Flinders University Childcare Centre

Flinders University Childcare Centre Flinders University Child Care Centre is a community-based service, rated Exceeding by ACECQA. We specialise in nature, play and inquiry pedagogy.

We provide full day education and care for children aged six weeks to school-aged.

For the first time in 15 years, we have vacancies available at Flinders in our Preschool House for children aged 3–5 yea...
29/05/2026

For the first time in 15 years, we have vacancies available at Flinders in our Preschool House for children aged 3–5 years.
We are currently offering placements for a minimum of 3 days per week.
At Flinders, we are proud to provide:
-2 Early Childhood Teachers in Preschool House (14 across the centre)
-A stable and experienced staffing team with little staff turn over
-Lower staff-to-child ratios
-Amazing nutritious food
-Spectacular outdoor learning environments

Our community is something truly special, you really need to see it to believe it.

Call us on 8201 2881 to arrange a tour and come experience the magic of Flinders and Preschool House for yourself.



Every mark, movement, and creation tells a story.Every child played a role, hands reaching, fingers seeking, ideas unfol...
12/05/2026

Every mark, movement, and creation tells a story.
Every child played a role, hands reaching, fingers seeking, ideas unfolding.

Through rich sensory play with clay, children are empowered to explore, experiment, and create freely. These moments nurture independence, resilience, imagination, and the confidence to trust their own ideas.




Over the past week, Preschool and Sturt House have welcomed families into their spaces for community family nights. Thro...
30/03/2026

Over the past week, Preschool and Sturt House have welcomed families into their spaces for community family nights. Throughout the day, a shared sense of excitement builds as children take an active role in preparing for the evening. They carefully create decorations, watch as their environment transforms with flags strung and tables arranged, contribute to the making of pumpkin soup, and knead dough for focaccia—ten loaves in each house—proudly contributing to an experience they will soon share with their families.

These evenings offer something truly meaningful for children. While families have the opportunity to spend time in their child’s learning environment and engage with their portfolios, children experience something deeper—they see their world expand. Their familiar daily setting becomes a place where home and learning meet, helping them recognise that they are part of a broader, connected community that extends beyond their everyday experiences at Flinders.

Moments like these bring to life what it means to belong to a community. They support children in seeing themselves as visible and valued citizens within a collective, strengthening their sense of identity, connection, and contribution. Through shared experiences like this, the social fabric of their learning becomes both tangible and meaningful.

Thank you to all families for being part of these evenings and for recognising and valuing your child’s place as an active and important citizen within our community.

Will it be the smell of rosemary focaccia on entry that they remember most? Sharing their favourite learning space with their family? Or perhaps sipping warm pumpkin soup alongside a sibling?

Family nights are truly memorable moments for children.








They are blooming like yeast, quietly becoming something more.Bread rises in the warmth, alive in its own slow rhythm.Ho...
20/03/2026

They are blooming like yeast, quietly becoming something more.
Bread rises in the warmth, alive in its own slow rhythm.
Honey drips lazily from one spoon to another, golden and unhurried
and they watch, completely absorbed in the small magic of it all.





I wondered if you would indulge me for one more post. My thinking and research around co- regulation hasn't passed. I am...
18/03/2026

I wondered if you would indulge me for one more post. My thinking and research around co- regulation hasn't passed. I am so aware of how the tiny moments can have such a big impact on our children.

For little people, big feelings can feel even bigger. Between birth and 4 years, co-regulation helps children feel safe, understood, and supported while they learn to manage emotions over time.

I have been thinking about what it could look like in practice for families and children:

Tears during play: Your toddler is upset when blocks fall. You kneel down, make eye contact, touch their arm, and say, “Oh, you’re sad the blocks fell. Let’s build it again together.”

Bedtime fussiness: Your baby can’t settle. You hold them close, hum a song, or rock gently while taking slow breaths together.

Meltdown at the shops: Instead of being cross, you stay calm, say, “I see you’re frustrated,” and offer a hug or a quiet moment.

It is not about “perfect behaviour,” it’s showing your child that feelings are safe, normal, and manageable. Every small pause, hug, or gentle word teaches them how to be in the world.

Co-regulation today, self-regulation tomorrow


Raising children who can co-regulate doesn’t happen by accident; it happens in the small, everyday moments. I recently r...
13/03/2026

Raising children who can co-regulate doesn’t happen by accident; it happens in the small, everyday moments. I recently read an article about co-regulation, then spent time reflecting on the simple but powerful strategies families use to help children handle big emotions in healthy ways.
Some of the strategies included:

Model calm under pressure: Children learn by watching us. When we respond to stress with steadiness and problem-solving, we show them how it’s done.

Validate feelings: “It’s okay to feel upset. Let’s talk about it.”
When we acknowledge emotions instead of dismissing them, children learn that feelings are normal and manageable.

Teach coping tools: Breathing exercises. Counting to 10. Stepping away for a moment.
Simple strategies give children practical ways to calm their bodies and minds.

Name the emotion: “It seems like you’re feeling frustrated.”
Helping children label what they’re feeling builds emotional awareness and language.

Set clear boundaries: Being angry or cross is okay. Hitting, yelling, or being destructive isn’t. We can accept the feeling while guiding better ways to express it.

Don’t discipline the emotion, teach through it: Instead of treating anger as “bad behaviour,” use it as an opportunity to explore what’s going on underneath.

Encourage problem-solving: “What do you think we can do to fix this?”
Inviting children into the solutions-building process builds confidence and emotional intelligence.

When we guide children through big emotions with patience, kindness and understanding, we aren’t just calming a moment, we’re equipping them with lifelong skills.

Co-regulation today. Self-regulation tomorrow.




In the midst of outdoor play, a small movement caught the children’s eyes — a gecko was noticed in the yard at Strut Hou...
23/10/2025

In the midst of outdoor play, a small movement caught the children’s eyes — a gecko was noticed in the yard at Strut House. The children's excitement was immediate — and so was their understanding of what to do next. Without hesitation, they decided that the best place for the creature was the community bug house the children had built together.

While they acknowledged that a gecko isn’t technically a bug, they reasoned that it shares the same habitat as many of the insects living in our yard. Surely, they thought, it would enjoy the same cozy space.

This small — yet significant — moment demonstrates the children’s growing awareness of how to care for the living creatures around them. They no longer seek to contain these beings; instead, they recognise that the bug house provides a safe, habitable place where they can observe creatures respectfully as they explore their new home.








Since investigating habitats for mini-beasts as part of creating the community bug house at Sturt House, the children ha...
03/10/2025

Since investigating habitats for mini-beasts as part of creating the community bug house at Sturt House, the children have been transferring their learning into small world play. They create habitats for various creatures, which serve as the foundation for rich, imaginative play between peers.

In designing these habitats, the children thoughtfully consider the specific needs of the animals they are creating homes for—thinking about safety, comfort, and function. Over time, these miniature environments have become increasingly detailed and complex, reflecting the children's desire to build on their growing understanding and extend their play through repetition and refinement.

This self-directed experience is revisited weekly, allowing the children to deepen their thinking through collaborative exploration. It is a wonderful example of how children naturally transfer and adapt learning across different contexts, driven by curiosity and shared purpose.












Since the beginning of the year, the children at Sturt House have been naturally fascinated by the mini-beasts that shar...
02/10/2025

Since the beginning of the year, the children at Sturt House have been naturally fascinated by the mini-beasts that share our environment. They have consistently created homes for these small creatures using a variety of materials, including Lego, magnet tiles, and recycled boxes. While the children’s intention was always to provide a safe space to care for the insects, their designs often focused more on containment than on what these creatures actually need to thrive.

This led educators to wonder: Do the children truly understand what makes a suitable habitat for an insect?

Through group discussions and shared reading, the children began to deepen their understanding. Together, they decided to create a Sturt House Community Bug House—a central place where found insects could be gently placed and observed. This home, however, needed to meet the real needs of these living creatures, including access to water, soil, and living plants.

Importantly, the children learned that insects need to be able to move freely. This meant rethinking the idea of walls and enclosures—designing instead a space that would welcome insects in and allow them to leave when ready.

Each child first created their own design, then they came together to combine ideas and collaboratively plan the final structure. Using their agreed design as a blueprint, the children constructed a three-dimensional version of the bug house. It now sits proudly at Sturt House, ready to support real care for the creatures we share this environment with.

This experience has been about much more than construction—it lays the foundation for responsibility, empathy, and a deeper respect for the natural world.














There’s something wondrous about children discovering the world on their own terms. When they follow their curiosity—tur...
30/09/2025

There’s something wondrous about children discovering the world on their own terms. When they follow their curiosity—turning over rocks, asking bold questions, or carefully placing drops of coloured water on a flower’s petals—they’re not just playing; they’re learning who they are and what captivates them. Their sense of wonder is unfiltered, and every small discovery feels like a triumph. In these quiet, curious moments, their minds expand—shaped not by instruction, but by the freedom to explore.








Address

Flinders University Child Care Centre
Adelaide, SA
5042

Opening Hours

Monday 7:30am - 6:15pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 6:15pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 6:15pm
Thursday 7:30am - 6:15pm
Friday 7:30am - 6:15pm

Telephone

+61882012881

Website

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