Nature is central to the Billy Button Early Learning values and is reflected in the architecture and interiors of the building. Natural materials have been carefully selected to provide warmth, durability, and discovery. From the entry timber façade and foyer ceiling to the hand-made timber playground equipment.

A sense of space throughout the centre encourages children to connect with and explore the outdoors. Each room is named after a local native animal and has an image of that animal painted on a feature wall by a renowned artist.

The dramatic celestial ceilings give the building a unique iconic character and plenty of natural light, which is then reinforced by the placement of an internal tree trunk growing into each void. Space, ventilation and connectivity to nature and the outdoors is a focus of every part of the building’s design.

The whole design has been approached from the perspective of children with low height windowsills, a homely comfortable feel of all materials, and lots to discover inside and out. It really is what we craved when we were children, and we cannot wait to show you and your child around when it’s completed later this year.

Our Rooms

Our rooms have been specifically designed to bring nature and a sense of home together to create an enjoyable, happy place where children can live, laugh, and learn. The rooms have been constructed in a way to meet children’s developmental milestones as we watch them grow from 6 weeks old to 6 years old.

Fantail Room

Room 1: Caters for children ages 1 to 2 years old.
Children at this age are moving from being infants into becoming toddlers. They begin to build more on their gross and fine motor skills, communication becomes more vocal, and their social interactions form more cooperative play.

Sugar Glider Room

Room 2: Caters for children ages 6 weeks old to 15 months old.
Infants at this age are just starting out in their development as they work towards building their basic gross motor and fine motor skills. Multi-sensory development with a ‘sense of touch’ is important to creating those special bonds between infant and carer. Each child’s routine is catered for in collaboration with their families to provide a safe and consistent environment.

Fairy Wren

Room 3: Caters for children aged 2 to 3 years old.
Toddlers are at one of the most important ages for emotional development. This is when we see them processing many emotions whilst they are learning about other people’s feelings. Our educators will work with each child through their emotions and develop strategies with them as they learn how to express themselves verbally.

Growling Grass Frog

Room 4: Caters for children aged 2.5 to 3.5 years old.
As toddlers continue to grow, we will see them develop their verbal skills by using short sentences to communicate. They become more independent with their basic needs and wants as they work towards toilet training, dressing themselves, learning social interactions with peers and more!

King Parrot

Room 5: Kindergarten Program (3 to 4 year old’s)
This is the age where your child will be more interested in playing and making friends with other children. Imagination comes out more as they explore different dramatic play opportunities that are created by their current interests. Our educators will encourage your child’s imagination to extend their ideas, as they interact with them in group sessions and one on one.

Blue-tongued Lizard

Room 6: Kindergarten Program (4 to 6 year old’s)
This is a critical time for children as they work towards preparing themselves to enter the next stage of their schooling. School readiness is a priority of ours, as our highly qualified team of Early Childhood Teachers and educators plan holistic programs to produce structured routines and flexible learning environments that extend on verbal communication, fine and gross motor skills, social interactions and more!

+++

Our Kitchen & Café

Here at Billy Button Early Learning, we believe that children gain a healthy mind and body through exercise and the types of foods they eat. A nutritional menu has been specifically designed, to cater for each child’s needs taking into consideration any dietary requirements, religious requirements, and medical conditions.

We aim for children to enjoy mealtimes as opportunities to interact in a ‘family’ setting whilst they learn the value of healthy eating, having their peers and educators role model good eating habits.

Our Kitchen has been designed in consultation with a chef, who has commercial and childcare experience. The kitchen layout has been well thought out to allow for an easy flow between preparation of food, cooking, cleaning, and storage requirements.

We are excited to introduce a first of its kind Café, available to families during the hours of operation. This is a great opportunity for families to meet and greet, hold parent groups and more!

Click here to view more details

Our Playground

Billy Button Early Learning is proud to be collaborating with Kodiak Kids Playground to create this fantastic new playground in South Morang.

The Natural Environment based playground design is quickly gaining a reputation as a warm, fun, and bright addition to the local area and compliments the surrounding landscape of the adjoining Pipe Track Park. This playground is hosting a diversity of Australian native plants such as the Craspedia Globosa or more popularly known as “Billy Buttons” to which was the inspiration for the Centre’s name.

At the Southern end of the playground, there is a fountain waterfall flowing into a large creek bed that includes an original wooden clinker boat as the centerpiece. A footbridge is placed so children are able to walk over the creek bed to the rustic timber & boulder edged sandpit. A tall bespoke built climbing play structure with rock climbing and scramble-net elements has been include to build children’s gross motor skills. A large double slide will elevate the outdoor play space and promote adventurous, challenging, and imaginative play.

There is a dedicated Environmental Garden Area where the Toddlers can learn & grow with the gardens.

A large secure timber deck was built from sustainably sourced hardwood timbers, so children are able to play & observe the natural surrounds. A winding bike track connects the North and South play areas allowing for free-flowing play. At the Northern end, a sensory path and unique maze leads to one of the highlights of the playground, a large canvas tipi which provides the ultimate gathering and storytelling place. In the warm summer months, children can be safely sheltered from the sun under large shade sails and kept cool while playing around the large misting post.

The younger baby’s have their own private play yard with soft surfacing and a mound slide.

Pipe Track Park

Plenty Valley Town Centre’s New Community Park

Pipe Track Park is a new public space for the South Morang community that was opened by the City of Whittlesea Mayor, Cr Emilia Lisa Sterjova on Thursday, 28 November 2019. This unique park is built over a buried bluestone reservoir that was once part of the Yan Yean water system-one of Victoria’s most significant engineering projects.

Pipe Track Park captures the essence of what makes this area special–the natural landscape and the unique history of the Yan Yean water supply system. The buried Pipehead Reservoir is reinterpreted using modern design and materials. Signage at the park describes the layered history of the site. It tells the story of the men and women who lived and worked on the Yan Yean system and the Wurundjeri people and their relationship to the land. Visitors are encouraged to discover bluestone blocks that show marks made by stone masons over 150 years ago.

Water is the guiding theme at the park and sweeping garden beds suggest pooling water and concrete steppingstones trace a line through the reservoir outline. The steppers lead to a swale running alongside the children’s playground that features a parkour course, swings and carouse land is presided over by the Kompan Jungle Dome, the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

Pipe Track Park is unique to Billy Button Early Learning as it will be an environment that will be utilised daily as part of our programs connecting with the community and nature.

Here are some pictures that were captured at the time of opening.