Catering for children aged 6 weeks to 6 years, Explore & Develop Wilton is a beautiful family-owned-and-operated service designed with local children and families at its heart.
Purpose-built in collaboration with early childhood experts, every part of the service has been thoughtfully designed to inspire creativity and learning.
Our best-practice approach offers a play-based, child-led learning program to support children’s development in all areas and a nurturing environment where children are celebrated for who they are.
Giving children the opportunity to connect with nature is hugely important to us, and our service includes a stunning, natural outdoor environment filled with mature trees and engaging spaces for children to explore, play and learn.
Our goal is to provide an environment that is supportive of children and families’ individual interests and needs, encourages inclusiveness to ensure all children feel secure and confident to participate, and that we promote child-led play experiences that are both challenging and safe – preparing children to become confident and active learners as they progress to ‘big school’ and beyond.
Paul, a dedicated junior sports coach with a background in team leadership and business, is passionate about building a strong team culture where educators are motivated and children are active and engaged.
Erica, a registered nurse, midwife, and lactation consultant, brings decades of experience in child health and development to ensure every family feels secure and supported.
Early learning plays a critical role for children, families and the broader community and nothing is more important to us than delivering a high quality and safe environment along with our team of skilled educators. We strongly value professional development and all of our educators have access to ongoing learning opportunities through the Explore & Develop group.
Paul and Erica are the husband-and-wife team behind the brand new Explore & Develop Wilton.
Paul and Erica’s journey to owning their own service began several years ago, when searching for high quality care for their own three children.
Overwhelmed by the difficulty of finding a service that would provide the quality of care they felt comfortable with, in the years since then, they have worked towards their goal of opening their own service – with the aim to provide families in their community with the high-quality education and care that they wanted.
Paul, who holds a degree in business and is a dedicated junior sports coach, is deeply committed to building a strong, supportive team of educators. He believes that the key to delivering exceptional care lies in the people who provide it. With his background in leadership, team development and operations, Paul aims to foster a culture that values collaboration, professional growth, and genuine care.
Meanwhile, with her decades of experience as a registered nurse and midwife, Erica brings a deep understanding of children’s health and development. Her expertise and nurturing nature will create a safe and compassionate environment for every family. As a qualified lactation consultant, she will also be able to support nursing mums with feeding questions and concerns.
Together, Paul and Erica are focused on delivering the Wilton community with a high-quality early childhood education and care service where children thrive, families feel supported, and educators are empowered to do their best work.
For most babies, our service is the first education and care environment that they will encounter. Our dedicated nursery will provide a home-like ambience where babies feel a sense of security and belonging in small groups, giving them the freedom to explore safely in a calm and nurturing environment. Our babies also have a dedicated outdoor space, allowing them to enjoy nature in a safe and calm environment. Families will feel supported by Erica’s decades of knowledge and experience as a midwife and lactation consultant.
At the toddler stage, our focus is on encouraging the development of early social relationships through language and positive communication, negotiation and empathy, as well as supporting the children with toilet training and the development of self-help skills.
Led by university-qualified Early Childhood Teachers, our preschool program will equip children with the skills necessary for a confident transition to school – including literacy, numeracy, language development, motor coordination, social skills and emotional regulation.
Our stunning natural outdoor environment – one of the largest in Wilton – was created to allow children the opportunity to spend time playing in nature every single day. It has been designed with countless learning opportunities to challenge, inspire creativity and support the development of gross motor skills, social interaction and a connection to nature.
100 Hornby St
Wilton NSW 2571
wilton@exploreanddevelop.com.au
Monday – Friday
7.00am – 6.30pm
