Long Day Care and Preschool

We are a small not-for-profit Long Day Care and Preschool that has been operating in Surry Hills for many years. Just one of the children’s services that is provided by Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre to the local community, we are proud to be a part of the organisation that has been operating in Surry Hills for over 40 years promoting social justice.

Not-for-profit means focus on service

Our Centre is governed by a volunteer governance board who is committed to ensuring that the service adheres to the highest standards of children’s services provision and operates in a just and ethical manner. Being a not-for-profit organisation means that all proceeds go back into the Centre to improve our facilities and provide additional, ongoing training for our professional child educators.

Designed for children’s learning and enjoyment

Located in a state-of-the-art, purpose-built facility, designed specifically to house childcare service, safety and security in an unrestricted environment on their own floor, including an outdoor area with a sand pit and natural features, allows children to freely explore, play and learn about the environment. They are encouraged to participate in sustainable green practices, such as tending a small vegetable garden, worm-farming and composting.

The building itself has received numerous awards for design and sustainability and is built from renewable materials and utilises natural light and recycled water where possible.

Healthy and nutritionally balanced morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea are provided daily for children.

Strong child to educator ratios

Accommodating up to a maximum of 25 children at a time ensures that our child-to-educator ratios are very strong and your child gets the individual attention they deserve:

10 children aged between 6 months and 2 years old with 3 educators, and
15 children aged between 2 and 5 years old with 2 educators and 1 Early Childhood Teacher.

Professional educators looking after your children

All of our qualified educators ensure that our service operates in accordance with the principles of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and structure our care and educational program based on the philosophy that underpins the EYLF – Belonging, Being and Becoming.

Belonging – we talk to our children about where and with whom they belong: a family, cultural group, neighbourhood and wider community.
Being – we assist our children on the first steps to knowing themselves, understanding their feelings, building and maintaining relationships, and finding joy and inspiration in life.
Becoming – we believe that learning, change and growth are continuous and we challenge and support our children through the joys and difficulties of growing up.

Our Preschool offers the advantage of having an Early Childhood Teacher both designing and delivering the educational program, so you can be confident that your pre-schooler will be guided, challenged and supported in their learning. For an example of what our children cover in their School Readiness program click here –

Preschool Program.

As our service is part of the Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre and shares the building with the City of Sydney Library, we always keep our finger on the pulse of our City. As a family in our Centre, you will have numerous opportunities throughout the year to be involved in the artistic and cultural life of the City through workshops, community projects and charity events.

To arrange a tour of our centre, please call on 9331 8409. We are looking forward to meeting you!

Vacancies & Bookings

SHNC Long Day Care & Preschool is heavily booked. There is a waiting list to attend SHNC and we recommend that you either contact us or complete our online form.

Enrolment is by the term (4 per year), with payments required two weeks in advance. For the latest information please call us on (02) 9331 8409 or email: children@shnc.org

Opening Times

Weekdays: 8.00am – 4.30pm. We are closed on public holidays and for 2 weeks during the Christmas to New Year break.

Capacity

SHNC Long Day Care & Preschool caters for a maximum of 25 children per session. We have space for up to 10 in the 6 months – 2 years age group and up to 15 in the 2 years -5 years age group.

Fees

At SHNC Long Day Care & Preschool we aim to offer competitive fees so that parents/carers can continue to pursue personal interests, work, rest etc. All meals are included in the fees. Please note that payments are required two weeks in advance.

The fees in the table below are current and SHNC reserves the right to amend them at any time without notice.

Age: 6mths – 2yrs	Age: 2yrs – 5yrs	Enrolment Fee	Access Tag
$129.50/day	$103.50/day	$25 once only	$20 refundable
NOTE: A late pick-up fee of $2.00 applies for every 1 minute after 4:30pm!

Priority for Allocating Places

SHNC Long Day Care & Preschool is an approved child care provider under the Australian Government Department of Education. This approval allows qualifying carers to apply for rebates on our fees, but it also imposes on us a prescribed priority system regarding the allocation of spaces.

The following is extracted from the Australian Government Department of Education website from which more information can be obtained:

Parents and carers enrolling their children in SHNC Day Care are advised that the above priority system is in place at our Centre.

First Priority: a child at risk of serious abuse or neglect
Second Priority: a child of a single parent who satisfies, or of parents who both satisfy, the work/training/study test under Section 14 of the ‘A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999’
Third Priority: any other child.

Within these main categories priority should also be given to the following children:

children in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families
children in families which include a disabled person
children in families which include an individual whose adjusted taxable income does not exceed the lower income threshold of $42,997 for 2014-2015, or who or whose partner are on income support
children in families from a non-English speaking background
children in socially isolated families
children of single parents.

A child care service may require a Priority 3 child to vacate a place to make room for a child with a higher priority. They can only do so if you:

are notified when your child first entered care that your service follows this policy
are given at least 14 days notice of the need for your child to vacate.