Narraweena – Explore & Develop

Monday – Friday 7.00am – 6.00pm

78 McIntosh Rd Narraweena NSW 2099

(02) 9972 2535

sabrinab@exploreanddevelop.com.au amandam@exploreanddevelop.com.au

0–6 years

We are a child-safe organisation

MEET THE OWNERS

Sabrina Bombara and Amanda Roberts

Sabrina Bombara and Amanda Roberts are dedicated, professional and qualified Early Childhood educators who have strong connections to the community. Their commitment to delivering a high-quality service is evident as they remain on site daily to offer leadership through their hands on approach. They consider the Rights of the Child in their approach to Early Childhood care, and create a service which is inclusive of all children. They believe that all children have the right to be heard, the right to feel safe and the right to high-quality education and care.

Features

In-house chef

Parent communication app

Individually owned and operated

Natural outdoor environment

Educational and developmental programs

Local excursions

Early intervention support

Sport programs

Local primary school connections

Our approach

Here at Explore & Develop Narraweena we view our relationships with our children and their families as the foundation for our curriculum. We incorporate their voices into our program as we strive to empower and foster autonomy within the children in our care.

Through ongoing professional development, our educators ensure that their practices and approach to early childhood delivers a high standard of education and care and reflects both theoretical and current perspectives. In conjunction with this, we are guided by The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) which encompasses the three aspects of belonging, being and becoming.

Our kids love it here. How can they not with all the outdoor space, the staff are lovely, genuine & thoughtful. They get treated like if they are their own kids.

When our kids realise they aren’t going to kindy on the weekends, they get upset and want to see their favorite people (their teachers)

Keep up the hard work

Geoff Lai
I started my journey with Explore and Develop in Narraweena 5 years ago when my eldest started there. I didn’t realise how lucky we were at the time to get a place in the nursery room, and have since come to realise why it’s such a highly sought after centre. The directors are personable, responsive and have such a caring nature to my 3 children who all attend. Having a child with anaphylaxis presents additional challenges for our family, but the centre could not be more accommodating to his needs. My children love attending the centre, which is so important given how much time they spend there. The playground is large and the activities are endless, but most importantly it is the staff that make this centre such a gem.

Megan Bowman
I highly recommend this natural, fun based, connected community and early learning facility — we love it. My twin ‘but opposite’ boys have attended E&D Narraweena for 2 years. They’ve been through many typical phases of growing boys in the last 2 years there, but I can clearly recall my areas of concern for both as individuals two years ago, and can clearly see how they’ve progressed with the support, attention and genuine interest of the educators and directors. I barely recognise the confident, rowdy little monkeys that tell me stories, invite the whole class for playdates and sleepovers (awkward) and floor me with their grown up opinions or counter arguments as 5 year olds. They’re most definitely not always angels, but they know who they are, they are firmly and safely connected to their not-at-home carers and are getting very close to big school ready… All I’ve had to do is drop them off and pick them up and communicate with E&DN openly. The team know what’s important to me specifically and what’s not, and I don’t have to seek someone out or ask a million questions, it’s a definite two way street, and I feel like we are collectively invested in my boys social and emotional progress – academics has never been important to me in preschool, yet while all this play and exercise has been going on… They’ve somehow got a firm grasp on all sorts of beginner English and maths smarts too!

To be fair – I’d have sent them there just to have my fussy eaters try and consume all kinds of delicious, fresh and healthy meals 4 days a week since they refuse at home… But that just ended up being the silver lining ?

Chantalle Taylor
In 2019, I walked into Explore & Develop Narraweena for the first time — this time as a student. I instantly felt welcomed into such a rich and warm environment, surrounded by caring and competent professionals.

When it was time to choose a daycare for my daughter the following year, there was no doubt it had to be E&D Narraweena.

The twins started in 2021 at just seven months of age. They were so little that educators used to carry them in baby carriers. Over time, they grew in size and confidence and somehow became the kings of daycare. Cheeky and lovely, they certainly gave the educators plenty of challenges — yet they were always treated with kindness and seen through a strength-based lens.

We cannot thank you enough for all these years and for the unmatched quality of care your service has offered our family. As a teacher myself, I know firsthand how rare it is to find a true gem 💎 like this.

There is nothing more important to parents than knowing their children are happy and well.

Julia Koefender
5 stars that are actually 5 thousand! We couldn’t be happier with the centre. Our was son was made to feel welcome from the start, and our entire family has felt absolutely supported by the amazing educators. The teachers are all incredibly nurturing, loving, understanding, experienced, creative and well equipped to support the kids. Most have been with the centre for numerous years and turnover is extremely low (as a reflection of the amazing work being done by the hands-on owners for the past 15+ years). The outdoor area is also fantastic, and allows both free play and structured activities involving nature. Best centre on the Northern Beaches!

Luisa Frohlich

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Learning Environments

Nursery

0–2 years

In our 0 –1 and our 1– 2-year old environments, we foster a strong sense of connection and belonging as we focus on building secure and trusting relationships with our children. With high educator-to-child ratios, we can provide a flexible routine to cater for the individual and ever-changing needs of the young children in our care.

In our 0 –1 and our 1– 2-year old environments, we foster a strong sense of connection and belonging as we focus on building…

Early learning

2–3 years

In the toddlers’ room, we acknowledge their very strong sense of autonomy and we endeavour to foster this at every opportunity. As we support independence we not only build their self-help skills, but also enable them to develop a strong sense of self.

In the toddlers’ room, we acknowledge their very strong sense of autonomy and we endeavour to foster this at every opportunity. As we support…

Preschool

3–5 years

Our preschool environments offer challenge and promote children to extend their own interests, skills and abilities. Through supportive educators and stimulating environments, children within these rooms engage in hands on exploration and considered risk-taking. We believe that this supports dispositions for learning and will, in turn, create confident and involved learners who are able to resource their own learning.

Our preschool environments offer challenge and promote children to extend their own interests, skills and abilities. Through supportive educators and stimulating environments, children within…

Outdoor environment

We are fortunate to have an abundance of space in our large natural outdoor environments. We call it our ‘Adventure Playground’ as it offers the children the right balance of risk and adventure. It affords the opportunity for children to run, climb, jump, explore and experiment.

We encourage children to develop a love for and affinity towards nature as they engage in the outdoor environments. Children learn best through hands on experiences and this is achieved through the many sensory experiences we offer, including our mud kitchen which features in our outdoor spaces.

We are fortunate to have an abundance of space in our large natural outdoor environments. We call it our ‘Adventure Playground’ as it offers…

Rated 5 stars on Google

Julia Koefender

9 months ago

In 2019, I walked into Explore & Develop Narraweena for the first time — this time as a student. I instantly felt welcomed into such a rich and warm environment, surrounded by caring and competent professionals. When it was time to choose a daycare for my daughter the following year, there was no doubt it had to be E&D Narraweena. She was going through a challenging time, as we had newborn baby twins at home and the world was facing a pandemic 😷. But we had your support and could trust that you were taking the very best care of her while we were unable to. The twins started in 2021 at just seven months of age. They were so little that educators used to carry them in baby carriers. Over time, they grew in size and confidence and somehow became the kings of daycare. Cheeky and lovely, they certainly gave the educators plenty of challenges — yet they were always treated with kindness and seen through a strength-based lens. We cannot thank you enough for all these years and for the unmatched quality of care your service has offered our family. As a teacher myself, I know firsthand how rare it is to find a true gem 💎 like this. There is nothing more important to parents than knowing their children are happy and well. Sabrina, Amanda, Ruth, Rose, Laura, Sachi, Lisa, Steph (both), Sarah, Trev, Andrew, Beth, Jo, Sabina and many others— you are truly a dream team of stars ⭐️. Always remember how wonderful you are.
Rabin Basnet

12 months ago

Best childcare so far
Luisa Frohlich

a year ago

5 stars that are actually 5 thousand! We couldn't be happier with the centre. Our was son was made to feel welcome from the start, and our entire family has felt absolutely supported by the amazing educators. The teachers are all incredibly nurturing, loving, understanding, experienced, creative and well equipped to support the kids. Most have been with the centre for numerous years and turnover is extremely low (as a reflection of the amazing work being done by the hands-on owners for the past 15+ years). The outdoor area is also fantastic, and allows both free play and structured activities involving nature. Best centre on the Northern Beaches!
Tessa Jako

4 years ago

5 stars is an understatement…this centre is the best. When you work full time, you want to know that your children are in good hands. With Explore and Develop in Narraweena, your kids are in the best hands – the educators aren't just good at what they do, they are great people and they are good role models with huge hearts. That's an intrinsic characteristic that you can't train, and clearly Sabrina and Amanda have the right formula to not only attract these rare gems, but to retain them. My daughter has excelled developmentally in leaps and bounds thanks to E&D Narraweena and I can't recommend them enough to anyone else looking for a daycare centre.
Elissa Black

5 years ago

Both my kids are at Explore and Develop Narraweena and the centre is absolutely fantastic. My daughter has been in the Joey’s room since she was 6 months old and i cannot speak highly enough of the educators across the whole centre. There is very low staff turn over and it is clear that they all love working there. The Directors, Amanda and Sabrina and always welcoming and responsive to any question or query or just for a general chin wag. The outside playground is great with tree, stumps, swings and everything a kid needs for daily adventures. The smell of the food cooking when I drop them off is always mouth watering too. If you are lucky enough to get a spot, I highly recommend you jump on it right away! Both my kids love it, my little one literally jumps out of my arms and into her educators in the mornings which I just love to see. It makes drop off so easy knowing that the kids feel safe, loved and excited for what each new day will bring. E&D feels like a family to us and we could not be happier with the service they provide and the love they have shown our children. Simply the best!

Fees & Inclusions

The daily fees for 2026

We are an approved Child Care Subsidy (CCS) service, which means eligible families will receive three days per week of subsidised care.

Use our CCS calculator for an estimate of your individual fees, or contact us and we’ll help you with it.

Our 2026 fees are outlined below. Note these fees are before CCS, which will significantly reduce out-of-pocket costs.

Our service is also eligible for Start Strong Fee Relief, providing a further saving for families of 3- and 4-year-old children, in addition to CCS.

AGE GROUP	DAILY FEE (BEFORE CCS and Start Strong)
Nursery (0-2 years)	$180
Early learning (2-3 years)	$175
Preschool (3-5 years)	$155

Our daily fee is all-inclusive, covering nutritious meals, snacks and drinks, nappies, wipes, sunscreen, bedding, educational programs and learning materials.

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Parent Information

A positive start to early education and care
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Parent Information

The lifelong benefits of Early Childhood Education and Care
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Parent Information

Download our ‘Learning Through Play’ Ebook
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