Kookaburra Cottage Childcare - Lawson, New South Wales

Ellen Luu

Prior to Kookaburra Cottage opening we loved watching the transformation as the day care centre was being built. The owners, Jenny and Peter have put their heart and soul into establishing this beautiful centre and in providing (much needed) additional early education services for the local community in the mid-Mountains. We were very excited when we heard that Kookaburra Cottage was opening in February 2023, and that our son was offered a position at the centre.

Since our son has commenced his early education at Kookaburra Cottage (now nearly 10 months), we have clearly observed how far he has come with his confidence and social interaction skills. The educators at the centre are committed, caring and constantly go above and beyond in making sure that our son is made to feel secure and happy. He loves his friends and educators (he high fives/hugs/blows kisses at them all during pick-up, and names and whispers ‘good night’ to each of them before going to bed every night).

With living in the beautiful Blue Mountains we are so fortunate in having the benefits of being exposed to the lovely natural environment and outdoors in our surroundings. This is also inspired at Kookaburra Cottage where the children are encouraged to participate and engage in outdoor play and educational activities such as bark painting, outdoor storytelling, water play and making tree faces etc. We also love the yummy and healthy chef-curated meals prepared daily at the centre by Matt (we are quite envious!).

The educators at Kookaburra Cottage are amazing, incredibly dedicated and should be highly commended in what they do every day, particularly as they play a huge role in nurturing, educating and being a significant part of our son’s childhood journey.

It is in no doubt in my mind that any child who attends Kookaburra Cottage (presently and in the future) will also experience the shared love and generosity which the staff at Kookaburra Cottage have also extended to us. Thank you, Kookaburra Cottage - we are so grateful for all your care/support, and being part of our extended family village.

Kate Johnson

I cannot speak highly enough of our experience with Kookaburra Cottage. The staff are simply wonderful and really go above and beyond to accomodate the individual needs of the children and families. The director is so passionate and is prompt to respond to emails regarding the care of our daughter. The owners are incredibly genuine and lovely. I have never heard of any other centre where the owner will personally check in outside of operating hours because they know your little one has been unwell or has had a significant life change. I was incredibly anxious about transitioning to childcare post covid and I can honestly say Kookaburra Cottage has alleviated any worries I had. My daughter comes home happy, bursting with excitement to tell me about her day and frequently asks to go and see her favourite educators and her new little friends, even on non daycare days.

Paul B

Kookaburra cottage encompasses all the attributes of a family centered, professional and needs based childcare.
Our daughter started attending after her 2nd birthday, having previously been at home with my partner, and minded by our parents when we needed.
Finding the right match for her was paramount in ensuring she was well cared for, safe, and her specific needs emotionally and physically were accommodated.
Kookaburra cottage, even as a new centre, has gone above and beyond. We could not be happier with our choice, and our daughter is thriving because of the love and support that kookaburra provides for her and us.
This is also the only centre we came across, where there is a strong focus on connecting with nature, through outdoor play.
The staff will always take the time to talk about my daughters day and how she is progressing at drop off and pick up times, while also connecting through internal platforms outside of hours.
I love kookaburra cottage! Thank you for all you do.

Sarah McInnes

This is a fairly new service open since March 2023.
I can't say enough great things about the childcare staff here. They are so competent, caring, and do the best they can with some really challenging circumstances, including being paid as low as $27 / h (Cert 3 qualification). I am not sure whether this rate is set by government award rates or the centre, but if it is set by the centre the staff deserve so much more. They have really gone above and beyond to ensure my daughter is settled and happy, giving me info on how she performed that day at pickup.

The reason for my negative review is because I take issue with the ownership and management.
Personal communication with my daughter's teachers outside of work hours has alerted me to the fact that the inexperienced manager creates an extremely toxic workplace and instills fear and distrust into the employees.

Monthly staff meetings are expected to be attended by staff after 5pm. Staff are paid to attend these meetings. The staff are constantly berated throughout these meetings to the point that multiple staff have cried afterwards and I personally know 2 staff that are seeking other jobs. Staff are seated in a circle while the manager goes round one by one and names all the mistakes each person committed that month.

'Black Marks' are given out to staff liberally, if 3 black marks are received the staff member is sacked. Black Marks are given over such MINOR infractions, they are seriously so negligible that I wouldn't care if the behaviour in question happened to my kid. I cannot find a legal precedent for 'Black Marks' in childcare centres so it must be some vague policy invented by Kookaburras. In that case, they seriously need to address this policy otherwise they could be liable for legal action over the Fair Work act.

If there wasn't such a shortage of childcare places currently, I would seriously pull my daughter out of care here, in protest over their mistreatment of staff.

If I hear management have punished staff over this review, it will be in breach of the Fair Work Act, specifically the unfair dismissal and General protections claim, and I WILL take further action.