies developing their imagination and creativity through play, which is why her room is always engaging, welcoming, and playful. At home, Brooke loves to be with her family, smiling with the ones she loves, and for this year, Brooke’s hopes and dreams at Mirabelle are for the little ones to feel a deep sense of belonging and connectedness, to feel confident within themselves, and to soak up the happiness that floats all around them.

MELINA

Diploma - 2IC

With a strong background in education and leadership management, our bright, bubbly Melina brings an eclectic teaching style to Mirabelle. She strongly believes the early years are the most essential developmental years in a person's life and encourages planned play-based learning experiences that allow children to thrive. Melina is a teacher who loves teaching, which teaches children to love learning. She provides opportunities for agency where children’s play becomes more self-directed, allowing the child to explore their world as they work towards their goals. In fact, Melina provides an innovative and refreshing cross-curricular approach to teaching with her Spanish fluent background and knowledge of the Italian language. For fun, Melina loves pottery, surfing, and cooking. She believes books are important for the mind, heart and soul so loves to read and write too. Melina’s hopes and goals for Mirabelle this year are for the children to feel safe and secure to explore their independence and learn about the world around them through sensory play. Her wishes are for the children to have lots of fun, to feel embraced by the warmth of love and affection with lots of cuddles too.