Mother Duck Child Care & Pre-School Centre - Enoggera

Mother Duck Enoggera has been amazing, currently our now 13 month old daughter has been there for 3 months. The educators in all rooms are welcoming and caring. They all know my daughter’s name and she gets excited when she sees them. The chef on site makes delicious and a large variety of food. A special mention to Audrey in the Infant studio where my daughter currently is. She is kind, patient and always willing to try implement what routine we have at home.

We sent our 4-year-old mid-year to Mother Duck and I thought I'd share this review for parents who might be sending their children during the year (not the start), to help in the decision-making process. Our 4 year old absolutely loved his last preschool in Melbourne and was so excited to start at Mother Duck Enoggera. But within weeks he didn't want to go there and complained it was boring and the big kids wouldn't play with him. I didn't want to pull him out (another change) as it was only a few months until the end of the year so we persisted but always picked him up early. What I found during this time was: The centre encourages kids to resolve conflict themselves - a few times I heard a couple of older boys say my little boy couldn't play with them / the building blocks, on consecutive days, in front of the teacher who didn't bat an eye. Another day a boy called my boy a p*nis head meanly and pulled faces. I brought I these things up later with the manager of the centre saying it's unkind, and the teachers need to teach the kids good values, and she agreed and said she'd speak to the teacher about it. When I'd walk in the centre, my little boy would grip my hand and in the end, started crying. He never did this before and went to kinder very happily for years, (not just in Melbourne, but also in Spain), and I found it quite distressing to see such a change. The children don't greet each other, at the other preschool they would sing out hello and goodbye happily. The teachers sometimes greet you. So for a kid that is unsure, you don't feel that welcome when you start the day and there’s a weird vibe and culture sometimes. They don't have many toys, and it was only when my little boy mentioned it, they bought a few more (not many and very basic toys which many quickly broke). At the last kinder they bought new toys every couple of weeks (from second-hand shops even, and learning / interactive toys), so the kids could interact with new things. They don't go out for excursions. Yes, some of the things they do are nice, but they do the same thing every day. Maybe if your child only goes a couple of days a week this is ok. Again at the old kinder, they did excursions eg. bush kinder, to the post office, retirement villages etc which the kids loved. The centre is aesthetically nice, and the girls are mostly helpful and cheerful when you speak to them, but I'm not sure if there are just too many kids, and it's hard for the staff to stay close to what is happening and look out for kids that might need a bit more care. They also put on a nice end of year night, showcasing the kid's work. The soccer guy on Friday too was a hit. The music man wasn't. Overall I had bittersweet feelings about this place, and the last week, my little boy preferred to stay home while I worked a couple of days, rather than go to preschool.