Explore & Develop Norwest - Early Learning Centre - Bella Vista, New South Wales

Ellen Maybury

When starting to think about sending our daughter to daycare, we visited two centres. Explore and Develop stood out from the start. We just got a good feeling when we went for a tour one Saturday and met the director Marcelle. She encouraged us to come back and see the centre during business hours to see what it was like and that good feeling was still there. Our daughter has now been enrolled in the centre for 9 months and it has been the best experience. She absolutely loves going to daycare and has learnt so much. All the teachers are so lovely and welcoming, the office staff are approachable and helpful. Communication with parents through the app is very good. We could not be happier with our choice!

Rica Y

I enrolled my son in 2017 after an extensive search of local daycares. From my first walk through I felt the centre had a loving and supportive environment.
Now in 2021 my son is starting kindergarten so sadly having to say goodbye.
The teachers are absolutely fantastic. You can feel the love and care they have towards all the kids.
Watching my son developer in the care of their hands was a blessing.
You know your child is happy attending when he is excited to arrive each morning and doesn't want to leave at the end of the day, to me that speaks volumes on the teachers and friends made.

Cherrielyn Glor

Most supportive, caring, loving and nurturing environment for a child to flourish. If you are lucky enough to get a spot at this centre do not think twice . My son entered this centre not saying a word as he has speech delay and graduated talking in sentences in the span of 2 years including the lock down covid periods . You will appreciate the impact of this centre and the educators even more once your child starts kindergarten . The staff and educators have super powers , just amazing !!!

G S

My son has been going here since last year and the carers are the nicest people. They have a genuine love for children and were very accommodating with every little question or request. They even give me advice on pacifiers, bottles, food, toilet readiness, etc. which is always so helpful. The director is lovely and knowledgeable and thorough. Thank you so much for everything you all do.

Kirsty Blair

Our daughter has been cared for by the wonderful team at Explore and Develop Norwest since she was 11 months old. I was very reluctant to place my baby into childcare as she was very attached and I wasn't sure how she (or I) would cope. We looked at many childcare centres in the area when it came time for me to return to work, and we even enrolled her in a different centre in Bella Vista. However, when we started the orientation process I just knew I couldn't leave my daughter there. We pulled her out and kept searching.
From the moment we walked into Explore and Develop I knew it was the right place for us. The centre is clean and inviting and every single staff member you pass by greets you with a smile and hello. The centre's director, Marcelle, presented immediately as professional but also kind and engaging with our daughter, greeting her by name and chatting with her. The team in the Wallaby room (which is where the babies and very young toddlers are) were absolutely amazing in supporting my daughter's transition into care. For many days when she first started she was cuddled and held when she needed reassurance, sometimes napping in the arms or in the lap of one of the educators, Gradually and gently they supported my little girl to become comfortable napping in her cot and to become happy and excited about going to see her friends and teachers at "school".

The quality of the food is fantastic with the varied and nutritious menu created by staff in the onsite food preparation area. I'm often jealous of the kids if I visit at lunchtime and see and smell what they are getting! The meals are generous and we note that often the daily record will show that our daughter has enjoyed 2 (and sometimes 3!) servings. Our daughter also had a food intolerance when she was very young and staff ensured that her dietary needs were accommodated.

One of the big reasons we chose Explore and Develop was their clearly articulated and demonstrated commitment to supporting children's physical and mental development through free play and creative opportunities. The play areas are amazing, especially given the location of the centre. Marcelle constantly invests in the centre to renew and reinvigorate play areas so they remain exciting and challenging spaces for the children to learn, play and grow.

The educators themselves are intelligent, skilled and very obviously dedicated to their work and to our kids. Most of all, they are openly caring and affectionate with the children, always modelling core values around empathy, sharing and respect for others.

I cannot recommend this centre more highly and we are so very grateful that such high quality care is available for our most precious gift. Our daughter is now 3 1/2 years old and we very much hope we are lucky enough to stay with this centre until she starts school.

Christina White

Our son was enrolled here for just over a year and it was incredible!
The care they provided was incredible. The staff are warm and caring and passionate about what they do and their love for the children is beautiful. They create an environment for children to grow and learn in the most wonderful way.
Thankyou to all the educators who looked after our boy, you are truly incredible.

Lesakshi Amarasekera

This was the 1st and only childcare we managed to visit during covid period and after we got our son enrolled in having so much hope that he will enjoy this care facility we were very surprised and sad to see how they treat children in the nursary room upto 2 years. The center manager who is the owner in my view would try to run the facility with the minimum resources available. The level of class room activity and the quality of food offered are in my view very minimal. I often felt sorry for the kids when I went to pick up my son. What was so heartbroken to see is that only about 4 kids taken in for meals in a separate area covered by a fence and a gate that is locked and all the other kids hanging on to the fence waiting for their turn. Once I saw a child crying asking for food and the educator kept on telling it is coming. I don't think a child under 2 years would understand this. After seeing the quality of food provided, the level of class room activities and playing items provided in my son's current care I truly believe that the short period my son attended this facility is a very dark period for him and for us. On the positives this facility is very clean and has a separate sleeping space for the kids. If your child is someone who loves to get into activities in a group setting learning new gross motor skills and enjoys exploring toys more often this facility is not for you.

Neha Mangal

My daughter started with Explore & develop at the age of 2yrs and just recently graduated. Thanks to the great safe environment, the facilities, the educators and Marcelle, she bloomed into a beautiful young individual and developed great skills, ready to enter the next milestone - school life.
As working parents, I needed a great caring and trustworthy environment for my daughter and this is exactly that. Marcelle and her team have an open door policy and always were friendly and open and honest with the communication.

I recommend this centre to all families ?