I had the pleasure of delivering an incursion today at Empower Early Learning Group! Such an enthusiastic, happy and fun group of kids! This centre has such a relaxed and peaceful feel to it. The staff are helpful, friendly and kind. Hope to visit again soon!

My daughter has been attending Empower ELG Orchard Hills for just over a year. From the beginning, they were very accomodating with placements that they had available and the offer of casual visits was very helpful until we were able to secure a permanent place in their centre. They offer great opportunities for the children to experience new things like walking to their sister centre, a local playground or catching the bus to go to swimming lessons. The main thing that sets Empower apart from other services is their constant commitment to consistency with Educators. Educators at Empower have a caring and kind nature that is essential to making our children's experience at daycare positive every time they are there. When staff members have left, they have always been replaced with an educator that fits the ethos of the centre. We appreciate the commitment of all of the staff to ensure our daughter thrives in daycare and are very happy that we chose Empower.

After months of research comparing different daycares, Empower Orchard Hills was our no.1 choice -they not only rated as EXCEEDING in 5/7 categories on the National Quality Framework but also had so many positive personal accounts online and from friends. Upon commencing our daycare journey, we found the staff to be warm and impressive: Jade, the owner was incredibly welcoming and helpful when responding to our inquiries. Sommer, the floor manager was a ray of sunshine when taking us for a tour -she was was confident, thorough and transparent when explaining Empower's approach to caring for each child and welcomed all questions. Watching the staff's dealings with the children also left a strong impression as they were highly attentive and communicated with each other whenever one child needed attention. It was evident they had a low staff turnover which for me, is clear indicator of a solid daycare centre. We always knew our sensitive son (now diagnosed as autistic) would struggle being away from us. But the staff at Empower had no reservations having to deal with the teary and often heavy goodbyes. The always spoke with a sweet voice, offered countless hugs and never ran out of patience. They worked with us to create a strategy to help him transition, build connections and feel safe. I especially appreciated the photo and anecdotal updates I'd receive (and still receive!) every day. It was very reassuring knowing he was being looked after with much affection. It's been 6 months since our journey with Empower. Our son now rejoices whenever he knows it's an "Empower Day". He will still have off days missing us, but it had never stopped him from wanting come back again. That's how wonderful his little world is at Empower. Oh and just want to add because this can a make world of difference for working parents especially: our son has never brought any illness home from daycare which means I've never had to take carers leave. I think this in itself is another great reflection of highly responsible staff and a daycare with proper protocols. Thank you so much to all the educators at Empower. We are beyond grateful for your unwavering dedication to the children AND parents.

Our daughter started at Empower, Orchard Hills this year and we are beyond grateful for the care, support, kindness and love shown to her daily. The staff at Empower are amazing, they plan and program around the children’s interests while supporting individual growth and learning. Thank you for creating such a welcoming, calm and inclusive environment. Our daughter quickly settled into her new environment and has formed supportive and trusting relationships with all staff and has gained many new friendships with her peers. Thank you to all the amazing staff for filling her days with so much fun and excitement.

Empower has been the best decision we have made for our daughters. Each child is valued individually, as well as, their emotions, goals and interests. Staff know all the children, communication is amazing and the support from all educators is above and beyond. We our love our Kingswood team🤍

We absolutely love EMPOWER! The staff are incredibly kind, attentive, and professional, and they truly care about the children. I say to my child “where are we going today?” And she replies with the educators name 🩷 The activities are thoughtfully planned, fostering both creativity and learning, and the facility is clean, safe, and well-maintained, Communication with the staff is seamless—they keep us updated, if routine hasn’t been followed, on milestones, daily activities, and any concerns. It’s comforting to know my child is in such a nurturing and supportive environment. I highly recommend EMPOWER to any parent looking for exceptional care for their little one!

We changed to Empower recently and it was the best move for our son. He now loves going to his “new school”! The teachers are so kind and engaging. It’s very clean, well organised and well managed. We couldn’t be happier at Empower 🙌🏻

I regret to say that my experience with Empower did not meet my expectations. I approached them with sincere concerns about my child's challenging behaviour, hoping for support and guidance. Within a few months, I was advised to seek professional assistance, which I promptly did. However, due to waitlists, this process took some time. During this period, my child's hours at the centre were significantly reduced, and he was frequently sent home after only 3-4 hours, sometimes even less. Once we secured occupational therapy, which included fortnightly sessions, and additional assessments with a psychologist, we also collaborated with Lifestart. They conducted meetings with Empower and provided recommendations to better support my child. Our occupational therapist attended meetings and site visits at Empower, offering multiple strategies to address the issues. One key piece of advice was that sending my child home was counterproductive, especially during his crucial final year before primary school. My child even expressed that he saw being sent home as a reward, saying, "I be naughty at Empower and then I get to go home." Despite these professional recommendations, the practice of sending him home persisted, yet I was still charged full fees. Although a few days' fees were waived, the number of times my child was sent home became too numerous to count. Additionally, I was concerned to overhear a staff member discussing my child's situation and the professional assistance we were receiving with another parent. I believe this was a breach of confidentiality, and it added to my overall dissatisfaction with the centre’s handling of the situation. The final straw came when my child was sent home yet again, just two days after the birth of our newest family member. At such a vulnerable time, I could no longer handle the stress and decided to pull him out of the centre entirely. As a business owner, I am fortunate to have some flexibility, but I recognize that many employers would not tolerate the frequent need to leave work unexpectedly to pick up a child from daycare, which is precisely why childcare is necessary. Overall, I felt let down by Empower. Despite following their advice and seeking professional help, the recommended actions were not consistently implemented on their end.

Great school, my 2 yr loves the school. Never cried going to this school. Already learning how to add and write her letters at 2, and it's only been 2 weeks

"Excellent daycare with caring staff and stimulating activities. My child loves it here and I have peace of mind knowing they're in good hands”.