6 weeks to 6 years, in Normanhurst on Sydney's upper north shore. Three rooms, from babies through to a school-readiness preschool program. Every meal cooked on site by our cook.
Normanhurst Child Care Centre is a 48-place long day care centre on Denman Parade, a short walk from Normanhurst Station, in the Hornsby Shire on the upper north shore of Sydney. We've been here since 1997.
We've kept the centre deliberately small. With 48 places across three rooms, every child is known by name: educators recognise siblings, remember what worked for an older brother, and shape settling-in around the family in front of them.
Our cook, Dianne, cooks every meal from scratch in the centre's kitchen, with allergies and special diets handled directly. Several educators have been here for more than a decade, and that continuity is a big part of why families feel settled quickly. The community is genuinely multicultural, and we try to make every family feel they belong here from the first morning.
Each room is run by educators who specialise in that age group. Children move up when they are ready, usually around their birthday and in consultation with families, so each transition is gradual and individual. Many children grow up here over years with educators who have known them since they were small.
A calm, gentle space for our youngest learners, from 6 weeks to 2 years. Up to 12 children. Sleep happens on your child's own routine. Bottles, formula, breastfeeding support and nappies are handled to match what your family is doing at home.
Up to 15 children. The age where curiosity outpaces caution. Toilet training is supported here, gently and on the child's timeline. Rochelle, our Educational Leader and a teacher with us since 2005, runs this room part-time.
The preschool room, our school-readiness years. Up to 21 children. Hands-on learning, sustained projects, name-writing, listening in a group. By the time they leave us, children are ready for big school both academically and socially.
Normanhurst Child Care Centre is supported by sector organisations, inclusion support and a wider Eikoh team that helps us maintain continuity from babies through to the preschool years.
Our centre has its own team of permanent and regular casual educators who know our children, routines and approach. When extra cover is needed, familiar educators from our sister centres in the Eikoh group may step in, so children continue to see known faces.
Our team draws on recognised early childhood organisations and resources including ACA, CELA, Early Childhood Australia and the NSW/ACT Inclusion Agency. We work with families and inclusion support to help all children participate meaningfully.
We are Meeting the National Quality Standard. Our daily practice includes active supervision, staff checks, safe sleep and rest, allergy awareness, sun safety, healthy eating and Munch & Move-aligned routines.
For families, this means a local long day care centre with familiar backup, shared standards and current sector guidance.
A long-tenured team, with decades of combined service at this centre. Several of us hold full Early Childhood Teacher qualifications.
Jacque holds two early childhood degrees and leads the centre full-time. She joined Normanhurst as a teacher in 2006 and has been part of the leadership ever since. Her unhurried, child-first approach sets the tone for the whole centre.
Nominated Supervisor and Educational Leader. Part-time teacher in the Possum 0-2 Room, with us for over 20 years. Many of our long-tenured families know her well.
Responsible Person and Educational Leader. Part-time teacher in the Koala 2-3 Room, with us since 2005. A steady, experienced presence with the toddler-age children.
Full-time educator in the Emu Room. Esther brings degree-level early childhood training and a warm, attentive style with the preschoolers in the years before big school.
Full-time educator in the Koala Room. Nikita holds a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and brings particular strength in toddler-age learning and language development.
A familiar face across all 3 rooms throughout the week. Diploma-level early childhood training and a decade of continuity at this centre.
Casual educator four days per week in the Possum Room, where the babies and toddlers know her as a warm, steady presence in the room.
Casual educator across all 3 rooms. Kanika moves easily between age groups and brings a calm, encouraging style with children of every age.
Casual educator across the rooms. Lana brings energy and warmth to the centre.
Full-time educator in the Possum 0-2 Room. Georgia is patient, attentive and unhurried, and she is building her formal qualifications while in the room every day.
Cooks every meal on site, fresh each day. 5 meals daily across the 4-week menu rotation, with allergy and dietary needs catered for directly in the kitchen.
Our daily fee covers all meals, the education program, sunscreen, a bucket hat, and disposable nappies and baby formula for our youngest children. The only thing you bring is a change of clothes, a comforter if your child uses one, and a labelled water bottle.
We're Child Care Subsidy approved. Most families pay considerably less than the headline rate once their subsidy is applied. We can help you estimate what you'll actually pay during your tour.
Open Monday to Friday, 50 weeks of the year. Closed public holidays and 2 weeks at Christmas. The Possum and Koala daily fee includes disposable nappies; the Emu fee does not.
Most families don't pay the listed daily rate. Once your Child Care Subsidy is applied, your real out-of-pocket fee, the "gap fee", is much lower. Use this estimator to get a rough number based on your family income, days per week, and which room your child would be in.
If you have a second child aged 5 or under, a higher subsidy rate (up to 95%) applies to the younger sibling. The room and fee shown above will represent the younger sibling for this calculation. Available only if family income is under $370,727.
This estimate uses the Australian Government's Child Care Subsidy rules for the 2026-27 financial year (effective 6 July 2026). Your CCS rate is calculated from your combined family adjusted taxable income:
The subsidy applies to the lower of the centre's hourly fee or the government's hourly rate cap of $15.19 (centre-based care, 2026-27). Our day is 11 hours (7am to 6pm), so the daily cap-equivalent is $15.19 × 11 = $167.09. For the Possum and Koala rooms, where the daily fee is above this cap, the part above the cap is not subsidised.
Second child higher rate: If you have a second child aged 5 or under in approved care and your family income is under $370,727, the higher rate uses its own income test (separate from the standard rate). For 2026-27: 95% up to $146,437, tapering by 1% per $3,000 down to 80% at $191,437, flat at 80% to $270,727, tapering by 1% per $3,000 down to 50% at $360,727, then flat at 50% up to $370,727. Above $370,727 the standard rate applies.
5% withholding: Centrelink holds back 5% of your CCS each fortnight as a buffer against end-of-year reconciliation (this is the standard default rate). The figures above include this withholding, so they reflect what you'll actually pay each fortnight. If your income estimate is accurate, the withheld amount is paid back to you at tax time. You can change the withholding rate in your myGov account.
Activity test and the 3-Day Guarantee: From 5 January 2026, CCS-eligible families can get at least 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight (about 3 days per week), regardless of work or study activity. Some families can access up to 100 hours per fortnight, including families with higher recognised participation, valid exemptions, or an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child in care. For 4 or 5 days per week of care, this distinction matters: if your fortnightly hours of care exceed your subsidised cap, the hours above are charged at the full fee.
This is an estimate only. Centrelink will give you your exact rate after you lodge a claim through myGov. We're happy to walk through your specific situation on a tour, or you can ring Jacque directly on 02 9487 5455.
Families want to know their child is safe with us. We hold ourselves to the National Quality Standard and the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. Here is what that looks like in practice.
Every educator, casual and contractor who works with children holds a current NSW Working with Children Check. We verify each one before they start and track expiry through the Office of the Children's Guardian.
Educators position themselves to see and hear every child, count them at every transition, and never leave a child alone with one adult out of view. Our ratios meet or exceed the legal minimum in every room.
Children are taught they can speak up about anything that doesn't feel right, here or elsewhere. We take what they say seriously. If a concern is raised, we act quickly and follow our legal reporting obligations, including mandatory reporting and the NSW Reportable Conduct Scheme.
We share children's learning with the people who matter most: their families. Daily photos and observations are shared privately through the OWNA app. We keep public images limited and strictly consent-based, and avoid using close-up, identifying photos of children on social media. Our children's faces are not marketing content, and their image, name, location, and daily routines deserve to be protected. Careful and considered photo sharing is an integral way we protect your child's safety.
If you are ever unsure or concerned, please speak with Jacque directly. Our centre policies cover child protection, supervision, behaviour guidance and emergency procedures.
A few of the things parents have written about us on Google.
We've had such a wonderful experience with the centre. Our eldest attended previously and now our youngest is happily settled in the Possum room. The educators are warm, caring and genuinely invested in the children. It's such a comforting feeling knowing your child is loved, supported and excited to go each day. We're so grateful to have found a centre that feels like a true community.
We've had two children attend this centre and have had nothing but positive experiences. Many staff have been at the centre for many years and it shows. Communication is always open. My kids also eat so well at the centre which has been fantastic for my picky eater. I can feel confident even if he doesn't eat much dinner, he's eaten well at the centre.
My son has been attending since he was one, and our experience has been wonderful. Now that he's in the Koala room, I'm so impressed that there are two main ECTs per room. The team is incredibly resourceful and creative with the activities they set up, focusing on genuine interaction over performing for social media. They prioritise being in the moment with the kids.
Normanhurst Child Care Centre has been an incredible place for our child's early learning journey. The educators are caring, attentive, and truly invested in each child's development. The centre is always clean, well-organised, and full of engaging activities that keep the kids happy and learning every day. We've seen such wonderful growth in our child since enrolling.
A wonderful centre with compassionate and dedicated educators. Both my children attend this service and are both well loved and supported on their early learning journey. My little boy loves running around the yard playing soccer with his friends. The babies room has been wonderful for my daughter and the space provided is wonderful for her developing needs.
The educators at Normanhurst Child Care Centre are dedicated and provide a stimulating and enriching environment for the children who are lucky enough to attend this lovely centre.
Cooks every meal on site, fresh each day. 5 meals daily across the 4-week menu rotation, with allergy and dietary needs catered for directly in the kitchen.
Find out more about our menu and mealsOur cook, Dianne, has been with us since 2022 and cooks every meal on site, fresh each day. 5 meals daily across a 4-week menu rotation, with allergy and dietary needs catered for directly in the kitchen.
Weekly menus go up where families can see them. The 4-week menu rotates through children's favourites and is approved by Munch & Move, the NSW Health initiative for healthy eating in early childhood. We cater for allergies, intolerances and vegetarian diets directly in the kitchen. The centre is nut-aware.
We follow the Early Years Learning Framework and an emergent curriculum. That means we plan around what the children are actually interested in, while making sure each developmental milestone gets the attention it needs.
The Early Years Learning Framework's three big ideas. Belonging is the relationships and the family the child is part of. Being is the right of the child to enjoy this moment, not just be in training for the next one. Becoming is the change happening, day after day.
Normanhurst is a quiet residential suburb in northern Sydney and our centre reflects that. Diwali, Lunar New Year, Eid, Christmas, NAIDOC Week are all marked in their own ways. Families from many backgrounds are welcomed here, and we work with each family to make sure their child feels at home from day one.
A tour in person is always better, but here's a glimpse of where the days happen: the rooms set up for the morning, the corners children gravitate to, and the outdoor spaces that sit at the heart of every day.
Photos only go so far. Come and visit, see the rooms in motion, meet the educators, ask the questions.
Book a tourA short walk from Normanhurst Station and Normanhurst shops, with parking on site. We serve families from across the upper north shore, including Normanhurst, Wahroonga, Hornsby, Thornleigh, Pennant Hills, Waitara and beyond.
Couldn't find your question? Call Jacque directly on 02 9487 5455 or email director@normanhurstldc.nsw.edu.au.
From 6 weeks of age, in our Possum Room. Children stay with us through to school age, moving up through the Koala and Emu rooms as they grow. Most of our youngest families come back, year after year, until their child starts school.
All 5 daily meals, cooked on site by our cook Dianne: breakfast, morning tea, a hot cooked lunch, afternoon tea, and a late afternoon snack. The education program. Cancer Council Kids 50+ sunscreen. A bucket hat. For children in the Possum and Koala rooms, disposable nappies and baby formula are also included.
Parents pack a change of clothes, a sleep comforter if your child uses one, and a labelled water bottle. That's it.
7:00am to 6:00pm, Monday to Friday. We're open 50 weeks of the year and close for public holidays and 2 weeks at Christmas.
Yes. Most Australian families with children in care receive some level of subsidy from Services Australia, based on combined family income and the type of care. From 5 January 2026, all CCS-eligible families get a baseline of at least 72 subsidised hours per fortnight (the 3-Day Guarantee), regardless of activity. Some families can access up to 100 hours. We can talk you through what your subsidy is likely to look like during your tour.
Yes. Because our cook prepares meals on site every day, we accommodate dietary requirements directly in the kitchen rather than asking families to bring food in. Tell us what your child needs at enrolment and we'll plan around it. We're a nut-aware centre.
Easily! In the Possum Room, we work to your baby's routine, not ours. We provide standard infant formula, and the educators prepare and warm bottles as part of your child's regular feeding rhythm. If you'd prefer your baby to use a specific brand of formula, or to drink expressed milk, please bring those in labelled and we'll use them. Sleep happens in cots when each child is ready, on their own schedule. The educators in this room are practised at this; you're not the first family they've helped settle.
A labelled backpack with a spare set of clothes (including socks and underwear), a labelled water bottle, and any comfort item that helps your child settle. We provide nappies, bottles and formula. If you'd like your child to use a specific brand of nappies, formula or bottles, or to drink expressed milk, please bring these in labelled. We provide all meals, sun hats and bed linen, so there is no need to pack food.
Our educators are very experienced at supporting children through separation. The best help is to stay for a short while when you arrive, say a clear goodbye, and leave when you say you are going. Always say goodbye. Slipping out unseen leads to mistrust and more distress for your child. We will message you on the OWNA app once your child has settled, which usually happens within minutes of a quiet hand-over.
That is fine. Children in the Possum Room are in nappies, and we change them with the same care we would expect for our own children. Toilet training happens in the Koala Room, on each child's own timeline, in close conversation with you. There is no pressure to be ready by a particular date: we move at your child's pace.
No. Every child is different and we follow each child's lead. The Possum Room runs on each baby's own routine, not a group one. In the Koala and Emu rooms, rest time is offered after lunch: children who need a sleep can have one on a comfortable bed, and children who don't are offered quiet activities like books and drawing. The goal is a calm, restful middle of the day, not enforced sleep.
Please keep your child home if they have a temperature, need pain-relief or cough medicine, have a coloured discharge from their eyes or nose, are vomiting or have diarrhoea, have an unexplained rash, or are generally unwell. After a fever, vomiting or diarrhoea, children should be symptom-free for at least 24 hours (48 hours for vomiting and diarrhoea) before returning. We follow current NSW Health exclusion guidance.
Family circumstances change, and we plan around that with you. We ask for 4 weeks' written notice for any change to permanent days or for withdrawal, which lets us plan thoughtfully for your child's transition and for the group around them. Email Jacque at director@normanhurstldc.nsw.edu.au with the change you'd like, and she'll work through the timing with you.
Please do. We show you all three rooms, you meet the educators, you see the kitchen and the outdoor space, and we answer the questions you didn't know to ask. Book through the form below or call us on 02 9487 5455.
Tours run during the week at quieter moments. Tell us a bit about your child and your preferred days, and we'll get back to you within one business day.