Absolutely love GEM! The team is amazing, we felt so lucky to have our son attend the service for over a year. We only left to join a centre walking distance from our house. Every staff member knows all the parents and kids by name and everyone is always smiling. We never had any issues and always had confidence in the level of attention and care given to the kids. They throw great parties (grandparents morning teas, Easter, Chrissy etc), give the kids lots of adventurous outdoors time and the ratios are kept and staff turn over is super low. Big shout out to Hannah, Angie, Omie, Tabatha and Karen. We miss you!

My daughter, who is now 2.5 years old, has been attending Gem Early Learning Mona Vale since she was just 1, and we couldn’t be happier with our experience. From the very beginning in the nursery room, the educators made me feel completely comfortable and confident leaving her in their care. Her routine was always followed closely, and the team showed such genuine love and attention, which made the transition so easy for both of us. As she has grown, I’ve been amazed at how much she has developed in every area — socially, emotionally, and in her learning. Every educator she has had has been caring, professional, and deeply invested in helping her thrive. The programs they follow are engaging, creative, and thoughtfully designed to extend the children’s interests and learning. A huge credit also goes to the amazing Director, who is always approachable, organised, and deeply involved in the day-to-day running of the centre. You can really see how passionate she is about creating a nurturing and high-quality learning environment. It’s also wonderful to see how hands-on and involved the owners are — being a family-run service, there’s such a warm, community feel that makes Gem stand out from other centres. We feel so lucky to be part of the Gem family. I’m so grateful for the care, support, and effort that everyone puts in every single day — it truly feels like a home away from home for our daughter.

Deeply disappointing and exclusionary experience at GEM Early Learning Mona Vale A recent experience (Sept 2025) with this centre has been incredibly disappointing, and I would strongly urge other parents, particularly those whose children need any form of additional support, to ask very specific questions before enrolling. A close friend’s child with additional needs, going through the process with speech therapists and occupational therapists was told he was “no longer suited” to attend the centre. Rather than showing compassion or professionalism, the owner avoided all direct communication, relying on emails and citing illness or pregnancy when requesting to meet and talk in person, while also having her staff deliver uncomfortable messages on her behalf. Phone call after phone call to collect the child by 11am, only after being told of unsuitability, like that was validation to not offer the care. It was bullying and intimidation at its finest. This lack of accountability, empathy, and transparency is unacceptable, especially in a service that promotes itself as a nurturing early learning environment. What’s most concerning is that the centre appears to have a long waiting list, which seems to make it easy to dismiss situations that require more effort or understanding. When challenges arise, the “too hard basket” is cleared out to make room for the next easy enrolment quick turnover, easy money. If your child requires patience, collaboration, or any tailored support, I would strongly advise against enrolling here. This experience raised serious questions about the centre’s values, leadership, and commitment to inclusion. I would not recommend it at all.

Our daughter has been attending GEM for almost 6 months now, and we are very impressed. The centre is lovely, well set up with various learning and play activities, we’ve had such warm interactions and conversations with the centre manager, Hannah, and the educators when we pick up and drop off our daughter. A big shout out to Jas who my daughter has quickly developed a bond with. Each morning, she is itching to go to daycare and comes home with so many new skills and development each week. The communication via the app with daily updates and photos is wonderful, giving peace of mind that she’s happily enjoying her day, and even the extra mile of periodic developmental observations that the educators write up with how she is going. I couldn’t be happier. Thank you to Hannah and the wonderful educators at GEM!

GEM Early Learning has been an absolute dream for our family, and I say that having experienced another centre before finding GEM. We actually left our previous daycare because it just didn’t feel right, and from the moment we stepped into GEM, everything changed. The educators here are like family. Warm, present, and deeply caring, they’ve loved and nurtured our son as if he were their own. We’ve never felt more confident or at peace leaving him in someone else’s care, which says a lot. Hannah, the Centre Manager, is incredible. She leads with so much heart, and you feel her calm, thoughtful presence across the entire centre. Communication has been amazing, the daily updates (with the cutest photos!) are something we looked forward to every day, and we always felt connected to what our son was learning and experiencing. The activities are creative and enriching, with a strong focus on school readiness and emotional development. They even organise thoughtful excursions that our little one absolutely loved. And the food, honestly, it’s the best I’ve seen offered at any daycare. Healthy, balanced, and made with genuine care. We’re only leaving because we’re moving — otherwise, we would’ve stayed without hesitation. GEM gave our son the most beautiful start, and we’ll always be grateful.

We had a DEEPLY disappointing and concerning experience at GEM Early Learning Mona Vale across both of our children. We withdrew our eldest earlier this year (2025) due to ongoing communication issues, high staff turnover, and inconsistencies in care that left us questioning the environment. Unfortunately, things only worsened with our youngest. Despite being nearly two years old, he remained in the nursery N1 room (0–1y) while his peers were moved up to the 1-2y room. We raised these concerns multiple times and were met with vague, defensive, and conflicting responses from both management and the owner. There was no structured plan, no consistent reasoning — just shifting explanations and a complete lack of accountability. What disturbed us most was how this situation ended. After respectfully requesting to temporarily reduce our son’s days while we worked together to address these concerns, we were thrown a written response from the owner terminating his enrolment, effective immediately. Absolutely NO attempt to support or understand. Just removal. She wrote she ‘objects’ to some of our points. We found it troubling that a child could be removed from care with no prior notice, seemingly because his parents were advocating for him. It was not only an overreaction — it was, in our view, what feels like an incredibly poor decision that speaks volumes about how this centre handles conflict and feedback. We were left with a child who was abruptly removed from his routine, his carers, and his peers — not because of anything he did, but because we asked questions about his wellbeing and developmental needs. Given the owner’s role in the early childhood sector/owning childcare centres, we expected a far higher standard of care, collaboration, and maturity. Instead, we were met with a decision that felt reactionary, dismissive, far from child-focused and our child’s best interests. If you’re considering this centre, we strongly suggest asking very direct questions about how transitions are managed, how staff communicate with families, and what happens when concerns are raised — especially if they’re not immediately agreeable to management! This was our personal experience, and we hope sharing it helps other families make fully informed decisions.

Couldn't recommend Gem highly enough! Hannah runs a very good centre and the staff are all really nice, caring and personable. They have taken great care of our 18 month old. Communication from staff and centre cleanliness are both excellent.

Wonderful place with really caring staff. Amazing activities for our son, safe and consistent sleep throughout the day. Feels like an extension of our family village. Highly recommend. Hannah runs a really tight ship and it’s so well organised and calm.

My youngest currently attends GEM Mona Vale and I could not be happier with the experience we have had there. My eldest started school this year, after attending GEM for a year, and still insists on visiting to see her beautiful educators. I have seen first-hand the huge changes implemented by GEM since they took over the original business, Sandcastles. All of the educators are so warm and dedicated, the learning program is amazing, and all communication is prompt and clear. I could not recommend more highly!

Can not speak highly enough about GEM Early Learning at Mona Vale. My daughter has been attending the service in the preschool room for the last 3 months and she is thriving. Learning so many new things, making friends, she's happy, feels comfortable and is accommodated too at the centre. Management and Educators are wonderful, helpful and genuinely care and want to kids to succeed.