Shining Stars Early Learning Centre

01/10/2026

Proud of our team. Proud of the impact they make beyond our service. ❤️

Our team’s involvement in the Dapto NAIDOC day event at the Showgrounds was a wonderful reflection of what we value as educators, connection, community, culture and a genuine commitment to being part of something bigger than ourselves.

Manaswi and Bella embraced the day connecting with local organisations, engaging with the community and celebrating the richness of culture and connection.

Their creativity also took them all the way to winning the Deadly Vibe Award 🏆 with their veggie soup and mini wattleseed damper entry!

Our educators represent our service with warmth, respect and purpose, creating meaningful connections within our local community and extending the learning, values and relationships we foster every day with our children.

This is who we are. This is what community looks like. And this is why we are beyond proud of our team. ❤️

19/09/2026

Our children are still talking about their special visit from the Lord Mayor of Wollongong. ✨

As part of the Wollongong Canva Goals Project, our children had the opportunity to share their ideas, perspectives and aspirations for their community, and to have their voices recognised as an important part of its future.

From sharing their ideas to proudly showing the Lord Mayor what they have been creating, the experience gave our children a genuine sense that their ideas matter and that they have a place in shaping the community they call home.

A truly memorable experience for our children and our service ✨

16/09/2026

16/09/2026

08/09/2026

Today was a very special day at SSELC ❤️

Since 2019, we have proudly been a collection point for Need A Feed, and today we were privileged to welcome the Need A Feed team and their incredible van to our service.

Need A Feed does such important work across our local community, supporting families and individuals doing it tough through food relief, community meals, their food pantry, outreach programs and, most importantly, connection, dignity and kindness.

It has been wonderful to be involved with such an incredible organisation for so many years, and today was a beautiful opportunity for our children, families and educators to see firsthand where their generosity goes and the difference it can make.

We are incredibly proud to play a small part in supporting an organisation that gives so much to others. Every donation, every collection and every act of kindness helps make a difference.

Thank you to the Need A Feed team for visiting us today and for everything you do for our community. We are so proud to stand alongside you, together, supporting our community ❤️

13/08/2026

Today, our wonderful NS Bella proudly represented our preschool at Paint the Gong Read event , volunteering alongside Wollongong City Council to help bring this special community event to life.
We are incredibly proud of Bella for getting involved, giving back and being part of such a wonderful community initiative. 💕
Being part of events like these encourage our children to see the value of kindness, connection and making a difference.
A big thank you to Wollongong City Council for including us and for continuing to create wonderful opportunities for our local community ✨

10/07/2026

This NAIDOC Week, we kept our little hands and big hearts busy at SSELC. 💛🖤❤️

To begin our week, our children prepared the ingredients to make a delicious muesli slice while also carefully measuring, mixing and creating take-home muesli jars for our families. These jars became a meaningful extension of our learning, encouraging conversations, connection and shared experiences at home throughout NAIDOC Week.

As part of our learning about respect, gratitude and community, the children helped prepare a special muesli slice that our Service Director delivered to our Elders and Board Members. Alongside their homemade treats, the children wrote heartfelt letters to thank them for sharing their knowledge, stories and wisdom with our community. It was a small gesture of appreciation for the important role they play in keeping culture alive and guiding future generations.

These experiences remind us that NAIDOC Week is more than learning about history, it’s about building genuine relationships, listening with respect, showing gratitude and honouring the voices of those who continue to share culture, knowledge and connection with us every day. 🌿✨

10/07/2026

Our NAIDOC Week learning journey didn’t stop at the doors of SSELC, our educators stepped out into our wider community to connect, listen and learn at the beautiful Coomaditchie pop-up art gallery. 🖤💛❤️

Surrounded by powerful artworks, stories and cultural expressions from local Aboriginal artists, our team had the opportunity to deepen our understanding of the strong connections between culture, Country, identity and storytelling.

These experiences continue to shape the way we create authentic learning opportunities for our children, embedding Aboriginal perspectives in ways that are respectful, intentional and connected to our local community.

We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to learn from the knowledge, creativity and stories shared. Our journey of listening, learning and growing continues. 🌿✨

08/07/2026

✨ Inspiring, Not Replicating ✨

As part of our NAIDOC Week learning, we explored artworks and shared meaningful conversations about respecting artists, their stories and the cultures they represent.

Together, we asked:
🤎 *How would you feel if someone used your ideas as their own?*
🤎 *What makes your ideas special?*
🤎 *How can we be inspired while creating something uniquely our own?*

These rich discussions encouraged our children to think deeply about creativity, respect and identity. Rather than reproducing what they observed, each child created their own artwork, inspired by their learning and expressed through their own ideas, colours and creative thinking.

At SSELC, we believe children learn most deeply when they are inspired to think, create and express their own ideas, rather than simply replicate the work of others. Through open-ended experiences, intentional teaching and meaningful provocations, we nurture curiosity, critical thinking and creativity, while encouraging children to value both their own ideas and the ideas of others.

This experience reminded us that respecting culture also means respecting the stories people choose to share, acknowledging the knowledge they pass on, and celebrating our own unique voices alongside them.

💛 Every child has a voice. Every idea has value. Every creation tells a story 💛

06/07/2026

We have been reflecting on how we share this important week with our community. We always look forward to celebrating NAIDOC Week, yet for us at SSELC, it’s also a reflection of the learning, relationships, and respect that are part of our everyday practice.

Respect for Country, learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and fostering a genuine appreciation of Australia’s First Peoples are woven into our environments, experiences, conversations, and the values we nurture in our children each day.

That’s what makes NAIDOC Week so meaningful. It’s a time to celebrate, reflect, listen, learn, and share this journey with our families and community.

While we’re proud of how far we have come, we know there is always more to learn, more to listen to, and more to do. We are committed to continuing this journey with humility, respect, and open hearts - not just during NAIDOC Week, but every day of the year.

We look forward to sharing our celebrations with you throughout the week. ❤️💛🖤