Holiday Care Excellence: Extended Program Benefits

School holidays are a golden opportunity — not just for rest, but for the kind of deep, unhurried, nature-rich learning that the regular school term rarely has room for. At Kenmore Hills Early Learning, our holiday care program is designed to make the most of every single day.

Nestled at 82 Brookfield Road, Kenmore Hills, our centre is built around a powerful idea: that childhood is best lived with muddy hands, bare feet, and a sense of wonder. We call it Wildhood — and our extended holiday care program is where that spirit truly comes alive.

🌲 What Makes Holiday Care at Kenmore Hills Different

Holiday care at Kenmore Hills Early Learning isn’t a holding pattern between terms. It’s a rich, intentional extension of everything we believe about how young children learn best — through play, nature, connection, and challenge. When the usual school-term structure gives way to the holidays, our educators lean into the extra time and freedom to go deeper, get messier, and explore further.

Our extended holiday program draws on our signature frameworks — the Ready, Set, Grow Life Skills Program and the Wildhood Warrior Program — to ensure that every holiday week is purposeful, exciting, and deeply beneficial for the children in our care.

🌿 What is Wildhood?

Wildhood is our philosophy — a return to the kind of childhood where play was messy, shoes were optional, and nature sparked imagination. Our holiday program is where Wildhood is lived most fully, with longer days, bigger adventures, and deeper connections to the natural world around us.

🎯 The Six Benefits of Extended Holiday Care

🌱 Deeper Nature Connection — More time means more opportunity to slow down, observe, and truly engage with the natural environment on our doorstep.
🤝 Richer Social Bonds — Extended time together helps children build genuine friendships, develop empathy, and practise cooperation in meaningful ways.
🧠 Sustained Creative Projects — Unlike a standard day, holidays allow for multi-day projects — building, designing, and creating things that take real time and imagination.
💪 Resilience & Independence — Longer days with new experiences, challenges, and gentle risk-taking build resilience and self-confidence in young children.
🎨 Broader Creative Expression — From large-scale art to music, drama, and storytelling — the holidays give children time to explore creative mediums in full.
👨‍👩‍👧 Peace of Mind for Families — Working families can feel confident that their children are genuinely thriving — not just supervised — throughout the holiday period.

🦎 The Wildhood Warrior Program During Holidays

Our Wildhood Warrior Program is at its very best during the holidays. With more time to venture into nature, observe wildlife, build dens, investigate ecosystems, and engage in adventurous outdoor play, children develop a deep sense of belonging in the natural world — and the physical confidence and resilience to match.

Whether it’s meeting our resident animals, exploring the centre’s outdoor environments, or taking on nature-based challenges, Wildhood Warriors come alive during the holiday period in ways that are truly remarkable to witness.

🌟 From Our Educators

During the holidays, we love watching children settle into a slower, deeper rhythm. Without the rush of the school-term day, they have space to truly follow their curiosity — to spend an hour watching an insect, build a cubby that actually works, or ask the kind of big questions that deserve a big conversation. That’s where the real magic happens.

📋 Ready, Set, Grow: Life Skills in the Holiday Program

Our Ready, Set, Grow Life Skills Program doesn’t take a break over the holidays — in fact, the extended time allows us to go deeper with the skills and experiences that matter most. From cooking and growing food to practising independence, managing emotions, and contributing to our community, the holiday program gives children the time and space to genuinely embed these life skills in meaningful ways.

Children who engage in purposeful life skills activities over the holidays return to term with a renewed sense of capability and confidence. They’ve done real things — and they know it.

🏡 What Extended Hours Mean for Families

Our holiday care program runs during our standard hours — Monday to Friday, 6:30am to 6:30pm — giving families the continuity and flexibility they need throughout the break. Whether you need full holiday cover or just a few days, our team works with families to ensure the arrangement suits everyone.

We also know that the transition back to care after a holiday at home can sometimes feel big for young children. Our experienced educators are skilled at welcoming children back warmly, reconnecting them with their friends and the environment they love, and making the return feel exciting rather than daunting.

💡 Making the Most of Holiday Care: Tips for Families

Talk up the adventure — in the days before care starts, chat enthusiastically about what your child might explore, build, or discover.
Pack for Wildhood — old clothes, sturdy shoes (or bare feet!), a hat, and sunscreen. Mess is part of the magic.
Ask open questions at pick-up — “What did you notice today?” or “What surprised you?” invites richer conversation than “How was your day?”
Continue the nature connection at home — a backyard bug hunt, a trip to Brookfield Reserve, or simply sitting outside together extends the Wildhood spirit into family time.
Keep bedtime consistent — longer, more active days mean children need a reliable wind-down routine to sleep and recover well.

At Kenmore Hills Early Learning, holiday care isn’t an afterthought — it’s one of our favourite times of year. The pace is different, the possibilities are bigger, and the memories children make during our holiday programs stay with them long after the term bell rings again.

🌿 Your child’s Wildhood awaits. Get in touch with our team at Kenmore Hills to find out more about our holiday care program and availability.