Welcome to Apples & Honey Preschool in Chatswood, a not-for-profit centre that has been serving the community for over 40 years. We offer convenient hours of operation - 8am until 6pm Monday to Thursday and 8am until 4pm on Fridays, 50 weeks of the year.
We pride ourselves on our fantastic team of dedicated, experienced and qualified staff who put your children at the very core of everything we do. Our Educational Program and Practice is rated as "Exceeding" in the National Quality Standard. An important criteria when selecting care.
Our centre is newly renovated, spacious and purpose built with a large outdoor playground and safe area for children to investigate and explore. Our peaceful bushland setting in Chatswood features an outdoor area with sandpit, climbing structures, a themed garden and veggie patch.
Every day, we celebrate the children's capacity to learn, relate and shape their own stories and experience through play, friendship and learning encounters. Our stimulating play-based program encourages children to explore, investigate, contemplate, problem-solve and reflect on their world. Our school readiness program follows the Quality Framework and Early Years Learning Framework.
Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and NSW Start Strong Fee Relief is available to qualifying parents. Fresh and nutritionally balanced meals are provided, including morning, lunch and afternoon tea.
We are an inclusive, community based preschool providing children with quality, meaningful and inspiring education in a multicultural and progressive environment. Our preschool community is diverse, as we welcome children and families from all cultures, religions and nationalities in our 39-place setting. Our educators reflect this diversity as well. We love extending the children’s home culture within Apples and Honey and chatting with them in their home language - we speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Tagalog, Sinhala, Polish, French and Hebrew (some Spanish and Indonesian, and a few words in German and Russian).
Our Vision
At Apples & Honey Preschool, it is our vision to create a high-quality Early Childhood environment which strives to continually grow, evolve and impact the lives of children, families, educators and the wider community. Our philosophy draws on the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child and the Australian National Law and Regulations. With these, and our professional ethics, we aim to create an environment which promotes diversity, inclusion and social equity.
Our Objective
Our objective is to provide a play-based curriculum for children aged 3 to 6 that encourages thinking, investigating, exploring and problem solving, using a variety of mediums. We include music, dance and yoga weekly. Our daily programs reflect a calm, relaxed and exploratory environment for growing and learning, especially through our natural environments, which means lots of time is spent outdoors in our beautiful natural setting.
Our History
Apples & Honey Preschool was established in Chatswood with funds donated by Jack Hannes and Eva Holmes and is dedicated to the memory of their parents, Martin and Emma Hannes. Our centre was officially opened on August 23, 1981 by the Mayor of Willoughby, Alderman Jack Donnelly.
In 1995, the name of the centre was changed to North Shore Temple Emanuel (Martin and Emma Hannes) Preschool to more accurately reflect the Jewish background of the school.
Maurice Linker donated funds in memory of his parents Bernard and Fanny Linker. These funds were used to refurbish our beautiful playground.
In 2015, the centre became a preschool and long-day care centre and to mark this significant transition, the centre's name was changed to Apples & Honey Preschool.
Our preschool has been privileged to enjoy the hard work and dedication of many long-serving staff members. Their nurturing warmth has shaped the atmosphere of the preschool and inspires students and staff today.