MindChamps opens A$7m flagship preschool centre in Sydney

MINDCHAMPS Preschool has opened a A$7 million (S$6.6 million), 94-place flagship centre in Australia which caters to children aged six weeks to six years, the company said in a bourse filing on Wednesday night.

Located in Frenchs Forest, Sydney, the purpose-built centre's classrooms each have six learning zones - reading and writing, numeracy, construction, drama, arts and crafts, and enquiry-based play.

It has a full industrial kitchen with a chef who will prepare farm-to-fork meals with the involvement of the children, who will also care for and harvest a kitchen garden.

Early learning educators at MindChamps undergo mandatory professional training of up to 200 hours in addition to their required qualifications, as part of ensuring they are compliant with the MindChamps Champion Gold Standard, said the firm.

The flagship centre was opened by Australia's Minister for Health and Medical Research Brad Hazzard and MindChamps founder CEO and executive chairman David Chiem.

Said Mr Hazzard: "There is nothing more important than an education and nothing more valuable than an educator who can inspire. The whole structure and ethos of MindChamps is around that. On behalf of the New South Wales Government and the community, we love having you here."

MindChamps previously said it will focus on Australia with an aim to have 100 centres operating within three years in a nationwide network across all capital cities.

The mainboard-listed company's shares closed up S$0.015 or 2.9 per cent at S$0.535 on Wednesday.