By Lauren Hall – Founder, Owner & People and Culture Leader
Every time I visit one of our Sanctuary centres, I come back to Head Office with loads of beautiful and fun stories.
Emma, our Marketing Manager, recently said to me, "Lauren, these moments are priceless. We all love hearing about them, we need to capture them."
So that's exactly what we are going to do.
Welcome to the very first edition of
Bottling the Moments, where I will take you behind the scenes of my centre visits and share some of the little moments that make me smile, make me laugh and remind me why early childhood education is such a special place to be.
Last week I spent the day at our beautiful Maudsland centre, and from the moment I arrived, it was one of those days that filled my cup from beginning to end.
We started the morning with our friends from the Blue Koala Coffee Van shouting coffee for our families.
We do this a few times throughout the year, and while coffee is always appreciated (especially during the morning rush!), it has never really been about the coffee.
For me, it is about gratitude.
Every single day our families place an incredible amount of trust in us. They trust us with the people they love most in the world, their children. That is never something I will take for granted.
It also creates a wonderful opportunity for conversations that may not otherwise happen. Families stop for a chat, share how their child is going, offer feedback or simply connect with us.
Michaella and the team have been working intentionally on strengthening communication and building deeper partnerships with families, and mornings like this create the perfect opportunity to do exactly that.
Once the busy drop-off period settled and the children were happily immersed in their morning play, I did what I love most... I followed the children's lead.
The weather couldn't have been more perfect. The winter sunshine was out, the sky was blue and before long everyone was enjoying the warmth outside.
My first stop was Starfish. Our babies were completely engaged in their own little worlds. Some were delighting in the ball pit, giggling as the balls bounced around them, while others happily explored alongside their educators.
I was greeted by so many beautiful smiles that morning, including one from little Sienna, who I had met only a short time earlier when she arrived with her mum and grandad.
Seeing her recognise me and immediately want to come and play absolutely melted my heart. Those little moments of connection might seem small, but they mean so much to me.
Next stop was Jellyfish, where excitement was already building as the children prepared to celebrate Freya's second birthday.
What started as a few balloons quickly turned into a spontaneous balloon dance party.
There was laughter, dancing, balloons flying in every direction and one very memorable performance from Flynn, whose dance moves may have stolen the entire show!
Those are the moments you simply can't plan, and often they become the best part of the day.
Outside, I discovered a group of children in Dolphins completely absorbed in their makeshift racetrack.
What began as a game with a handful of boys quickly attracted children from other rooms, with friends from Turtles and Penguins wandering over to join in. It was such a lovely reminder that children have an incredible ability to invite others into their play and create opportunities for connection.
Over in Coral, I joined Nafi and the children for a guessing game. Let's just say... I wasn't particularly successful. In fact, I don't think I guessed a single one correctly!
Thankfully, the children found this far more entertaining than I did, and there was certainly no shortage of giggles.
Before long, Ryder very proudly made me a pretend morning coffee, which was thankfully much better than my guessing skills.
One of my most special moments came when I visited Seagulls.
The children were preparing for outdoor play, and I happily joined in a fun little game as they confidently applied their sunscreen and collected their hats ready for their adventure outside.
Sometimes the most ordinary moments are actually extraordinary.
Watching children develop confidence, independence and responsibility through these everyday routines is such a beautiful reminder that learning happens all day long, not only during planned experiences.
Of course, no visit would be complete without a soccer game.
I spent a wonderful part of the morning kicking the ball around with Carter, Kylo, Martin and Nova before Taj and Emerson joined us.
As we were finishing up, one of the boys looked at me and asked,
"Miss Lauren, will you come to Bush Kindy with us one day?"
Without hesitation I replied,
"I would absolutely LOVE to!"
Their response made me smile even more.
"You'll have to wait until Miss Maria comes back from holidays and ask her if that's okay."
I loved that. Even in their excitement, they understood there was a process and that Miss Maria's role mattered.
It was such a simple moment, but one that perfectly captured the respect and relationships we work so hard to build every day.
After a busy morning with the children, Michaella had organised a beautiful grazing platter in the staff room, giving me the opportunity to spend time chatting with our wonderful educators.
One of the things I treasure most during these visits is simply listening.
Hearing the stories behind the classrooms.
Celebrating the wins.
Learning about the challenges.
And thanking our team for the incredible work they do every single day.
As I drove home that afternoon, I found myself smiling.
Not because of one big moment.
But because of dozens of little ones.
The smile from a baby who remembered me.
The laughter during a balloon dance party.
A pretend coffee made with great pride.
An invitation to Bush Kindy.
These are the moments that remind me why creating the right environment matters so much.
They are the moments that make Sanctuary what it is.
Until next time...
Lauren x
