See how six different services are helping children celebrate their dads and significant others!

Dads, stepdads and other father figures do an amazing job raising our kids, and although the first Sunday in September is officially their day, childcare centres around the country are stretching out the celebrations!  

Throughout the week, Father’s Day gifts are being made and food prepared to show all those rad dads and special someones how much they’re valued, and to get a sense of what’s going on, we’ve spoken with some celebratory childcare centres.  

From East Coast to West, here’s what six Australian services are doing for Dad’s Day!  

Enrich Early Education in QLD has some super fun things planned for this week.  

Service owner, Ellen Perkins explains that “Father’s Day is a joyous time for us and one where we take time to appreciate all the great male role models in the children’s lives.  

“We use this event as an opportunity to practice gratitude in the classroom, share our thoughts and feelings about our father figures, and also read books, craft cards and make gifts. These activities help children develop language skills and think about the important people in their lives.”   

Ellen’s service is also holding a Father’s Day barbeque with fun parent-child activities, and at the children’s request, there will be a game of Superhero Hide-and-Seek! 

She says, “We are looking forward to seeing our male role models turn up in their superhero costumes, and to encourage parents to dress up, we are giving away a prize for the father figure wearing the best costume.  

“To help families get to know each other, we are also asking children to draw and describe their father/father figure. We will then place this information on a wall and dads will need to guess which statement and drawing is from their own child. We expect a few laughs as they read each child’s perception of their father or male role model.”  

And because some children were worried about their mothers being left out of the fun, Ellen and her team have reassured them that mums and all extended families are very welcome at the barbeque.  

In fact, the more, the merrier! 

Story House Early Learning is also getting excited about Father’s Day!  

In NSW, their Mascot and Alexandria centres have both organised a Father’s Day afternoon tea for families and educators to share in, and dad-friendly gifts will be distributed too. 

SHEL’s Business Operations Manager, Kavita Surve, says, “At our Mascot and Alexandria centres, the children are busy making coffee cups, aprons and ties to give out on September 3.” 

At SHEL Mascot, there will also be a barbeque evening for families, to ensure that all the dads, stepdads and father figures in their community are well catered for and thoroughly celebrated!  

Meanwhile, Oak on Erin in QLD is looking forward to their Father’s Day Picnic, which is set for Saturday, 2 September, so working families can attend.  

There will be greeting cards to colour and games to play, with sensory fun thrown into the mix, and during the week, father figures can look forward to free coffee and snacks when they do drop-off!   

At Pachamama Early Education and Childcare in WA, Father’s Day is a chance to give thanks – and a free breakfast – to the special people in their children’s lives.  

Director, Kristen McPhail says, “We actively celebrate Father’s Day and show the children how to honour and give service to their dads or father figures during their special day.” 

Kristen says the children handmake a gift for their special person, and her team usually sets up a Father’s Day barbeque, coffee stand and food banquet table outside, to nourish the dads who are doing drop-off. 

She explains that each room creates their own food to share with their father figures upon arrival at Pachamama, and, “The educators work together with the children to present something special, like sausage rolls, muffins and warm egg rolls cooked on the barbeque by the founding Patriarch of Pachamama, Andrew White.” 

This definitely goes down a treat!  

Kristen says, “The dads love the special treatment and hearty breakfast, and it’s a real joy for them to see their child’s proud and happy contribution to the event.” 

And last, but definitely not least, Goodstart Early Learning Clayton in VIC is focusing on inclusivity (and yummy food!) this Father’s Day.  

Assistant Director, Ritu Goyal says, “We are celebrating Father’s Day as a Special Person’s Day to make it inclusive for all our diverse families.”  

Ritu explains that the children will be making gifts for their father figures in the room. using natural and sustainable materials, and Goodstart Clayton will also be hosting a special breakfast for all their father figures. 

She says, “Children will engage in special experiences with their special person on the breakfast day.”  

All of the above services have a great week ahead of them, and whatever your family and childcare community has planned, we hope this week is a wonderful one for all of you too!