Jabiru Childcare Centre focuses on sustainability

Kailah Williams using the iCheck-in on a Surface Pro to sign-in the kids at the Jabiru Childcare Centre.

Jabiru Childcare is making an effort to become a more sustainable centre, and to start, have purchased three Surface Pros which will be used for multiple purposes at the centre.
After introducing iCheck-in this year and using the Surface Pros, parents can log-in when they arrive at the centre to electronically to sign their child in and out of the service for the day.
This is legal requirement as set out in the Education and Care Services National Regulations that, in the past, has required the use of a lot of paper each day - even for a small service such as the Jabiru centre.
Jabiru Childcare Centre Manager Alleisha Woodward said the other exciting new usage for the tablets is our new online programming system - Storypark.
Storypark allows educators to record and document the children’s learning and development using photos, videos and written observations.
“This is then uploaded to the program and parents are notified via the app or email about a new learning story being available,” Alleisha said.
“In the past we had printed portfolios containing these learning stories and samples of artwork, which all the families treasure but it was not a very sustainable practise with the use of the paper, folders and ink.”
“The other wonderful thing is that extended family can be invited to follow the children’s development, so grandparents in Darwin or aunts and uncles in Indonesia can be even more a part of the children’s journey.”
“All the educators are quickly learning the new system and the feedback from them and the families is wonderful, we look forward to continuing to build this new and exciting tool for the children and families of Jabiru.”
With these exciting new ways of being a more sustainable centre, educator Michi decided to keep moving forward and has developed a recycling project by asking families to bring in their plastic bottles so the centre can recycle them and use the funds to purchase new resources for the centre.
“We have also purchased a recycling and sustainability kit that contains recycling bins, water filtration kit, see through compost container and a worm farm. Educators will be discussing the benefits of being sustainable for our environment with the children and more projects and exciting things are sure to follow in coming months,” Alleisha said.

Lacey Bear doing her bit for the environment by putting a recyclable item in the recycling bin at Jabiru Childcare.