Member in the Spotlight: API Childcare Centres Harnessing the Power of Our Community

This year we are celebrating 100 years of API (Qld) Limited, a not-for-profit organisation has consistently had a focus on activities supporting and engaging with communities.

Within the breadth of support across communities over this time, we are proud to have operated in the early years education sector since 1992. Located at Milton in Brisbane, our well-established childcare centres, rated Meeting and Exceeding, offer Government Approved Kindergarten Programs.

We proudly support a range of charitable organisations directly and with support from families. Dig In is a program providing meals for the homeless. API Childcare Centres donate unused fruit each week to contribute to the 350 meals provided across inner city Brisbane on Saturday nights. Prior to the donations from API, the Dig In clients couldn’t access fresh fruit.

API Childcare Centres are supported through local business relationships such as Coles Petrie Terrace, Officeworks Milton and a number of organisations within the Milton Green precinct contributing donations of paper, cardboard, magazines and other materials to enhance our Sustainability Program allowing the concepts of recycling, reuse and repair to be embedded within the curriculum.

Extending on the many years of community assistance API has provided, we are working to embed community connections and support within and from our childcare centres. Our aim is to deliver socially conscious kindergarten graduates with an awareness of and engagement with their local community. To create opportunities for the children to develop this awareness, we work to establish partnerships with local organisations to collaboratively provide support to neighbourhood initiatives and engage in local programs. Our local community connections are progressively growing through our established local business networks, the local Chamber of Commerce and, importantly, our centre families.

Queensland Community Foundation coordinates an annual Christmas gift appeal for women and children, distributing gifts through the Queensland Womens Legal Service and Lady Musgrave Trust. During the 2022 appeal, with the support of our families, API Childcare Centres reached its goal of 100 gift donations for women and 100 gift donations for children. API Childcare Centres will proudly continue this support. Following from the partnership through the Queensland Community Foundation, API have started a direct engagement with Queensland Womens Legal Service to collaborate and assist with service delivery to families in need and also continue direct support of charity events, such as collecting donations for their annual Labels on the Lawn fundraiser. In addition to partnerships with charitable organisations, we have a number of local educational partnerships in place to assist the children’s learning and developmental experiences. This ranges from co-curricular activities with local primary schools, supporting smooth Kindy to Prep transition and engagement with Albert Park Flexible Learning School for co-curricular activities, childcare, and parenting skills to help support their young people between 14 to 25 years of age.

To support local communities, we have commenced a free Playgroup service, registered with Play Matters, at API Childcare Centres. This allows us to further enhance our connections in local neighbourhoods and provide opportunities for social connection and support for families. We will continue to grow our community connections, as we value the contribution that working together in our community contributes to the children’s sense of belonging and development of social skills for their bright futures.