Our philosophy.

A play-based, child-centred long day care that has been part of the Normanhurst community since October 1997. We follow the Early Years Learning Framework and an emergent curriculum, which means we plan around what the children are actually interested in while making sure each developmental milestone gets the attention it needs.

Our mission

To provide every child in our care with a safe, supportive, and stimulating environment where they can learn, grow, and develop into confident, capable people. To work in genuine partnership with each family, doing all of this with the warmth and continuity that comes from a small, long-tenured team.

Belonging, being, becoming

The Early Years Learning Framework's three big ideas, which sit at the centre of how we work.

Belonging is the relationships and the family the child is part of. We try to make every family feel they belong here from the first morning. Educators stay in the same rooms, year after year, so children know who is greeting them when they walk in.

Being is the right of the child to enjoy this moment, not just be in training for the next one. We believe children are people, with their own ideas and rhythms, and the day should respect that.

Becoming is the change happening, day after day. Each child is on their own path, and we plan and document each child's learning individually, sharing it with families through the OWNA app.

Play-based learning

Children learn through play. Sand, water, blocks, paint, dress-ups, books, instruments, the outdoor garden, the sandpit. The educators set up the day's invitations to play, and then watch what each child does with them. The learning happens inside that.

This sits within an emergent curriculum: we plan around what the children are showing us they're interested in. If a child arrives obsessed with bugs, the bugs become an investigation. If a transport theme is emerging across the room, we go with it.

A child-safe organisation

We work to the National Quality Standard and the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. Every educator has Working with Children clearance and current first aid training. Children always come first: every decision starts with the safety, wellbeing and dignity of the child.

Acknowledgement of country

Normanhurst Child Care Centre acknowledges the Darug and Guringai Peoples, traditional custodians of the land on which we play and learn. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. Children grow up hearing this acknowledgement as a normal part of their morning.

A team that has been here a long time

The educators across our 3 rooms have decades of combined service at this centre. That continuity matters. Children can have an educator who knew their older brother. Families know who'll be at the gate at pickup. Routines pass smoothly between the rooms because the educators talk to each other every day.