C&K Mackay Children and Family Centre | C&K - childcare and kindergarten

C&K Mackay Children and Family Centre

Operating Hours

  • Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 5:30pm

Rooms

  • Room 1: Babies (6 weeks to 15 months) 
  • Room 2: Toddlers (15 months to 2 year olds) 
  • Room 3: Pre-Kindy (2 to 3 year olds) 
  • Room 4: Kindy (3 to 5 year olds) 

Location 

We are located on Celeber Drive, next to Wilson Park.

Welcome to C&K Mackay Children and Family Centre

At C&K Mackay Children and Family Centre, we welcome children from 6 weeks of age to 5 years old and provide care and early learning five days a week from 7:00am to 5:30pm.

The C&K Mackay Children and Family Centre is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service which provides access to integrated early childhood education and care, parenting and family support and child maternal health services. The centre incorporates a Long Day Care Centre and a Hub, that is designed to work together as an integrated unit.

The C&K Mackay Children and Family Centre is a facility where our whole community is welcome and where all cultures are respected. 

Our vision is to be a trusted children and family centre that empowers all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to grow, learn and build on strengths with connection to land, sea and cultures. 

We have a dedicated, quality teaching team with fantastic facilities both indoors and out. We offer an environment that is founded on trust and respect, providing children with a safe environment where they can express themselves freely. Children are supported to learn, grow and develop at their own pace through play and hands on experiences.

We believe in working in partnership with our families and community and believe they are an integral part of our centre.

We welcome visitors to our centre at any time to meet our educators, see the facilities and find out more about how our centre works closely with the Hub to offer holistic services to families.

Our centre has a beautiful kitchen facility which allows us to provide all meals including breakfast. We also provide nappies and have a bus service if transport is required

The C&K Mackay Children and Family Hub provides a large number of programs and services to support the wider community. These include:

  •  Early Childhood and Care
  •  Playgroup: Tuesday (support group by invitation only) and Thursday from 10am to 12pm (no cost)
  •  Homework Club (Prep to year 7): Tuesday and Thursday from 2.45pm-4.30pm

Specialist health and allied health services by referral

  • Family and parent support
  • Adjunct care
  • Parenting programs
  • Literacy and numeracy
  • Family support/crisis care - including domestic violence resources and referral support
  • Child and maternal health
  • Psychological referrals
  • Antenatal and postnatal health
  • Women's Health checks
  • Family dental and health care referrals
  • Child health nurse by appointment on Wednesday or walk in clinics on Tuesday and Thursday mornings

Inclusions

  • Flexible booking options (read more).
  • Storypark app
  • C&K hat
  • C&K shirt (kindergarten children)
  • Nappies and wipes
  • Sunscreen
  • Food provided (breakfast, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea)
  • Onsite cook
  • Community Pantry to support families in need
  • Bus pick up and drop off for eligible families
  • Onsite HUB for family support, playgroup, homework club and health nurses

Infant and Toddler Approach

At C&K we are exploring new approaches for the educators that care for and educate our littlest people at C&K childcare centres. The Infant and Toddler approach, which we have developed, is all about being in the moment with your child. Our philosophy for this age group is to “slow down” and be in the moment with your child to allow them the opportunity to learn and discover at their own pace. We are focused on spending one-on-one time with babies and toddlers and developing deep and trusting relationships with each individual child.

Child-Led Learning 

No two days are the same at C&K Mackay Children and Family Centre. Each day’s learning is driven by the interests and ideas of the children. The spacious and natural environments within our centre are thoughtfully planned and well resourced, with opportunities to meet the needs and interests of all children who attend. This is achieved through the provision of combined indoor and outdoor play opportunities throughout the day. Play offers children many opportunities to develop friendships, explore, solve problems, help others, imagine, create, and extend on their interests.

Community Spirit 

Community spirit is important to us at C&K Mackay Children and Family Centre. We foster strong ties to the local community and encourage parent involvement in the daily operations of the centre. We often hold and partake in community events and love connecting with local businesses and groups around us.

Book a Tour

We welcome you and your child to come and visit and explore our centre. Please contact us directly to confirm a suitable time.

Book a tour request

Don't miss out on a place, enrol your child today.

Complete our enrolment enquiry form to add your child's name to our waiting list for free. Places are offered on a first-come, first-served basis so get in early to secure your place.

We will contact you when a place is available for your child. To learn more about the enrolment process, please click here.

Enrolment enquiry

C&K has developed a Infant and Toddler Approach which informs the way we care for and educate our babies and toddlers. Our philosophy for this age is to “slow down” and be in the moment with your child as they learn and explore the world. We focus on developing a deep and trusting relationship with each child.

All C&K childcare centres deliver C&K's Quality Kindergarten Program. Kindergarten, also known as pre-prep or preschool, is a program for children who are turning 4 by June 30 in the year before they attend school. C&K’s kindy programs are government-approved and led by experienced and university qualified teachers. Our program supports children’s curiosity, creativity, problem solving, resilience and real-world knowledge and skills.

At C&K we know that children do not learn in isolation, learning is a collaborative process between teachers, educators, children and families. At C&K we believe children are powerful learners, active citizens, thinkers and theorisers - this is at the heart of our early childhood curriculum. We've designed our indoor and outdoor spaces to ignite imaginations and nurture healthy minds and bodies. Learning through play is an integral part of our education program. Our educators skilfully enrich and extend on children's play experiences, creating a learning program that is tailored and meaningful for your child.

Your child’s learning and care journey is shared with you via  conversations with your child’s educators, through written documentation and through StoryPark (an app and website).

Learn more

News

If you would like to keep in-the-know about what we’re doing, send us an email to receive your copy of our newsletter

Childcare Fees

2023-2024

 Daily Fees

Nursery room

 Up to $117.00

Toddler room

 Up to $113.00

Pre-kindy room

 Up to $113.00

Kindy room

Up to $108.50

In 2024 you may be eligible for 15 hours per week, for 40 weeks, free.
Enrolment fee - a one-off, non-refundable fee when you confirm your enrolment $100
Discounts may apply in certain circumstances. Speak to your Centre Director for more information.
 

Rooms and age groups

Most C&K childcare centres follow the below age groups for each room, but this may vary between centres:  

  • Nursery: 6 weeks to 18 months
  • Toddlers: 18 months to 2 years old
  • Pre-kindy: 2 to 3 years old
  • Kindy: 3 to 5 years old

What subsidies are available?

The Australian Government helps eligible families with the cost of childcare via the Child Care Subsidy (CCS). For more information, please visit Services Australia.

The Queensland Government also provides Free Kindy, which is a funding initiative that enables families with eligible-age children (turning 4 by 30 June in the year they attend kindergarten) to access 15 hours of free kindergarten per week. The subsidy is provided for 40 weeks/600 hours per calendar year. 

The CCS is applied to your kindergarten fees before the Free Kindy subsidy and is paid directly to the centre. The Free Kindy subsidy is then applied to reduce the out-of-pocket costs for attending an approved kindergarten program. 

Families will be required to pay for the hours a child is enrolled over and above the 15 hours per week subsidised by Free Kindy. The CCS will apply to any remaining hours, depending on families’ entitlements. The 40 weeks are claimed from the start of the kindergarten program, or your enrolment. After claiming 40 weeks of Free Kindy, eligible families can continue to claim the CCS to reduce their fee. 

All eligible-aged children can receive the Free Kindy subsidy, regardless of CCS eligibility.  

How can flexible bookings help?

C&K offers flexible booking options, designed to help eligible families access and maximise the CCS, and minimise out-of-pocket fees. Our 9 and 10 hours sessions work in with your schedule and start once your child is signed in, not a set start and finish time.

I have more questions, who can I talk to?

You can find more informaton on our Childcare Fees page.

Please contact us on 07 4842 0600 if you have any other questions.