Located in the heart of Newcastle, Explore & Develop King Street offers early childhood education and care for children aged 6 months to 5 years.
Our centre is architecturally designed, with three purpose-built indoor learning environments and a large outdoor playground, which features a creative art space.
Our centre is owned and operated by early childhood professional, Suzanne Chiha.
Our program and philosophy align with the Walker Learning approach, an evidence-based pedagogy that emphasises the significance of learning through play, intentional teaching, and the importance of building strong connections with our children.
We aim to create a welcoming, home-like environment, which helps the children to develop a sense of belonging and connection with the educators and the centre. We always encourage collaboration with families and welcome their input into our program.
Our outdoor learning environment provides a unique space for children to develop their curiosity and creativity while encouraging exploration, inquiry and discovery. Our aim is to foster independence, resilience, and help children grow into confident learners who are prepared for life.
We believe in the importance of learning through play, where children can learn at their own pace in their own way. Play creates a calm neurological space for children, allowing for optimal development. Every child has the right to experience the outdoors and breathe fresh air which contributes to their wellbeing.
We look forward to welcoming you and your child to Explore & Develop King Street.
Our exciting outdoor play area provides ample shade to protect children and provide for year-round activities. Our challenging play equipment ensure that children can release energy as well as explore, problem solve and participate in creative expression.
The custom-built play fort, climbing ropes, balance bridge, sand pit and water play areas are visually appealing and provoke children’s imagination in a variety of ways to scaffold their overall development.
Our indoor learning environments are adapted to children’s interests and their capabilities. We have a variety of natural and open-ended materials for children to interact with, fostering their imagination and creativity. The age-appropriate learning experiences encompass social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and creative domains in which children feel safe and supported.
Key to our philosophy is our engagement and collaboration with our local and wider community. We aim to support children and their families develop relationships, connections, and a real sense of belonging to the community.
Our unique “Beyond the Gate” experiences deeply enhance children’s learning and create a sense of wonder about their world, expanding our program beyond that of the preschool learning environment.
We have a secure online learning portal for families to access: daily learning experiences, developmental observations and individual learning assessments.
We incorporate indigenous perspectives and culture in our educational programming and believe that it has many benefits for all children. The Explore & Develop group has a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
Every child has the right to an early childhood education, and we believe that no child should go without at our service. This is why we have developed an all-inclusive offering for families of children of all ages, including: excursions, community events and in-service activities, fresh seasonal and nutritious meals, and a high-quality educational curriculum with a ‘transition to school’ program.
Explore & Develop Newcastle King St is owned and operated by early childhood professional Suzanne Chiha.
Suzanne’s passion for early childhood development drives her to create stimulating learning environments that nurture children’s sense of curiosity and wonder at the world around them.
Having started her career in early childhood in 2010, Suzanne has many years’ experience to share with her team and bring to the program for children. Suzanne has a degree in Early Childhood Teaching and is deeply passionate about children’s health and wellbeing and supporting children to be true global citizens.
6 months to 2 years. Fees: $153
2-3 years. Fees: $148
3-5 years. Fees: $146
In 2024, Explore & Develop Newcastle – King Street formed a relationship with Newcastle Grammar School in order to help connect our families to a quality local school community.
Spanning two campuses, Newcastle Grammar is an independent K-12 school in the Anglican tradition, offering an innovative co-curricular program, strong academic results and a commitment to student wellbeing.
As part of the partnership, our preschool children will enjoy ongoing visits from specialist NGS teachers – including Mandarin, sports and science lessons – held onsite in our preschool.
To learn more about the school, click here or call 4925 2121.
291 King Street
Newcastle NSW 2300
Phone: (02) 4022 8200
All enquiries are to be sent to: kingst.ns@exploreanddevelop.com.au.
Mon – Fri 7.30am to 6pm
