Harmony Early Learning opens “revolutionary” facility in Hope Island, on Gold Coast

Australia’s first facility dedicated and custom designed to implement the findings from a new, evidence-based early learning curriculum, the Active Early Learning (AEL) program, has opened this week. 

Harmony Early Learning Journey Hope Island will implement the AEL program, which used the findings from a two year, $2 million study which was carried out in partnership with the University of Canberra and Deakin University to develop an integrated curriculum which has been proven to positively impact children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. 

The implementation of the curriculum at Hope Island will be overseen by Harmony’s Centre Director, Ms Jasmine Facey.

“AEL is all about integrating physical literacy into children’s daily routines and is delivered by our professional educators in collaboration with the Australian College of Physical Literacy. Building physical competence and confidence through activities designed to encourage the enjoyment of being both physically and mentally active underwrites everything that we do,” Ms Facey said.

The facilities of Harmony Hope Island have been designed to foster optimal development for the children attending, and to facilitate connection to community. 

“We’ve increased exposure to green spaces to stimulate positive health outcomes, including stress management and improved mental health, and developed learning spaces that have both natural and built features to connect children to nature and facilitate creative physical activity. The effect is a facility unlike anything we’ve produced or seen produced in Australia before,” CEO Peter Warner said.

Beyond the physical benefits of spatial design, the facility has been developed to reproduce a community atmosphere and encourage the participation of the local community in the development of their children.

“The Harmony Hope Island complex has a cafe and social areas for parents to meet and have a coffee after dropping off the children, fostering interconnectedness and we’ve also partnered with the Rackley Swimming centre, which is within the same complex as our centre,” Mr Warner explained. 

Rackley staff can collect children from the service in the afternoon and take them to lessons, which he said is not only a time saver for parents, but also an important addition to the physical literacy program the service offers. 

To learn more about Harmony Early Learning Journey Hope Island, please see here.