“I think it's especially important to build emotional and respectful bonds with children and families.”

My qualifications and experience 

I have a Diploma in Early Childhood Education. I started with SDN North Sydney in 2019 as an educator. From then to now, I progressed into a Room Leader and now work as the Centre Director. It’s been an amazing learning experience with lots of care and support from children and families.   

Prior to joining the early childhood sector in 2016, I was a Marketing Manager for more than a decade with Beauty Companies across India & Australia. I also hold a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management. 

What I'm most passionate about in my role 

I love incorporating music and dance into the day-to-day routine of the children. However, I think it’s especially important to build emotional and respectful bonds with children and families. It’s also very important to me to lead and motivate my team, whilst caring for their professional development and wellbeing. 

 What I love about working with SDN 

I love the rich history and background of SDN. They have a child-centred approach to everything they do, and the staff are very respectful towards each other. 

A little bit more about me 

I love listening to music and reading in my free time. Along with English, I can also speak Hindi. 

Growing bodies need movement and exercise. Growing minds need stimulus and exploration. Growing hearts need opportunities to play and mix with others.

At SDN we know that the best thing we can do for your infant or toddler is to support them to grow and develop in safe, unhurried, nurturing and challenging environments.

Because infants and toddlers are naturally curious, our centres have well-equipped indoor and outdoor areas that will keep your child moving and give them daily opportunities to explore their limits and grow their abilities.

Your child is unique and so we will devise a learning and development program within our curriculum pillars, based on what we know about your child’s interests, learning and development. Because they will always be changing and growing, we consistently review the program to ensure we are keeping up with your child’s development, providing them with the best learning opportunities.

Read more about our practice with children here.

Get more than school-ready, get life-ready 

Getting school-ready is a journey. It begins with your child’s very first day at our welcoming early education and care centres and continues with our dedicated preschool program.

Developed by university-trained early childhood teachers, our preschool program focuses on the whole child. Children learn to make friends and work together, while gaining the skills and independence they need to thrive through the big transition to school.

Our preschool program follows an evidence-backed, play-based learning approach. Children have fun and follow their curiosity, while we weave in vital skills and learning outcomes.

SDN uses Australia’s Early Years Learning Framework to explore a diverse curriculum from science to social justice. Our days are predictable but flexible, blending structured and spontaneous learning, free play, movement and quiet time.

Our curriculum pillars are:

Our centres have a transition to school program where our teachers and educators work together with local schools to prepare your child for a smooth transition, and support families through the process.

Read more about our preschool program here.

Families in our urban based centres often call our outdoor areas their “green oasis”.

SDN's outdoor spaces provide opportunities for children to enjoy themselves and have adventures. They’re safe environments for children to run, jump and yell, make mud cakes, and use their energy.

Outdoor spaces provide more than physical benefits. Even though you may think that children only play outside to have fun, they're also improving their thinking, social, and emotional skills. When they’re playing outside, they’re inventing games, learning about the world at their own pace, and figuring out social customs like turn-taking.

These are just some of the reasons SDN invests in developing new, award-winning outdoor spaces with natural designs that inspire children’s curiosity, physical play, and social play.

The traditional owners of the North Sydney area are the Cammeraigal People of the Eora Nation.

SDN North Sydney officially opened on 11 December 1926. Back then it was known as the Northern Suburbs Day Nursery, located in a bungalow purchased by SDN for £2,600 and renovated. The ‘Dorothea MacCallum Cot Room’ was named in honour of then SDN President, Lady MacCallum, who had personally donated £100 towards the nursery.

SDN had recognised the need for a nursery in the northern suburbs of Sydney as some mothers had to travel into the city to drop their children at one of SDN’s nurseries before travelling back to the northern suburbs again to their workplaces.

On 27 May 1977, the old house was demolished and a new building constructed on the site.

Since its beginnings, SDN North Sydney has undergone many changes but has always maintained and reflected a strong connection with families in a vibrant and diverse community. This is most recently reflected in its name change to SDN North Sydney from its beginning name of SDN Northern Suburbs. This change was done to be a more accurate reflection of the centre's location, as opposed to the generic and outdated initial name.

Learn more about SDN North Sydney

From 1 January 2023, our fees will be $199 per day for children under three years old and $182 per day for children three years and over.

SDN North Sydney also offers half days, 9am until 2pm. The fee is $121 for 0-3 years and $111 per day for 3-5 years.

The majority of families in our centres do not pay the full daily fee because they receive Child Care Subsidy (CCS) from the government.

The subsidy you may receive through the CCS will depend on:

• Your combined family income
• The number of hours you work, study or participate in recognised volunteer work. This is called the ‘activity test’. If your child is in the year before school, if you are on a very low income, or if you are on parental leave, you will not have to pass the activity test to receive some CCS.

Your child will need to meet immunisation requirements and you will need to meet residency requirements to be eligible to receive the CCS.

Try our CCS estimator tool here.

You can also calculate what your out of pocket child care costs will be on the government’s child care subsidy calculator.

Additional Preschool fee relief

In addition, the NSW Government is providing up to $2110 in fee relief for preschool aged children who are enrolled in the preschool program at SDN Children’s Services from 2023.

If your child will be 4 on or before 31 July 2023, this additional funding could mean up to $40 a week in fee relief to your family, on top of the existing child care subsidy.

Read more about the NSW early years commitment. 

If you’ve read this information and you’re still unsure about what you’ll pay, please call us or book a centre tour. We’re happy to answer your questions.

At SDN we want to ensure that all families have access to high quality, inclusive education and care as we provide at SDN North Sydney. That’s why we offer the opportunity to enrol for occasional care at this centre.

Families in flexible care have the opportunity to take a full or a half-day place and must make at least one booking every 8 weeks.

Occasional care bookings are taken subject to availability on the day and you can book occasional care for either a full day or a half-day.

Half day fees will be $121 for children under three years old and $111 for children three years and over.

To find out more call us on 1300 831 445.

0-2 Babies

• Change of clothes x2
• Hat – sun safe  
• Shoes and Socks
• Warm clothes / Jacket (for outside play)
• Shoes and Socks
• Comforter – soft toy/blanket/dummy
• Bottles and milk formula/breast milk
• Blanket / Cot sheets

2-3 Toddlers

• Spare underwear
• Change of clothes
• Hat – sun safe
• Shoes and Socks
• Warm clothes / Jacket (for outside play)
• Drink Bottle
• Comforter – for rest time
• Blankets

3-5 Preschoolers  

• Spare underwear
• Change of clothes
• Hat – sun safe
• Shoes and Socks
• Warm clothes / Jacket (for outside play)
• Drink Bottle
• Blankets