About Us
Willow Tree Early Learning Centre
Willow Tree Early Learning Centre is a family-owned centre established with a simple purpose:
To create a warm, nurturing space where children feel safe to explore, play and grow, and where families feel supported and welcomed as genuine partners in their child’s early learning journey.
A Place to Belong, Explore and Grow
Our desire to operate came from a strong belief that a community service, like long day care, should always be about community. Our service turns back to the roots of why our services exist in the first place; to offer an opportunity for exceptional continuity of care, in partnership with families.
We are a home away from home where children from birth to five feel safe, valued and free to explore, through rich, play-based learning that meets them where they are and challenges them to meet their most capable and confident self.
Growing Children, Families and Educators
We are a place where parents feel truly known and welcomed — not visitors who drop off and pick up, but valued members of a community they belong to.
We are an employer of choice; where educators are trusted, invested in, and supported to grow both personally and professionally.
The Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Standard are the ground we stand on — but they are not the roof. We hold ourselves to more, striving to exceed expectations across every Quality Area, every day.
Your local Early Learning Centre in Five Dock
Located in Five Dock, Willow Tree Early Learning Centre features purpose-built nursery, toddler and preschool rooms, natural outdoor play spaces and vegetable gardens, and intentionally positioned around local facilities and shops to reflect our philosophy.
We proudly cater to children from birth to five years, across dedicated rooms, each thoughtfully resourced and staffed to support age-appropriate learning and development.
Our Philosophy
Every child is a capable, curious and unique learner, with an inherent desire to belong to their community.
Like the willow, our children are deeply rooted and quietly strong — able to bend gently through life’s challenges without breaking. Nurtured by a community that moves in harmony around them, they grow secure in who they are, ready to reach for their highest aspirations. This belief shapes everything we do, expressed through six core principles:
Play-Based Learning with Purpose
Children learn best through meaningful, hands-on play. Our educators intentionally design experiences that build language, social, physical, emotional and cognitive skills, while nurturing each child’s natural sense of wonder — giving them the agency to explore, discover and develop a strong sense of self.
Life-Long Learning Readiness
Book a personalised tour of the centre to meet our educators and seaAlongside play-based learning, we place strong emphasis on preparing children for a confident transition into future learning pathways — building independence, resilience, early literacy and numeracy foundations, social-emotional skills, self-awareness and communication.e our rooms.
Connection to Nature & Community
We bring the natural world into daily learning through outdoor play, gardening, sensory experiences and sustainable practices, helping children develop respect and care for their environment. Regular outings within the local community — to the school, park or café — build a genuine sense of belonging to the wider world beyond our doors.
Respectful Relationships
We value genuine, respectful relationships between children, families, educators and the community. Families are a child’s first and most important teachers, and we work in partnership with them every step of the way — reflected in our culture, our communication, and our systems and processes.
Inclusion and Belonging
We celebrate diversity and are committed to inclusive practice, ensuring every child and family feels a sense of belonging regardless of background, culture, ability or family structure.
Educators as learners
Our educators are qualified, passionate professionals who engage in ongoing reflective practice, continually improving outcomes and experiences for children. A culture of lifelong learning creates the space to see every day as an opportunity to learn and grow. Our commitment to educators is to foster opportunities for them to grow, both personally and professionally.
