King St Newcastle – Explore & Develop

Monday–Friday 7.30am–6.00pm

291 King Street Newcastle NSW 2300

(02) 4022 8200

kingst.ns@exploreanddevelop.com.au

6 months to 5 years

We are a child-safe organisation

MEET THE OWNER

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. She 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.

Features

In-house cook

Nappies, wipes, bottles and formula provided

Family owned and operated

Family events

Natural outdoor environment

Educational and developmental programs

Preschool program

Local excursions

Our approach

Owned and operated by early childhood professional, Suzanne Chiha, our centre is architecturally designed, with three purpose-built indoor learning environments and a large outdoor playground, which features a creative art space.

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.

Learning Environments

Koalas

6 months to 2 years

Nurturing environment with space to grow and develop
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.

Nurturing environment with space to grow and develop 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

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.

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

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.
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.

To provide a successful transition to primary school, we extend upon and assist children to refine skills in key learning areas such as social,…

Rated 4.8 stars on Google

Nellie May

3 months ago

Our toddler started at Explore & Develop a couple of months ago and is loving it! The walkthrough of the centre was great and easy to arrange. Enrolment was simple (and our toddler was able to start straight away!) And the playground and play equipment for the kids is excellent – much bigger than you'd think, considering the city location. The chef, Runee, is absolutely wonderful and has put an enormous amount of thought and care into a menu that caters to our toddler's special dietary needs. Great food that doesn't make our kid feel different from the others is really important to us, and we couldn't be happier with our experience so far!
Kristina Ida Eichholz

4 months ago
Simone

4 months ago

Our daughter loves this daycare and the educators absolutely dote on her. The initial walkthrough was very thorough, and all of our questions were answered. They also use an app to keep parents updated throughout the day, including photos, information about meals and naps, and any upcoming events. The facility is very clean.
Amy Farrugia

5 months ago

My child started at the beginning of the year in the 0-2 room here at Explore & Develop King Street. I had had an excellent tour conducted for me during my pregnancy, and was pleased to see so many of the staff I met during my 2024 tour, were still with the centre when I returned for orientation in 2025 and still in 2026. Now that my child has started, I am so happy with my choice to get on the wait list and enrol. Every staff member knows my child’s name no matter what age room they teach in, always greeting and farewelling us enthusiastically each day. The menu for the kids is amazing and full of variety. The updates and notifications in the app are very thorough each day, giving me great peace of mind. The centre is immaculate, with a large selection of equipment and toys, and the building is very security. My little one has come along in leaps and bounds since beginning to attend in January, using baby sign language to communicate, improvement in day naps and night sleep, imaginative play and social skills are at a high. I sing the praises of this centre all the time and truly love all the beautiful educators here. 10/10
Simone Fairweather

5 months ago

I am beyond thrilled to have gotten my child into Explore and Develop King Street. Every staff member knows my child’s name, even if they are not her educators, the food is healthy, plentiful and seemingly delicious. The activities they do with the children are fun, engaging and educational. My daughter absolutely loves her days here and I am so thankful to have found such beautiful educators at this centre!

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)	$159/day
Early learning (2-3 years)	$159/day
Preschool (3-5 years)	$152/day

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

Gallery

Book a tour Waitlist

Local partnerships

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.

Parent Information

A positive start to early education and care
Read more
Parent Information

The lifelong benefits of Early Childhood Education and Care
Read more
Parent Information

Download our ‘Learning Through Play’ Ebook
Read more