ABOUT EXPLORE & DEVELOP

Newcastle – King Street


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.

Outdoor environment

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.

Indoor Learning Environments

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.

Engaging with our community

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.

Parent Portal

We have a secure online learning portal for families to access: daily learning experiences, developmental observations and individual learning assessments.

Acknowledging and respecting the first owners of the land

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).

All-inclusive offering

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.

OWNER / OPERATOR

of Explore & Develop Newcastle – King Street


Suzanne Chiha
Suzanne Chiha

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.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Explore & Develop Newcastle – King Street


Koalas

6 months to 2 years. Fees: $147

  • Nurturing environment with space to grow and develop
  • All nutritional meals and linen provided.
  • Secure online portal for families to sign children in and out of the centre, access daily routine, learning experiences and developmental observations.
  • Interest based, personalised and developmentally appropriate educational program, created by our educators in collaboration with families.
  • Access to a well-resourced arts and craft studio where children can express themselves and develop an appreciation for the process of creating art.
  • An engaging outdoor play space to explore, discover, create and imagine through play- based learning.
  • Children’s growing independence and milestones, such as toilet training, are supported through our partnerships with families.
Wombats

2-3 years. Fees: $142

  • All nutritional meals and linen provided.
  • Secure online portal for families to sign children in and out of the centre, access daily routine, learning experiences and developmental observations. 
  • Interest based, personalised and developmentally appropriate educational program, created by our educators in collaboration with families.
  • Access to a well-resourced arts and craft studio where children can express themselves and develop an appreciation for the process of creating art.
  • An engaging play space for our toddlers to explore, discover, crate and imagine through play-based learning.
  • Children’s growing independence and milestones, such as toilet training, are supported through our partnership with families.
Emus

3-5 years. Fees: $140

  • To provide a successful transition to primary school, we extend upon and assist children to refine skills in key learning areas such as social, emotional, literacy, numeracy, and fine motor development.
  • Our skilled teachers work closely with families, school teachers and other early childhood professionals to ensure that each child has a positive transition to school.
  • All nutritional meals and linen provided.
  • Secure online portal for families to sign children in and out of the centre, and access the daily routine, learning experiences and developmental observations.
  • Interest based, personalised and developmentally appropriate educational program, created by our educators in collaboration with families.
  • Access to a well-resourced arts and craft studio where children can express themselves and develop an appreciation for the process of creating art.
  • A learning environment that invites investigation and engagement and where children can work independently, collaborate with peers on projects and participate in teacher lead group experiences.
  • A play space that encourages participation and exploration as children follow their own interests and engage with peers to grow in all developmental areas.
  • Autonomy and independence continues to be promoted as children take on more responsibility during the routines and transitions of the day.
  • Further development of emotional regulation is supported through our resilience and mindfulness programs.

LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS

of Explore & Develop Newcastle – King St


explore & develop and newcastle grammar school partnership

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.

TESTIMONIALS

Explore & Develop Newcastle – King Street


google
A very welcoming childcare centre that communicates consistently. The staff are very supportive and provide detailed updates of an afternoon. The food they serve is healthy and the activities the children engage in throughout the day provide opportunity to learn through exploration. All staff have formed a positive relationship with my child, so she now skips into the centre and is happy to see everyone.
google
Our child has been here since he was 8 months old- the staff are fantastic, caring and really invested in our child's development. The outdoor (but undercover) play area is huge with so many different zones for the children to play. Love having the meals provided - it takes a lot of the stress out of the day.
google
Strongly recommend Explore and Develop King St. My baby's first ever childcare and she loves it! The team is experienced and always full of energy and love for children.
google
I strongly recommend Explore and Develop King street. My little is very happy to go to school each day. All the educators are very kind and wonderfull they have amazing and creative activities to offer.
google
Our 9 month old son absolutely loves his days at explore and develop. Huge thanks to Lexi, Yannah and the team in the Koala room who go above and beyond. Our son smiles when we drop him off and usually does not want to leave. I highly recommend this daycare!

CONTACT US

Explore & Develop Newcastle – King Street


Address

291 King Street
Newcastle NSW 2300

Phone & Email

Phone: (02) 4022 8200

All enquiries are to be sent to: kingst.ns@exploreanddevelop.com.au.

Business Hours

Mon – Fri 7.30am to 6pm