Welcome to Apples & Honey Preschool in Chatswood, a not-for-profit community-based Long Day Care centre with a school readiness program.
We have been serving the local Chatswood and North Shore community for over 40 years and offer long hours care 50 weeks of the year. We are open 8am - 6pm Mondays to Thursdays and 8am - 4pm Fridays
Our fantastic team of dedicated, experienced and qualified staff put your children at the core of everything we do. Our longest-serving teachers and educators have been with us for between 10 and 30 years.
Our Educational Program and Practice is rated as "Exceeding" in the National Quality Standard (an important criteria when selecting care) and is guided by the Quality Framework and Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF v.2).
Every day we rejoice with the children in their successes as they learn, relate and shape their own stories and experience through play, friendship and learning experiences.
Our stimulating play-based school readiness program encourages children to explore, investigate, contemplate, problem-solve and reflect on their world, in a multicultural, inclusive and progressive environment.
Our educators’ cultural backgrounds are as diverse as our families’, with a colourful mix of Australian, eastern, western, northern and southern European and Asian cultures, at our small, 39-place centre. We love extending the children’s home culture within Apples and Honey and chatting with them in their home language when we can – collectively we speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Tagalog, Sinhala, Polish and French (plus a little Spanish and Indonesian, and a few words in German and Russian).
Our centre is newly renovated, spacious and purpose built with a large outdoor playground and safe area for children to engage with and explore. Our peaceful bushland setting in Chatswood features an outdoor area with sandpit, climbing structures, a themed garden and veggie patch.
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.
Our Vision
At Apples & Honey Preschool Chatswood, it is our vision to provide a high-quality early childhood learning environment, where children are supported on their learning journey in a caring, supportive way, by teachers and educators who have their and their families’ best interests at heart. 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, sport 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 (originally known as Martin and Emma Hannes 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.
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.