Small Group Sessions

Our group sessions run from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM with a maximum of four children, with Ali as the teacher and play therapist.

Each day and session is dynamic, with no one session ever being the same. The children are the drivers of the curriculum. We start our day with a play plan where we talk about our ideas for our play and learning within that day, and formulate the rhythm and flow of the day from the children’s ideas.

Please bring a full change of clothes including socks and underwear, lunch and recess snacks, and a drink bottle full of water.

If your child is toilet training, please include three or four sets of underwear and additional pants to facilitate this. If your child is in the in-between stage, please include a number of pull-ups and their own specific wet wipes.

If your child has their own sunscreen they would prefer to use rather than the sensitive skin version Ali uses, please bring a clearly labelled bottle with the child’s name on it so that can remain on-site.

If your child has preferences about the hat they wear, please bring a full wide-brim hat, or they are welcome to use one of the hats available on-site.

If your child has any medical conditions, the following must be provided before their first session:

Asthma: A doctor-completed asthma care plan with the child’s photograph, all required medication, and a spacer if needed.

Anaphylaxis: A doctor-completed anaphylaxis action plan, the anaphylaxis medication, and a dose to remain on-site.

Sessions run from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

As much notice as possible is appreciated. Our policy is that two full business days notice is required for any cancellation.

Full terms and conditions are available on request.

Ali provides anaphylaxis, asthma, and allergy medication on-site. However, no other medication is provided.

If your child has medication to support ADHD or behaviour management, families are welcome to come and administer the dose as necessary during the day. This may mean meeting the group on an excursion or coming to the site to administer the medication.

This medication cannot remain on-site in the child’s bag — it must be brought in by the parent, administered, and then removed.

It is worth noting that due to the small group size and calm environment, children who are on medication to support behaviour management and impulse control often do not require it on the days they are here.

Yes. Ali is in the therapy space the majority of the time. However, at times where Ali is undertaking additional professional development or is unwell, Ali’s staff member and educational advocate, Jaimee McHugh, will be brought in to run the sessions.

Families will be given as much notice as possible, with the option to either opt out of the session or continue.

Over nearly 30 years of working with children across many environments — including nannying both in Australia and overseas, working in childcare centres, progressing to assistant director, teaching in preschools, doing relief work in schools, and running a highly successful and award-winning family day care service — Ali has developed a deep passion for children’s wellbeing.

Ali is passionate about supporting young children to learn to live an authentic life and celebrate their diversity as a rich part of the tapestry that makes them so unique and skilled in so many different areas.

Equally important is supporting parents to deeply understand their children and the way their children’s brains work. Alongside the family, Ali works to develop strategies that support the entire family’s wellbeing. It is not focused solely on the child — understanding that a child is part of a community, and that a family is a community, means working so that everybody’s wellbeing is high. This includes sharing support and strategies with families through detailed notes after every session, whether that is a one- on-one or group session.

Ali draws inspiration from Reggio Emilia, Montessori, Steiner, social learning theory, the What’s the Buzz program, and ongoing studies including a Diploma of Counselling, combining the best of these philosophies and theorists into an approach that is highly attuned to each individual child’s needs.

Yes! We regularly go on excursions, whether that means walking up to Ansty Hill, using our local creek systems, or catching public transport to local playgrounds and community events. We also enjoy visits to the zoo, the museum, and theatre productions, among other activities.

Our excursion program is rich and varied, driven by the children’s interests and learning needs.

No. There are no additional expenses to families. Thrive with Ali Fleming absorbs all additional costs associated with the program.

Most terms we bring in outside providers such as yoga teachers, music therapists, or support workers who are highly skilled in areas such as carpentry and other specialties, to work alongside our group so that the children can learn additional skills across a range of areas.

All additional support services are fully supervised, and anyone who comes to work alongside the children and Ali has full screening history, including a Working with Children Check.

In Tea Tree Gully, South Australia 5091