Inside TreeHouse Magic

Walk through the doors of TreeHouse Magic Centre and you'll find children building, painting, exploring the outdoor play space and making new friends, while educators create a familiar environment where everyone feels included.   

This is a place designed to support young children and their parent together. Offering more than most playgroups or childcares, this early learning program at the Wellspring Children and Families Hub in Hawthorne recognises that lasting change happens when the whole family feels connected, healthy and safe. 

Available and free to families working with Micah Projects and key community stakeholders whose young children can benefit from additional early learning support, TreeHouse Magic is part of the Hub's interconnected, two-generation approach and aims to creates opportunities for children to feel safe, confident and connected while their families access coordinated support designed to help break cycles of disadvantage. 

A place designed for children to thrive 

The first five years of life are a period of critical growth and development. For children who have experienced trauma, domestic and family violence, housing instability or other adversity, safe and nurturing environments can make a lifelong difference. 

Operating Wednesday to Friday, TreeHouse Magic draws on Australia's Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline (QKLG), combining evidence-based early childhood education with trauma-informed practice to create a welcoming space where children can learn through play and develop at their own pace. 

The program recognises that every family brings their own strengths, experiences and culture.   

At TreeHouse Magic, every family is welcomed and included with warmth, respect and a genuine belief in their strengths. Alongside learning and play, practical support is woven into everyday life. Healthy meals, nappies and other essentials are provided to help remove some of the everyday pressures families may be facing, creating more opportunities for children to participate and for parents and carers to focus on connection, confidence and learning together. 

Learning through play 

Indoor and outdoor play encourage children to build confidence, develop friendships, strengthen communication, grow resilience and explore their creativity. Along the way, they are also developing the language, social and motor skills that support lifelong learning. 

Children who have experienced trauma or adversity may communicate, learn or build relationships in different ways. Educators respond with patience, consistency and care, creating a predictable environment where every child has opportunities to feel safe, explore and grow.

Supporting the whole family 

Just as with the rest of the Hub’s programs, what happens inside TreeHouse Magic doesn't happen in isolation. Every day, educators work alongside health practitioners and social work specialists so that children's learning and family wellbeing are supported together. 

While children participate in the early childhood program, parents may also be connecting with parenting support, healthcare, family services, housing assistance or community activities. Bringing these supports together helps families access the right help at the right time, while building trusted relationships that can continue as their needs change. 

For many families, TreeHouse Magic becomes more than a place children visit weekly.  It becomes a familiar, welcoming environment where parents and children build confidence, make connections and take the next step towards their goals. 

A doorway into lifelong learning 

The early childhood program is designed to help children develop socially, emotionally and physically while fostering a love of learning through curiosity, play and positive relationships. It also reflects a simple belief: children learn best when they feel safe, secure and loved. 

Every conversation and playful moment contributes to an environment where children can flourish and where families know they don't have to navigate challenges alone.