Big Bear Academy Minto

• 223D Eagleview Rd, Minto NSW 2566

• Monday – Friday (7:00am – 6:00pm)

• Nursery, Toddler, Preschool (6 Weeks – 6 Years)

• Phone: (02) 9618 7315

• Email: bigbearacademy.minto@gmail.com

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Why choose Big Bear Academy?

Leading school readiness programs

Our highly qualified team will help prepare your child for their transition to school through our carefully tailored program. This includes, but is not limited to group discussions, shared stories, role play, lunchbox week, name writing practice, learning programs (Reading Eggs, Math seeds), road safety and vision & dental checks.
Fluid learning & play environment

Fluid learning that continually evolves on a weekly (sometimes daily!) basis to support each child’s development, evolving interests as well as any community or cultural aspects. Fluid learning has many benefits including encouraging decision making.
Spacious natural outdoor area

Professionally landscaped natural outdoor area created using natural materials. Although we are a 24 place service, the outdoor area is large enough for triple the amount of children.
We believe the great outdoors is a second classroom and use every opportunity to venture outside when we can!
Fresh & abundant meals daily

Nutritious meals provided daily - there is no food budget as we believe healthy eating is critical to a child’s development.
We are a Munch & Move approved service (a NSW healthy eating and physical movement government initiative) and are continuously kept up to date with the latest developments in this space.
Trusted reputation in the community

We prioritise relationships as trust is important and has to be earned from children and families. We understand putting your little one in care can be challenging for both the child and families.
At Big Bear Academy we ensure all children and families feel safe, secure and supported. Our experienced and qualified educators will provide children (and sometimes families!) with cuddles and reassurance too.
We are the smallest service yet the most recommended in the area for a reason.
More educators than required

High educator-to-child ratio all day, everyday with all team members full-time or permanent part-time.
Not only does this support children’s sense of belonging and wellbeing through continuity of care but also allows for timely communication via the web based Xplor application where learning, nutritional, toileting, sleeping and incident notifications are updated regularly throughout the day.
Respect for our environment & community

We respect and care for our environments including our natural environment through sustainable practices, our cultural environment through inclusive practices, our community through outreach and our physical environment through caring for our resources and cleaning our service with hospital-grade cleaning system.
We ensure we pass on these ideas and habits to the children in our care so they can become confident and holistic global citizens.
Feels like a home away from home

There is a strong sense of belonging as each child, family member and team member is able to be themselves and and is supported at Big Bear Academy.
At every opportunity, we make sure everyone who enters the service is comfortable knowing it’s a safe space to shine like the warm glowing ray of sunshine they are!

Meet the nominated supervisor

Miss Sarah

Hello families, I’m Miss Sarah and I’m the Centre Director at Big Bear Academy Minto.

I’ve been in early childhood education for 11 years, with the past five spent in management, and I’ve genuinely loved every minute. My passion for early childhood development began when I became an aunty at a young age and discovered how rewarding it is to nurture children as they grow.

Being part of each child’s milestones and having open, meaningful communication with parents is truly the highlight of what I do. I can’t wait to meet your child and welcome your family into our state-of-the-art centre and the warm, supportive and inspiring environment we have created. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out anytime — I’m here to make your family feel at ease.

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The Cub Room

Infants: 6 weeks - 2 years old

The Cub room is thoughtfully designed to provide a warm, calming, and nurturing environment that supports a smooth transition between home and the early learning environment. The space includes a dedicated cot room for infants who require restful sleep, as well as a separate sleep room for children who rest on beds, ensuring comfort and consistency for all sleep routines.
A connected outdoor area allows for seamless movement between indoor and outdoor spaces, offering children a variety of opportunities for exploration, discovery, and meaningful play throughout the day.
Within the Cub room, children have access to carefully curated spaces that promote gross motor development, dramatic play, creative arts, sensory and soft play, as well as quiet areas for rest and self-regulation. Every element of the environment has been intentionally designed to support the wellbeing and developmental needs of our youngest learners.
Our curriculum in the infant space is centred on being responsive, nurturing, and attuned to each child’s individual routines and needs. Building strong, trusting relationships is of utmost importance, not only with the children, but also with the families who place their confidence in us each day.
Our approach is deeply informed by a clear understanding of children’s developmental milestones, physically, emotionally, and socially. We strive to work in close, collaborative partnerships with families to support each child’s growth and to ensure the best possible outcomes for all children in our care.
Through intentional planning, responsive caregiving, and a warm, relationship focused environment, we create a foundation for secure, confident, and fun learning.

Boo Boo Room

Toddlers: 2 - 3 years old

Our Boo Boo Room provides a warm, inviting, and engaging environment where children can immerse themselves in rich, play-based learning experiences. The space is thoughtfully designed to support a wide variety of developmental opportunities, including dramatic play, construction and building, creative arts, sensory exploration, and access to calm, nurturing spaces for rest and regulation.
Every area within the Boo Boo Room is intentionally curated to spark curiosity, encourage creativity, and support each child’s individual learning journey. It is a welcoming environment that inspires children to explore, discover, and experience the joy of play and learning.
Our curriculum is grounded in a play-based approach that supports meaningful, authentic learning experiences for every child. Educators thoughtfully plan and document the curriculum each week, ensuring it reflects the children’s emerging ideas, interests, and strengths. Family and community input is highly valued, helping to create a responsive and interconnected learning environment.
Within our toddler programme, the curriculum also focuses on understanding each child’s developmental stage and nurturing the skills they are steadily building.
Through intentional planning and rich, play-based experiences, we support children to grow confidently within the group setting and develop essential foundations for lifelong learning.

The Yogi Room

Preschool: 3 - 6 years old

Our Yogi Room is a thoughtfully designed learning environment that invites children to explore, create, and engage in meaningful play. The space is intentionally provisioned to offer a wide range of learning opportunities, including science and discovery, group experiences, and early literacy and numeracy exploration. Every area is curated to promote a sense of togetherness, collaboration, and shared learning.
The environment is dynamic and responsive, continually evolving to reflect the children’s interests, ideas, and ongoing projects.
Our curriculum planning is thoughtfully documented each week by our dedicated educators. Every learning experience is intentionally tailored to support each child’s developmental goals, reflect their individual interests, and incorporate meaningful contributions from families and the wider community.
Our play based programme empowers children as capable and active learners. We believe that children learn best when they are immersed in hands on, engaging, and interactive experiences that nurture curiosity, confidence, and independence.
Our approach extends well beyond traditional school readiness models. We are committed to fostering a lifelong love of learning by embedding essential pre-literacy and pre-numeracy skills within rich play-based environments. Our qualified educators work to ensure each child is well prepared not only for a successful transition to school, but for continued learning and development throughout their lives.

FAQs

We anticipate receiving the keys in October, with tours beginning in November, and the centre opening in January 2026. Enrolments are now open, and you’re welcome to schedule a 1:1 tour to explore the finished centre and allow us the opportunity to get to know your little ones!
Our fees are 100% all inclusive for example all incursions and special events, food, nappies, wipes and sunscreen are included in the daily fee. The only exception is baby formula which we don’t provide.
In the past 6 years, we have built a great reputation of genuine care for children and going above and beyond for our families and team. We have such extensive waitlists at the other services, that we would love to support more families in our local community to access our high quality care. This includes being able to care for babies, which we don’t have the facilities for in our smaller services and often have to refer younger siblings to other centres in the area.
From the start, we have been extremely passionate about children’s nutrition and wellbeing. We have no budget for food and ensure our menu aligns to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating so that children have all the nutrients they need to grow happy and healthy bodies.
During Andrew’s time in the kitchen at Macquarie Fields (3.5 years), with a lot of trial and error, he has created a menu that is nutritious, Munch and Move approved and best of all actually tasty. Andrew will be heavily involved in the creation of the menu and training/support of the Chef and Chef’s assistant.
Andrew’s background also includes shopfitting and refrigeration, so he understands the importance of good quality kitchen equipment to delivery nutritious meals in a clean work space - hence why our Minto kitchen is fitted exclusively with commercial appliances. We look forward to showing you the kitchen during our 1:1 tours!
We are in the process of working through our team structure and will start advertising for key roles soon.
We take our time with the hiring process as we are very particular about who joins our team because building and maintaining relationships with families, children, us and fellow team members is one of our top priorities and it is something that can’t be easily taught.
So aside from the obvious need for the right qualifications and background checks, it is also essential we have team members that have a genuine nature, are empathetic, respectful, honest and actually care. These are the building blocks of earning trust.
It’s important the team member is knowledgeable, passionate, driven, eager to learn and....they need to know how to have fun!
We aren’t concerned about finding the right people because we have had years of experience and we genuinely care for our team members. We constantly check in on an individual basis, reinvest in our team and provide them the work/life balance that is so rare in our industry (none of our team members work from home).
The majority of our team have been with us for multiple years and although we haven’t started placing job advertisements out, we have had many educators reaching out to join our team - we take it as a huge compliment that educators are seeing the difference in the work culture we provide.
At Big Bear Academy, creating a safe and nurturing environment is our highest, non-negotiable priority. Safety and compliance are at the heart of everything we do, and we are proud to go above and beyond to protect every child in our care.
Here are just some of the measures we’ve put in place at our new Minto centre:
- CCTV and Security: We have engaged a security specialist to review our CCTV design and will be tripling the coverage included in the Minto build to ensure there are no blind spots.
- Emergency Preparedness: An emergency evacuation specialist has designed our evacuation plans so we are fully prepared for every scenario.
- Experienced Educators: Three of our trusted educators, each with over four years at Big Bear Academy, will be joining Minto to uphold our culture and values around child safety and child protection.
- Robust Recruitment: Our hiring and induction process includes multiple interviews, background checks, and trial days. We have zero tolerance for unprofessional behaviour and employ more educators than required, giving us flexibility to act swiftly if a team member does not meet our standards.
- Strong Leadership: We have already appointed our Assistant Director and Educational Leader and are finalising our Director appointment. Each will commence well before opening to ensure they are across all policies, procedures, risk management, and safety frameworks.
- Dedicated Compliance Officer: We are investing in a Compliance Officer whose sole focus is to oversee consistency and excellence in compliance and safety practices across all centres.
- Technology Use: Only centre devices are used for documentation, communication, and photographs. All personal devices are stored in lockers.
- Active Supervision: Clear and structured supervision plans are in place to guarantee active, vigilant supervision at all times.
- Strict Social Media Policy: We do not share identifiable images of children on social media. We believe strongly in protecting children’s privacy and have done so since day one.
- Team Culture: We prioritise staff wellbeing while also fostering accountability through a “see it, say it” culture that promotes transparency and open communication.
- Ongoing Training: All team members regularly attend professional development sessions, including training on supervision, child safety, behaviour management, and annual refreshers on child protection.
These examples are only a glimpse of the extensive systems and practices we have in place. On your individual tour, we’ll be happy to share more details about how we create a genuinely child-safe environment for your little one.
We know that choosing a childcare centre requires the highest level of trust. We are not a large corporate; we are a family-run service that believes trust begins with openness and honesty. You can always reach us directly - the owners - by phone, email, or in person during our regular centre visits.
Rest assured, your child’s safety is our greatest responsibility, and we will always treat it that way.