My daughter Max who is 18mths has been attending E&D Parramatta for almost a year now. I’m so delighted with this centre and I love how the staff and management love my child. The educators are attentive to her needs. She has learnt so much during her time and they have really helped her with her social and educational milestones. I’m always being told how smart and clever my daughter is and I have to thank Explore & Develop Parramatta as I know that she gets a lot of these skills from her time at daycare.

Bianca - parent 

Explore & Develop Parramatta is a highly organised and professionally run long day education and care centre. The physical surroundings of the centre are immaculate, organised, colourful and highly engaging for our children. This centre owner (Irene Vidaic) prides herself and commitment to having happy kids, who are having fun whilst learning and engaging with their world.

The outdoor play area has a veggie patch and water features that encourage children to make, think and play whilst learning. The teachers are highly dedicated and clearly love their jobs – they have a strong connection with the children at the centre and close relationships with parents make them efficient at handling all matters. I have used this centre for the last 7 years and the quality of service, surroundings, innovative ideas just keep getting better… Kindaloop is used with great success, allowing parents to see what their child gets up to everyday – another effective way to communicate with parents. This place has helped me raise my children, whilst I have gone to work.

Maria - parent 

I have both of my children in Explore & Develop (Parramatta) and I could not be happier with how they are developing. From the moment I started I felt at ease and comfortable and that’s because I can tell the staff are dedicated and passionate about early childhood development, you can feel this by speaking to the educators, the engaging environment of the place and the communication to parents of their daily routine. The management of the centre is professional and empathetic– I have two kids with food allergies and knowing that the centre takes this seriously and has procedures in place – this puts me at ease. Most importantly for me is that the centre sets the right balance between education and fun – I know my kids always have a good day when they’re in there!

Hui - parent 

We recently moved our son to Explore & Develop after hearing much about the quality of care and education it delivers. It is indeed a centre that leaves every parent feeling safe and satisfied after dropping off their child. Our eldest daughter constantly complains that we discovered Explore & Develop after she had started big school. From a parent’s perspective,I feel thrilled every week to find new ideas being explored in the centre. There is always something happening, something new, something worth stopping and checking!

Lara - parent

Explore & Develop offer daily programs within their calm, relaxed and unrushed environment, including:

Art program: the centre’s artist in residence program features famous artists for the children to research and understand. Children enjoy painting, sculpting, and collage experiences.

Music program: children explore cultural music as part of their project work, movement and dance, and discuss how it makes them feel.

Sports program: the centre works in partnership with families and Fun Fit Kids to  promote a fundamental movement skills program with the children aged 2 years and above. They also work in collaboration with the NSW government’s Munch and Move initiative. 

Yoga and mindfulness: this is an embedded practice to support a child’s wellbeing, and can boost emotional and physical wellbeing as it helps to reduce stress, anxiety and depression in children.

Cooking classes: the educators seek to motivate and nurture children’s relationship with fresh healthy produce through a range of intentional cooking experiences, including their garden to class room program where they grow and cook their own produce.

School readiness: to help support and transition children at this significant milestone, the centre offers a play-based curriculum that sets them up for lifelong learning.

At Explore & Develop, the educators understand that it takes time for children to grow, and they believe that children should have the opportunity to develop at their own rate, in an unrushed environment.

The play-based curriculum and the supporting environments work together to create curious children that learn as they explore, discover, make, create and imagine. 

The children are cared for in the following rooms:

6 weeks – 2 years

The educators aim to develop a strong partnership with families and to follow each child’s individual routine. The safe homely environment is nurturing, caring and warm, which helps children feel a sense of security and confidence.

2 years – 3 years

The educators offer an environment that is stimulating, inviting and challenging for the toddlers. They understand that the emotional well-being of the children in this group requires consistency and flexibility to support development in all aspects of learning. The children are provided with endless opportunities to support their growing independence.

3 years – 6 years

The centre’s preschool program provides children with tools to support learning once they begin formal education. Catering for a variety of individual needs, the educators seek to build the foundations for literacy and numeracy skills, motor coordination, physical development, social and emotional development, exploration and discovery. The tailored ‘Transition to School’ program is supported by all of the centre’s educators, and sets children up for a lifetime love of learning.

At Explore & Develop, the professional, dedicated educators aim to give every child a great start in life. The centre sees their educators as a vital asset to the business, and ensures they have many opportunities for professional development to constantly develop their skills.

Relationships with families are key for the educators at Explore & Develop, as they recognise that families are a child’s first and most influential teacher. The centre is also a charity partner with Tresillian, a not-for-profit organisation that assists close to 60,000 Australian families to gain confidence as parents and to teach them routines in breastfeeding, sleep, settling and nutrition.

A key difference at Explore & Develop services is that each one is individually owned and operated by franchise owners. For families, that means they can feel secure in the knowledge that the person managing the service is the owner.

I have over 17 years’ experience within the Early Childhood Education and Care sector, and am a mother of two daughters. I am highly experienced and passionate, and my goal is to provide an environment where the needs of the children are the priority. My aim is to provide a place where children and families feel they belong, and feel secure and comfortable in the learning environment.

I own two Explore & Develop services. I have been providing education and care to the local community since 2006 with long-term educators who are committed to building warm, respectful, responsive relationships with the children, building upon the diverse cultural backgrounds of each child, whilst promoting the individual child’s sense of identity. As the Approved Provider and Nominated Supervisor, I am in the service daily. Outside of work, I love to bake and spend time with my family.

Irene Vidaic, Owner/Operator, Explore & Develop Parramatta

Morning 

Alexandra is ten months old and loves going on excursions in the pram with her nursery friends. Today they’re heading to the supermarket to select some ingredients for a special lunch recipe.

Lunch 

Alexandra is playing with some soft blocks on the mat before she heads off for a nap in the sleeping area. Her educator reads her some books before preparing her for a rest. 

Afternoon

Alexandra loves music, and today the educators have set out lots of small musical instruments for the children to explore. She chooses a small wooden shaker and enjoys listening to the sound it makes when she moves it.