Ekidna Cottage Long Day Care

Ekidna is a boutique long day care centre, which caters for 28 children per day between the ages of 2 to 5 years. We are open from 7.30am to 6.00pm, 52 weeks of the year (except public holidays). Our centre is very multicultural and we follow inclusive family centered practices. Ekidna is licensed by the New South Wales Department of Education and Communities and is registered for the child care benefit/child care rebate.

Our Educators create a safe, warm and caring environment and are dedicated towards working with children and families. They have a genuine interest and love for Early Childhood Education and Care ensuring that programs are conducive to the development of each individual child. All our Educators are qualified.

Meals provided at Ekidna Cottage are of nutritional value. We provide breakfast (cereals & toast) morning and afternoon tea and hot lunches as well as a late snack for children that leave closer to 6pm. Morning tea consists of fruit and afternoon tea consists of fruit, milk and a light snack. Water is available throughout the day. We have a chef on the premises that is qualified to prepare meals for children and plan their menus.

We provide all new children with a new set of bed sheets and hats upon enrolment, which they can keep when they leave Ekidna Cottage. We have sun hats for summer and beanies for winter. Bed sheets are sent home weekly for a wash.
Parents are required to provide a freshly filled water bottle each morning, which needs to be taken home at when children are picked up. Ekidna Cottage provides nappies (Huggies) for all children and this includes training pants when children start toilet-training.

All children are involved in individual and group programs with each child’s developmental progress monitored by our educators and we have a transition to school program. Parent/teacher meetings are held once a year but educators are available to discuss your child’s progress at any time and parents are free to access any information regarding their child. Preschool group times are organised to work on specific skills and areas of learning that the children require but we believe that children learn and develop most through free play. We practice dental hygiene by encouraging children to brush their teeth after lunch (so we require a toothbrush for your child upon enrolment) and also ensure that all children have the opportunity to rest after this each day.

We also offer an orientation period for your child before their official start date so that they can get used to Ekidna Cottage gradually over time. This will be organized with the director, if your child is offered a place at Ekidna Cottage.