The Financial Year Has Closed – Here’s What Papilio Families Should Know About CCS Balancing
The Child Care Subsidy is calculated on estimated income. As every financial year closes, that estimate is measured against reality, and the difference determines whether your family receives a top-up, needs to repay some CCS, or sits exactly where you expected. Understanding how this reconciliation works, and what steps to take now, puts you in the best position for the year ahead.
Speech Delay or Late Talking? What Families Need to Know About Toddler Language Development
One of the most common questions families bring to us is whether their toddler’s speech is on track. It’s an understandable concern, language is developing so rapidly in the early years that it can be genuinely difficult to know what’s typical.
The Science of Warm: Our Dietitian-Designed Winter Menu Is Here
Every meal we serve at Papilio Early Learning is intentional. As our 2026 Winter Menu launches across our centres, we want to share not just what’s on the menu, but why every ingredient, every dish, and every bite has been chosen with care. This is nutrition grounded in evidence, prepared fresh each day, and designed to support the whole child through the cooler months ahead.
Fussy Eaters in Early Childhood: What the Research Says, and How We Support Children at the Table
If your child is refusing foods they happily ate last week, surviving on a rotating shortlist of safe options, or treating new foods like a genuine threat, you’re witnessing one of the most well-documented phases of early childhood development. Fussy eating isn’t a reflection of your parenting, and it isn’t permanent. At Papilio, we take an evidence-informed approach to mealtimes – one that supports children to expand their palates gradually, without pressure, and with the developmental science firmly in mind.
The Developmental Science of Risky Play – Why Challenge, Risk and Outdoor Exploration Matter in the Early Years
The word “risk” tends to make parents uneasy, and understandably so. But in the context of early childhood development, risk is not the opposite of safety. It is, in fact, a necessary ingredient in children’s physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth. A substantial body of research now supports what experienced early childhood educators have long understood: children who are given the opportunity to engage with managed risk in play develop more robustly across a range of developmental domains than those whose play is consistently risk-free. Here’s what the science says, and how Papilio approaches it in practice.
From Story to Learning: Papilio Celebrates National Simultaneous Storytime 2026
At Papilio, we know that the most powerful learning experiences don’t happen by accident. They’re crafted, intentionally, thoughtfully, by educators who understand what children need. National Simultaneous Storytime is one of those moments: a national event with deep educational purpose, and an opportunity for early childhood educators to do what they do best.
National Reconciliation Week 2026 – First Nations Learning, Country, and the Early Years
National Reconciliation Week, held each year from 27 May to 3 June, is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to reflect on what reconciliation requires of each of us. The 2026 theme, All In, is a call to move beyond good intentions and commit to meaningful action, every day. In early childhood education, that action begins with what we choose to teach, how we choose to teach it, and whose knowledge we recognise as worthy of a child’s earliest learning.
What Learning Really Looks Like for Babies, Toddlers and Preschoolers
Ask a child what they did at childcare today and the answer is almost always some variation of “played.” Which is, to be fair, entirely accurate, and also a significant understatement.
What happens in a quality early learning environment isn’t separate from play. It is play, shaped by educators who understand the developmental science behind every activity they design, every question they ask, and every moment they choose to step back and let a child work something out for themselves.
When Should I Enrol My Child in Childcare?
Whether you’re newly pregnant, preparing to return to work, or simply starting to explore your options, the question of when to enrol your child in childcare tends to arise earlier than most families anticipate. The straightforward answer is: sooner than you might expect. This guide walks you through when to begin, how waitlists work, what to look for on a centre tour, and how to prepare for your child’s first day.
Child Development Milestones: What to Expect from Birth to School Age
The early years of a child’s life are extraordinary. In just five years, a newborn becomes a curious, communicative, socially aware little person, ready to take on the world of school and everything beyond it.