Response from the owner
03 Aug 2023
Hi Mona,
We appreciate you taking the time to write a review, and are grateful for your sentiments regarding our wonderful educators being friendly and approachable.
With the increased cost of operations, and as we pay our team well above Award wages for the commitment they show children through the care and education they provide, it was necessary for Gowrie to increase our fees. After the fee increase, we remain well below the majority of other centres who have fees up to $40 per day more expensive than Gowrie, in the South Perth area. All families are charged the same, regardless of their CCS status, to ensure we provide fairness, equity and adherence to Government guidelines and requirements relating to the charging of fees.
Gowrie provides children with a nature play environment and limits the use of softfall and manufactured surfaces. We provide children with sandpits, rocks, mud, wood chips, branches, plants and trees to support and bolster children's sense of adventure, their curiosity, their development, the learning they do through play, their connection to the natural surroundings, and so we can teach children about the environment and sustainability. We are sorry to read that your child suffered chest irritation from our natural environment, and very much hope that he is now feeling well.
Gowrie strongly encourages families to dress their children in old clothes and/or clothes that are suitable for messy play and activities. We outline this in the parent handbook that all families are provided with. While children are in our care, they are offered many learning activities and experiences that encourage and support them to get involved, to experiment, and to fully immerse themselves in learning through play. Playing outside in a natural environment certainly does add stains to clothes, and we are unable to prevent this, hence the requirement for children to be dressed in clothes that are appropriate for the learning environment.
Again, we are thankful for your positive sentiments about our educators. They certainly do their very best to scaffold a child's life-long learning, and to provide exceptional care. We also do our very best to manage children's behaviour. We are sorry to read that you felt our educators discouraged your son from doing things, in particular as our team are doing their utmost to provide children with a safe and happy environment to learn and thrive in.
We sincerely wish your son and your family all the very best.