Leichhardt – Explore & Develop

Monday – Friday 7.30am – 6.00pm

33 Flood Street, Leichhardt NSW 2040

(02) 9518 0505

leichhardt@exploreanddevelop.com.au

6 weeks to 6 years

We are a child-safe organisation

MEET THE OWNERS

Belinda and Alison

Belinda and Alison are both mothers who are passionate about encouraging children to imagine, explore, discover and create, and are on-site every day to manage and support our educators, families and children.

Features

Nappies, wipes, bottles and formula provided

Family owned and operated

Preschool program

Long-serving team

Incursion programs and activities

Nutritious varied menu

Parent communication app

School readiness curriculum

Our approach

At our centre, we create individualised programs that are updated weekly — these are based on our educators’ continuous observations of the children to establish their interests, strengths and any skills that require development. We encourage parents to provide their input and feedback on our programs so there is continuity between our centre and home.

You have created an environment that is fun, caring and interesting. Zoe has absolutely loved it there and so have we. We have not had a single moment since the day she started where she has resisted going to day care, and Bec will tell you just how hard it has been on occasion to get her to leave! Zoe has loved the educators, your facilities and the friends she has made. I have personally enjoyed spending time with your amazing staff who I feel have genuinely cared about her social, physical and emotional development. Explore & Develop Leichhardt is where Zoe took her first steps with the encouragement of your Joey team, and it is also where she has learned our new favourite song (the Pack Away song!) When things have been tough, you and your team have always gone that extra step to support and encourage us to persevere. I have no doubt whatsoever that your team has played a significant role in shaping her into the friendly, happy and confident little girl that she has become. For these things our family will be forever grateful. I hope you know just how much we have enjoyed our time at Explore & Develop Leichhardt.

Hannah T.
We wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone at Explore & Develop Leichhardt, especially the carers in the Koala room. Callum has had an amazing year and is growing into a strong willed, confident little man in no small part due to the direction and fabulous experiences you all help provide.

Susan J.
The educators are all extremely approachable and listen to all concerns or queries I have around my child. They take everything on board and offer great support and insight if I am ever concerned about my child’s behaviour. I always feel like they have an open door policy and are positive and helpful – it feels like a partnership.

Biggest strength is the fabulous caring and learning environment that is created on a daily basis that means my son often doesn’t want to leave and actively asks about his carers and daycare and all the adventures he gets up to with classmates when outside the centre. A lot of this is down to the amazing carers that work in the centre. We also really appreciate the ‘events’ the centre has exposing the children to music, aboriginal culture, all cultures etc. Fab job everyone we couldn’t ask for more.
Biggest strength is the fabulous caring and learning environment that is created on a daily basis that means my son often doesn’t want to leave and actively asks about his carers and daycare and all the adventures he gets up to with classmates when outside the centre. A lot of this is down to the amazing carers that work in the centre. We also really appreciate the ‘events’ the centre has exposing the children to music, aboriginal culture, all cultures etc. Fab job everyone we couldn’t ask for more.

Biggest strength is the fabulous caring and learning environment that is created on a daily basis that means my son often doesn’t want to leave and actively asks about his carers and daycare and all the adventures he gets up to with classmates when outside the centre. A lot of this is down to the amazing carers that work in the centre. We also really appreciate the ‘events’ the centre has exposing the children to music, aboriginal culture, all cultures etc. Fab job everyone we couldn’t ask for more.
Extremely knowledgeable and caring educators. Very approachable and always thinking of new exciting activities for the children. Love getting Kinderloop updates – it is the highlight of my working day! It’s so nice to see how much the children are enjoying themselves whilst learning new and interesting things.

Family Feedback survey
We think the Centre does an amazing job. The preschool program for the Wombats is fantastic and it’s great to see how much they learn! We also love seeing the variety in the children menu for the week (although we sometimes get a bit envious!)

Family Feedback survey

Waitlist

Learning Environments

Nursery

0 – 2 years

We appreciate that for most children, our service is the first education and care environment that they encounter. With this in mind, our aim is to foster a welcoming and home-like ambiance, where children and their families feel a sense of security and belonging. We believe in working with families to ensure an individual flow of the day so as the rights and dignity of each child are embedded in their everyday routine and our practices.

Toddlers

2 – 3 years

Our toddler environments deliver a high adult to child ratio and a space to explore, discover, create and imagine through play-based learning. The environment and program is vibrant, flexible and responsive to the interests and abilities of each child. It includes foundation literacy and numeracy, construction, creative arts, music and pretend play experiences all designed for active and busy minds and bodies.

Preschool

3 – 5 years

We believe that the preschool years are a precious and critical stage of human development. We know that children need emotional and social skills appropriate to their stage of life and, through play-based learning, particular emphasis is placed on encouraging the development of the whole child, ensuring that children are confident within themselves to transition to school.

We believe that the preschool years are a precious and critical stage of human development. We know that children need emotional and social skills…

Outdoor environment

With multiple outdoor areas, the architecturally designed play spaces specifically cater for different age groups to promote the development of gross motor skills, an appreciation of the natural environment and stimulating sensory challenges.

Rated 4.9 stars on Google

Lindsay McMillan

3 weeks ago

Leichhardt Explore and Develop has been a wonderful experience. The centre has always been a caring and inviting environment; everyone knows everyone’s names as well as acknowledging the kids interests. We have had attentive educators and they have always role modeled kindness and encouraged curiosity. I feel confident in the centres processes and attention to detail. Their communication is transparent and timely, and above all consistent. The tenure of the educators also a massive sentiment to the pride the centre carries in all aspects. Owners Belinda and Alison have fostered a great place to trust in when taking care of our little loves.
Jacki Mison

7 months ago

Staff retention speaks volumes about the quality of a childcare service, and Explore & Develop Leichhardt truly excels in this area. The team is comprised of experienced, caring, long-term educators who have been thoughtfully selected by owners Belinda and Allison. Over the four years our child attended—moving through every room from babies to preschool—we consistently experienced exceptional care. Communication from the centre’s management is clear, timely, and transparent, and their processes are easy to trust. The environment they’ve created is beautiful, inspiring creativity, curiosity, and cultural awareness. The on‑site meals are also fantastic. As a parent of a child with a serious nut allergy, I always felt completely confident in the centre’s safety measures and attention to detail. A wonderful service in every respect.
Grace Manuel

7 months ago

Truly like family 😊 The E&D Leichhardt team go above and beyond for each child and family. The staff are incredible, all so very genuine in their interactions. Both my children are very fond of the team Belinda and Alison have built! We left for a year to travel and when we came back, we were fortunate to be able to return and for my daughter to have spot. Couldn’t recommend them enough. Thankyou for making these pre schooling years a magical time for our children, Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou!
Leigh Stephens

7 months ago

We enrolled our son at Explore and Develop Leichhardt for many years, and we truly can’t put into words how grateful we are for the service we received. The commitment from all the staff, the communication, and the friendliness were outstanding. Everything was top-notch and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. We’ve formed great relationships with all the educators. They were always honest, supportive, and helped ensure our child received exceptional care and education. Our son’s needs were always met and clearly communicated throughout the entire process. We can’t recommend Explore and Develop Leichhardt highly enough — it’s a wonderful centre and a great community to be part of.

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)	$194/day
Early learning (2-3 years)	$179/day
Preschool (3-5 years)	$171.50/day

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

Gallery

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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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