Our Program and Approach

At KU Laurel Tree House, we see all children as strong, independent, curious, inquisitive, self-motivated and active participants in the world in which we live.

We believe our role as educators is to provide a meaningful, flexible, child centred program which reflects and embraces the holistic way children learn and grow. Our program is play-based and individualised, with the outcomes of Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) embedded across all learning areas.

Our educators provide a rich array of open-ended experiences and learning environments, and our program offers children the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of activities, each specifically designed to promote children’s confidence as capable, active participants in their own learning. Children are presented with a range of activities including gardening, arts and crafts, music and movement, physical play, block building, sand and water play, science experiments, early numeracy activities such as counting and measurement, and early literacy activities such as reading, drawing and writing.

We greatly value the strong relationships between our staff, children and families, and we look forward to the opportunity of including your family in the life of our centre.

Our Focus

In addition to the high quality, well-rounded programs we offer, all KU centres are also encouraged to develop an area of focus.

At KU Laurel Tree House, we focus on enhancing the cultural diversity of the educators and supporting parents and children to engage in unique and culturally diverse experiences in our centre.

We incorporate this into our program through activities such as learning and understanding of new language, cooking and engaging in cultural activities relating to educators and children and developing a respect for all cultures to create a harmonious society.

We feel that the children benefit from this focus because it helps them to settle through the orientation process. Where possible, throughout orientation, children will have the support of an educator who is understanding of their culture.

Our Quality

Our centre has been independently assessed by the NSW Department of Education under the National Quality Standards, and are proud to be rated as Exceeding the National Quality Standard.

However what matters most is what our families think...

"We've been so happy with KU Laurel Tree House. It's a welcoming and warm centre. The staff are very caring, attentive and genuinely want to engage with the children. Our son participates in a wide range of stimulating activities throughout the day and really looks forward to his daily routine. I would have no hesitation in recommending the centre to other families - we've really enjoyed being a part of the Laurel Tree House community and I'm sure it would be a great fit for any child." - KU Laurel Tree House parent

"Choosing a suitable daycare is a difficult job. When we found KU Laurel Tree House, we were instantly warmed by the love and professionalism of the staff. So much so that we have been customers for the past seven years! Being part of the KU Laurel Tree House family, means that each child is seen as an individual and they work with you and your child to teach them life skills. They work on the good qualities our children have to offer, as well as teaching them the right and wrong. The staff at KU Laurel Tree House go above and beyond and are prepared to put in the extra effort to make sure that the children's experiences are positive. Some of the staff have been familiar faces to us for many years and have seen both my girls grow and develop and that is what we love! Over the years, we have seen KU Laurel Tree House grow to be better and better and more stable. Constantly making available new equipment, changing the environment setting so that the children do not get bored, organising fun-filled fundraising events, little excursions for the children and the food that they provide is delicious and nutritious (silently I am jealous). All the wonderful staff and Centre Director should be commended on the fabulous job that they do. I only wish that we had another child to bring to the centre so that we can still remain a part of this family." - KU Laurel Tree House parent

Our Environment

Each KU centre is unique. The best outcomes for children are created within relationships and interactions between children and staff, and children and their families, not within four walls. We work hard to create beautiful, interesting, homelike learning environments for children - whatever our setting.

KU Laurel Tree House is an early childhood service catering for 39 children located in Glebe, in Sydney’s Inner West. It is housed in a federation building with natural light and shade provided by a large Laurel Tree. This centre has been open since 1983.

Our playground is designed to allow children to explore nature and discover the natural environment. We want children to be able to dig in the mud, climb trees, discover and learn about insects and enjoy connecting with nature. The many activities we offer enable children to immerse themselves in the natural elements of their surroundings and feel inspired to create, imagine and play.

Our Reconciliation Action Plan

KU was proud to launch its inaugural Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in 2016. At KU Laurel Tree House, we began our journey to develop our centre’s RAP in 2018 and we are proud to launch it now. Please view it here.

Other Features

Child Care Subsidy

Cooked Meal

Extended Hours

Hat and Sunscreen

Lunch

Transition to School

Public Transport

Play-based Learning

Outdoor Play

Nappies

Storypark

Sharmila Dissanayake

Director

Sharmila is a university qualified early childhood teacher with over 21 years’ experience working with children and babies. She has been working at KU Laurel Tree House since 2014. Sharmila is passionate about educating children about the natural environment and sustainability, and supporting the team in more sustainable, nature-orientated play-based curriculum.

In 2015, Sharmila was proudly nominated by parents for the KU Making A Difference Award.

At KU Laurel Tree House, our team of early childhood educators are qualified, experienced, caring and highly motivated. All hold specialist qualifications in early childhood education. We believe that the positive interactions children have with our staff are the most important component of our high quality program.

The daily fees for 2019 at KU Laurel Tree House Children's Centre are:

Infants: $154
Toddlers: $154
Preschoolers: $149

This is the full daily fee. If you are entitled to Child Care Subsidy, this will reduce the daily fee you are charged.

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, KU has remained very proudly a not-for-profit provider of quality education for more than 120 years. Like all early childhood education providers, our costs continue to be subject to market factors such as CPI, salary costs, Government funding and the requirements of the National Quality Framework.

Our fees are designed to cover the operational costs of delivering the unique KU learning experience, and to ensure KU can continue delivering those experiences for many years to come. Any surplus we may make is reinvested into our local staff, continually improving the quality of our services, and ensuring our long-term sustainability. KU does not distribute our profits to shareholders or send them offshore.

About Child Care Subsidy

Child Care Subsidy is the main payment to assist families with the costs of childcare. It is paid directly to the childcare provider and passed onto families as a fee reduction wherever families meet the criteria. The level of subsidy you receive, as well as the number of hours you will be subsidised, depends on your individual family’s circumstances.

If you do not already have one, you will need a MyGov account linked to Centrelink to claim any subsidy you may be eligible for, and to find out more information, you can speak to your service Director or visit www.education.gov.au.