Why Gold Coast families choose Enrich

We’re a wellbeing hub for families—not just a child care centre 

Supporting mothers with heartfelt care and emotional nourishment

So often, mothers are expected to “hold it all together.” At Enrich, we believe mothers deserve to be held too. That’s why we intentionally create moments of care, reflection, and connection throughout the year—just for mums. From Mother’s Day pamper experiences to casual morning chats and helpful articles in our newsletters and podcast, we help mothers carve out space to pause, breathe, and reconnect with themselves. It’s more than self-care—it’s emotional nourishment that strengthens the whole family.

EQ coaching for families: gentle, practical guidance from our EQ expert

Ellen, our founder and centre owner, is also an Emotional Intelligence expert. She understands that parenting doesn’t come with a manual. Whether navigating toddler tantrums, sibling dynamics, or dealing with your emotional triggers, she’s there to support our families in their parenting journey.

Our families are not only asking for EQ sessions when things go wrong. The sessions are proactive tools to help families thrive. Many families at Enrich seek Ellen’s support to strengthen their own emotional regulation, gain confidence, and build practical tools to handle the ups and downs of parenting. It’s gentle, judgment-free guidance that empowers rather than overwhelms.

We support Gold Coast families

We’re honoured to walk alongside families as they navigate the messy, beautiful journey of parenting. We are here for you, whether through an EQ coaching session, a simple cup of coffee on the couch in our front room, or an encouraging conversation at pick-up time. Because your wellbeing matters. 

Because when parents thrive, children do too

At Enrich Early Education, we believe that a child’s wellbeing is connected to their family’s wellbeing. That’s why our mission goes far beyond care and education for little ones—we care just as deeply about nurturing the emotional lives of the parents who love and raise them. In particular, we recognise the immense mental, emotional, and physical load that mothers often carry. Our approach honours and supports that journey.

We currently have limited spaces available—especially for babies and toddlers. Book a tour today and discover how we can support your family from day one.

How to navigate exclusion in the playground

At our centre, we recently had a situation where two children excluded a little boy from play. He approached them and asked, “Can I play with you?” The other children said, “No”. We observed this encounter and found that the boy was reacting angrily to the children who hadn’t been kind in the way they stopped him from playing with them. So, this situation in the playground led us to have an Emotional Intelligence session, or what we call an “EQ session”, with the pre-prep children on how to navigate exclusion in the playground as it’s a tricky social situation.

At Enrich Early Education, we have a four-step process to help children say “no” when someone asks to play with them. This process can also be applied to other situations where your child wants to say no. These are the steps:

Step 1: It’s okay to say no

The question is, is it okay for a child to tell someone that they don’t want to play with them? Well, the short answer is yes, absolutely. Simply because we need to think about potential risks. If we teach a child that they must let other children play with them every single time, what we’re teaching them is firstly to ignore their feelings of discomfort.
It also teaches them that they must play with someone even when they don’t want to. This comes with the risk of them becoming people pleasers or being taken advantage of later in life. Therefore, we believe forcing a child to play with another child does not lead to healthy outcomes for them or for their relationships. That’s why we at Enrich Early Education teach children that it’s okay to say no when other children ask to join in on the play.

Step 2: Teaching a child how to say ‘no’ kindly

It hurts to be rejected or excluded from play. As humans, we’re social creatures, and exclusion feels painful. We need to make children aware that being excluded is hurtful and ensure we are gentle and kind in how we say no.
This specific scenario took place in our pre-prep classroom. In our EQ session, we invited the children to do a role play and asked them to think about ways to say no in a kind and gentle way. The children came up with amazing answers like “No, thank you”, “No, not right now, but maybe we can play together later?” and ” I’m sorry, but I just want to play with Lilly or Joseph right now”. We believe these are all great ways to kindly say no.

Step 3: Consider if playing together could be a possibility.

We do ask the children to consider whether playing together is possible. If it is a game or activity that can be opened up to others, we would love the children to consider playing together since we find it important that the children consider other people’s feelings and say yes if they can. This teaches the children to consider not only their own feelings but also their friends’ feelings and then make the decision that feels best to them.

Step 4: Helping children manage their feelings when being excluded

The last step is to help children manage their feelings if they are being excluded from play. We discussed why sometimes friends want to play together, and if they say no to you, they’re not trying to hurt you, they’re just trying to play together.
We asked the children to think about what else they could do when they were excluded from playing together. The children said, “I can go play by myself, or I can play with my other friends.” And we said, “Yes, great strategies!”
This approach helps the children build resilience and learn not to take it personally when being excluded. This is an important life skill because being excluded or rejected often occurs in a child’s (and later, an adult’s) life. From being told no thank you when asking a girl or boy out on a date to missing out on a job role, there are plenty of times when we humans experience rejection.

This EQ approach helps children navigate exclusion in the playground

This EQ approach to being excluded in the playground will provide the children with skills to navigate social situations in which they’re excluded, setting them up for success and well-being in life.

You can download the 4 step process below:

The children interacted with the three adorable chicks in our brooding pen

The children’s faces lit up this morning as they saw the chicks. In small groups, they observed if the eggs had hatched and spoke about the three adorable chicks that played in their large brooding pen: What colours are the chicks? How many chicks can you see? What are the chicks doing? These questions provide an excellent opportunity for the children to practice their spoken language skills in a new environment. Yet, the highlight of their visit was undoubtedly the gentle petting of the chicks.

A fun way to teach the children important life and social skills

The program subtly teaches essential life and social skills. Waiting for their turn to care for the chicks and pet them teaches them patience and social behaviour, while gently approaching them helps develop responsible and respectful behaviour. This includes feeling the warmth of the chicks, hearing their different sounds, and observing their movements and interactions. And, of course, holding and interacting with the chicks enhances gross and fine motor skills, contributing to the children’s overall physical development.

At Enrich Early Education, we’re excited to welcome the Henny Penny Hatching program, which is a perfect example of how we integrate sensory-based educational activities into our enriching curriculum.

Here you can find more info about the Henny Penny Hatching program.

The role of art in Montessori and EQ

Children are capable learners and can educate themselves if we provide the right environment, inspiration, guidance, and encouragement. Our EQM approach, which integrates Montessori and Emotional Intelligence (EQ) principles in our education, does just that.

Montessori emphasizes hands-on learning, self-directed exploration, and allowing the children to develop at their own pace. EQ focuses on managing feelings and emotions, and art allows the children to express them. Art is a great way to do just that!

Art at Enrich Early Education

While creativity comes naturally to all children, some might find exploring and experimenting freely a bit challenging. Especially if they are afraid to make mistakes, coming from a strong sense of right and wrong. That’s where our loving educators come in. They guide the children in overcoming their fears and obstacles.

Our process-focused approach and open-ended arts encourage our children to use their imagination and creativity freely. That’s why we prefer not to give step-by-step instructions. This approach nurtures creativity and cultivates 21st-century skills like resilience and adaptability.