Frequently Asked Questions

General

  • As we are located within South.Point, you can park where you normally would when coming to the centre. We are located on the ground floor.

  • In addition to our many services, The Learning Nest Co offers a space for feeding (if you require privacy), bathrooms for children (change table included) and adults, fridge, microwave, hot water, tea, hot chocolate, and coffee (from a real machine), no instant coffee here!

  • Where possible, we ask families to bring their children and belongings only. We have limited space within our centre and are mindful of keeping fire exits clear. If you do need to bring your pram, don’t worry - we will find room.

  • We have a standard exclusion period for infectious diseases (please see our Infectious Diseases policy) to keep all of our clients and staff healthy. As we are primarily working with young children, and occasionally the elderly, we are mindful of exposing vulnerable members of the community to illness. We politely ask you to reschedule your session if you or your child are sick. We understand that illness can’t be controlled so we only ask for a minimum of 2 hours’ notice before your session for a credit to be applied.

  • We understand how busy parenting can get and how easy it is to double book. If you have booked into one of our services and need to change your booking, please let us know with as much notice as possible. At a minimum we require 2 hours’ notice.

    As all of our sessions have a capped number of children, we would like to do our best to fill spots if we can.

  • When we have a pop-up session with a vacancy, we try to post on our socials with enough notice so families can book in and organise their days accordingly.

    You are always welcome to stop by and see ‘just in case’, but please know that if our sessions are full, we will be unable to accommodate you. This is to ensure our staff to client ratios remain within our acceptable range, and our rooms do not become overcrowded.

    Our Crèche service has slightly more flexibility for drop ins, however, to ensure the safety of the children in our care, we cannot exceed our capped limits.

  • Both of us have children with EpiPens for anaphylaxis and other allergies so we are conscious of creating a space that is safe for all children. The Learning Nest Co is an allergy aware service. For more information, please click here.

    During our Crèche sessions, children who have allergies are identified on entry to the centre. Staff ensure all children eat from their own snack boxes only and all rubbish is placed into bins before washing hands with soap.

    If your child has a specific allergy you need us to cater for, please speak directly to our Directors to see what plans can be made for the safety of your child.

  • We are big believers in messy play and finding new experiences for children. Where possible, we try to make experiences for Infants to be taste safe.

  • That’s fantastic - we are always on the lookout for new and exciting services we can offer to the community! The best way to get in touch is to use the form on the Contact Us page or send us an email: info@thelearningnestco.com

  • We have thorough Policy and Procedures in place, not because we are required to have them, but because we believe it is the right thing to do when working with children.

    If you have a specific question, please speak to one of our Directors. We are happy to show you a hard copy of the policy in person, alternatively, we can email you a copy if requested: info@thelearningnestco.com

  • Unfortunately, no.

  • Both Directors have tertiary degrees. Shannon has a Bachelor of Education (Primary). Leonie also has a Bachelor of Education (Primary). and a Master of Education (Early Childhood Teaching) along with a few other qualifications. Our other staff members have qualifications in Early Childhood Education and Care. Prospective staff members are preferred if they have an early childhood qualification (or working towards one), or experience working with children.

  • 0-2 years old are 1:4

    2-3 years old are 1:5

    3+ years old is 1:11

    If your child requires extra support please communicate with us prior to your session so we can arrange staffing.

  • We are working towards providing NDIS funded programs, including parent respite. Please contact us if you have any questions about this area.

    For child related services, we also provide Early Intervention Education programs.

Pop-up Sessions

  • Having more than 1 child is not a problem! Your first child will be charged at full price, additional children will be discounted (as long as they are attending the same session). Please contact us if you have any questions.

    If you need help during the session managing with multiple kids, please let one of our staff know!

  • With many children of various ages ourselves, we know how difficult it can be to find an activity that caters to both a baby and active toddler. Part of what pushed us to create The Learning Nest Co was needing the opportunity to do just that!

    If you have booked into a session but have an older child with you, they are welcome to come and use our space at a discounted rate.

    Please note that while children are free to use the resources on display, the developmentally and age-appropriate activities may not be available for use in that session. We do aim to have a few toys or a simple activity out for use in the event children outside the age range attends.

    Please speak to one of us if you would like further clarification.

  • Nappies, wipes, medication - whatever your usual ‘outing’ stuff entails.

    We encourage parents to bring a change of clothes as we often include a messy play activity.

  • We have a standard exclusion period for infectious diseases (please see our Infectious Diseases policy) to keep all of our clients and staff healthy. As we are primarily working with young children, and occasionally the elderly, we are mindful of exposing vulnerable members of the community to illness. We politely ask you to reschedule your session if you or your child are sick. We understand that illness can’t be controlled so we only ask for a minimum of 2 hours’ notice before your session for a credit to be applied.

Crèche

  • As long as we have room to accommodate the numbers, siblings are welcome. While our services are primarily suited to children 6 and under, we can care for children up to the age of 8. Full rates apply for the first child, subsequent children are offered a discounted rate.

  • For all children attending our Crèche, the usual swag of supplies is necessary, depending on their age.

    We encourage all children to attend with a labelled water bottle and small snack box (because even if they’re enrolled for an hour and a half, they will no doubt eat more than they did yesterday!).

    When packing a snack box, please be mindful of other children attending who may have food allergies. We are an allergy aware space.

    Children who are not toilet trained will need to come with nappies and wipes. If we need to supply these items for your child, a small fee will be incurred.

  • As part of our Crèche sessions we run a dedicated snack time - this is to ensure all children are adequately supervised. Please ensure all food packed in their labelled snack box is ready to eat and avoid things that need to be heated or kept refrigerated.

  • Upon arrival, please let a member of staff know if you would like your child to attempt a nap.

    Please note that a nap is not always successful in an exciting environment such as The Learning Nest Co.

  • When a child needs a nappy change or to use the toilet, a second member of staff is always alerted.

    The change table and toilet cubicles are alongside the Crèche space with the door remaining open, while maintaining the privacy of the child using the bathroom.

    If you would prefer to receive a call, and return to the centre to complete this necessary action, please let a member of staff know upon arrival.

  • When it is time to say goodbye to a loved adult, children can be very emotional. This is a completely natural reaction, and nothing to be alarmed over.

    The staff at The Learning Nest Co are very patient and nurturing, and are experts at reassurance and distraction. In almost all cases, after 5 minutes or so, children will settle and begin to play happily. If your child is not settled after 10 or so minutes, we will give you a courtesy call, and discuss how you would like to proceed.

  • As you can appreciate, our timetable is quite full - we need to clean up after the Crèche and prepare for the next session. It is not feasible for us to continue looking after your child past the pickup time.

    If you are late returning to collect your child, additional fess will be incurred.

  • No. You will need to remain within the South.Point shopping centre.

Work + Nest

  • Every Work + Nest package has an individual desk, office chair and access to our kitchen (including hot drinks). Each Work + Nest space has access to our WiFi, and of course, easy access to your child.

  • That is what this space is all about - providing a nurturing and caring environment for families who need a place to work (and think), but with the comfort of having their child nearby. At any time during your booking, you are welcome to come and feed your child.

    If you need a mental break from the tasks you are working on, you are welcome to pop into the Crèche and have a cuddle or play with your child for as long as you’d like.

  • At this stage, we don’t have any private desk spaces or secure office rooms for use in sensitive or classified work material. All of our work desks are located within a communal space.

  • You are welcome to take phone calls in the foyer, or in the courtyard if you would like more privacy, and of course at the desk. However, we do ask you to be mindful of other users in the space and monitor your volume.

  • Our Work + Nest desks are limited strictly to clients who also require use of our Crèche.

Payment

  • We sure do! You can purchase gift cards by going to our ‘book now‘ page.