Six weeks to six years, in the heart of Ryde. Four rooms, from babies through to a school-readiness preschool program. Every meal cooked on site by our chef. Corinne has run this centre since the day we opened in 2007.
West Ryde Long Day Care is a 76-place childcare centre on Mons Avenue, a short walk from West Ryde Station and the West Ryde shopping precinct, in the City of Ryde. We've been here since 2007.
We take babies from six weeks old through to the year before primary school. Many of our families stay the whole journey. A baby starts in the Joeys Room one Monday and, several years later, walks out of the Rainbow Room ready for big school.
Our chef, Lorna, cooks every meal from scratch in the centre's kitchen. The educators across the four rooms know the children, and the children know them. Several have been here for more than a decade. The community is genuinely multicultural, and we try to make every family feel they belong here from the first morning.
Each room is run by educators who specialise in that age group. Children move through the rooms with the same group of friends as much as possible, so a child who started in the Joeys Room at six months still recognises faces in the Rainbow Room at five years.
A gentle space for our youngest learners. Sleep happens on each child's own routine, not the room's. Bottles, formula, breastfeeding support and nappies are handled to match what your family is already doing at home. As they get steadier on their feet, the outdoor area opens up: low planter beds, sand, water, push-along toys.
Up to fifteen children, three educators in the room each day. The age where curiosity outpaces caution. Toilet training is supported here, gently and on the child's timeline. Play extends in longer blocks, and back-and-forth conversation between educator and child starts to take real shape.
Our preschool program begins. Hands-on learning, more sustained projects, the beginnings of group identity. Children start choosing their own activities and seeing them through. Pencils get used for drawing, not just gripped. The day has a rhythm they can name and predict.
The school-readiness room, our kindergarten preparation year. Self-help skills, name-writing, listening in a group, packing your own bag. The educators here know which local primary schools families are heading to and prepare children for that specific step. By the time they leave us, children are ready for big school both academically and socially.
A tour in person is always better, but here's a glimpse of where the days happen: the rooms set up for the morning, the corners children gravitate to, and the outdoor spaces that sit at the heart of every day.
Photos only go so far. Come and visit, see the rooms in motion, meet the educators, ask the questions.
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Our chef, Lorna, has been with us since 2021 and cooks every meal in the centre's kitchen: breakfast for the early arrivals, morning tea, a hot cooked lunch, afternoon tea, and a late snack for children here at five o'clock.
Weekly menus go up where families can see them. We cater for allergies, intolerances, vegetarian, halal and kosher diets directly in the kitchen, so parents don't need to pack separate food. We're a nut-aware centre.
One parent wrote in a Google review that Lorna's cooking gets her son to eat "whatever is put in front of him, even vegetables." Another family told us their daughter, now in primary school, still talks about Lorna's food. We didn't quite plan for that to be a love story, but we'll take it.
A few of the things parents have written about us on Google over the years.
A fantastic centre. Our daughter loves it and we've been very impressed with the educators. They have really helped set our daughter up for success in her transition to primary school. Highly recommended!
My little one is so happy to attend this service. The educators provide such engaging experiences and I can see how much my child is thriving here. We are so lucky to have found such a beautiful centre.
I was a stay at home Mum for my daughter's first 4 years of life, so when it came time for preschool, the idea of leaving her with people I didn't know was terrifying. Right from the start at West Ryde Long Day Care, they made me feel reassured.
My child has been attending this daycare for the last 4 years. I have nothing but positive things to say about all the staff. They are proactive and run the best age-based programmes for the children.
This centre is absolutely fantastic. The educators are extremely professional and attentive to my child's needs. The centre provides such fun activities for my little one to engage in.
Beautiful, caring centre with stable educators and families. My son has really thrived at this centre and I highly recommend it.
My son has attended West Ryde Long Day Care and it has been a very positive and enjoyable experience. The staff and the educators are very supportive and understanding. They helped us through a lot. Wishing the centre all the best.
My little one has been in the centre since 3 years old and he is going to Kindergarten this year. Very responsible and nice teachers, really appreciated. Highly recommended for the local community.
We follow the Early Years Learning Framework and an emergent curriculum. That means we plan around what the children are actually interested in, while making sure each developmental milestone gets the attention it needs.
The Early Years Learning Framework's three big ideas. Belonging is the relationships and the family the child is part of. Being is the right of the child to enjoy this moment, not just be in training for the next one. Becoming is the change happening, day after day.
West Ryde is one of Sydney's most diverse suburbs and our centre reflects that. Diwali, Lunar New Year, Eid, Christmas, NAIDOC Week are all marked in their own ways. The educators between them speak several languages, and we welcome every family in their first language where we can.
Corinne has been Director of West Ryde Long Day Care since the centre opened in 2007. She holds a Master of Teaching from the University of Western Sydney. Across nearly two decades here, she has known every family who has walked through the gate, and many of the educators in the rooms have been part of her team for over a decade.
Ivana has been part of the team for fifteen years and many of our long-standing families know her well. She brings deep early-childhood experience and is the educator a lot of new starters quickly come to trust.
Mary brings diploma-level training and a warm, attentive approach to the children in her care. She's also our go-to for thoughtful documentation in the OWNA app, the kind families actually stop to read.
Jennifer is a familiar face for many of our families, having been here for over a decade. Her diploma-level training and steady manner make her a calming presence in the room, particularly with children settling in.
Laurie has nearly a decade with us and brings calm, steady warmth to the children in her room. She has a particular gift for outdoor and nature-based play, and the children gravitate to wherever she's set up the day's activity.
Mary Eve brings her diploma in early childhood education and a thoughtful, observation-led approach to the room. She is patient with the slower pace that toddlers need, and unhurried in the moments that matter most.
Jenny is our Early Childhood Teacher and holds a Bachelor of Education from the University of Auckland. She brings particular strength in school-readiness and early literacy, and works closely with the Rainbow Room educators on the year before primary school.
Monique has been a warm, attentive presence in the room since she joined us in 2023. She holds a Certificate III in Early Childhood and is known for the easy way she connects with children who take a little longer to warm up.
Our daily fee covers all meals, the education program, sunscreen, and disposable nappies for our youngest children. The only thing you bring is a change of clothes, a comforter if your child uses one, and a labelled water bottle.
We're Child Care Subsidy approved. Most families pay considerably less than the headline rate once their subsidy is applied. We can help you estimate what you'll actually pay during your tour.
Open Monday to Friday, 50 weeks of the year. Closed public holidays and two weeks at Christmas. The Joeys and Jungle daily fee includes disposable nappies; the Star and Rainbow fee does not.
Most families don't pay the listed daily rate. Once your Child Care Subsidy is applied, your real out-of-pocket fee, the "gap fee", is much lower. Use this estimator to get a rough number based on your family income, days per week, and which room your child would be in.
If you have a second child aged 5 or under, the higher subsidy rate (up to 95%) applies to the younger sibling. The room and fee shown above will represent the younger sibling for this calculation. Available only if family income is under $367,563.
This estimate uses the Australian Government's Child Care Subsidy rules for the 2025-26 financial year (effective 7 July 2025). Your CCS rate is calculated from your combined family adjusted taxable income:
The subsidy applies to the lower of the centre's hourly fee or the government's hourly rate cap of $14.63 (centre-based care, 2025-26). Our day is 11 hours (7am to 6pm), so the daily cap-equivalent is $14.63 × 11 = $160.93. For the Joeys and Jungle rooms, where the daily fee is above this cap, the part above the cap is not subsidised.
Second child higher rate: If you have a second child aged 5 or under in approved care and your family income is under $367,563, the second child gets your standard rate plus 30 percentage points, up to a maximum of 95%.
5% withholding: Centrelink holds back 5% of your CCS each fortnight as a buffer against end-of-year reconciliation (this is the standard default rate). The figures above include this withholding, so they reflect what you'll actually pay each fortnight. If your income estimate is accurate, the withheld amount is paid back to you at tax time. You can change the withholding rate in your myGov account.
Activity test and the 3-Day Guarantee: From 5 January 2026, every CCS-eligible family gets at least 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight (about 3 days per week), regardless of work or study activity. Families where each parent does more than 48 hours of recognised activity per fortnight can access up to 100 hours per fortnight (about 5 days per week). For 4 or 5 days per week of care, this distinction matters: if your fortnightly hours of care exceed your subsidised cap, the hours above are charged at the full fee.
This is an estimate only. Centrelink will give you your exact rate after you lodge a claim through myGov. We're happy to walk through your specific situation on a tour, or you can ring Corinne directly on 02 9858 5333.
A short walk from West Ryde Station and the West Ryde shopping precinct, with parking on site. We serve families from across the Ryde area, including West Ryde, Ryde, Ermington, Denistone, Dundas Valley, Meadowbank, Eastwood, Top Ryde and beyond.
Couldn't find your question? Call Corinne directly on 02 9858 5333 or email director@westrydeldc.nsw.edu.au.
From six weeks of age, in our Joeys Room. Children stay with us through to school age, moving up through the Jungle, Star and Rainbow rooms as they grow. Most of our youngest families come back, year after year, until their child starts school.
All daily meals, cooked on site by our chef Lorna: breakfast, morning tea, a hot cooked lunch, afternoon tea, and a late snack for children still here at 5pm. The education program. Cancer Council Kids 50+ sunscreen. For children in the Joeys and Jungle rooms, disposable nappies are also included.
Parents pack a change of clothes, a sleep comforter if your child uses one, and a labelled water bottle. That's it.
7:00am to 6:00pm, Monday to Friday. We're open 50 weeks of the year and close for public holidays and two weeks at Christmas.
Yes. Most Australian families with children in care receive some level of subsidy from Services Australia, calculated based on combined family income, activity levels and the type of care. We can talk you through what your subsidy is likely to look like during your tour.
Yes. Because our cook prepares meals on site every day, we accommodate dietary requirements directly in the kitchen rather than asking families to bring food in. Tell us what your child needs at enrolment and we'll plan around it. We're a nut-aware centre.
Easily! In the Joeys Room, we work to your baby's routine, not ours. Bring in expressed milk or formula in clearly labelled bottles, and we'll prepare and warm them as part of your child's regular feeding rhythm. If you'd like us to make up bottles fresh each time using formula you provide, we do that too. Sleep happens in cots when each child is ready, on their own schedule. The educators in this room are practised at this; you're not the first family they've helped settle.
Please do. We show you all four rooms, you meet the educators, you see the kitchen and the outdoor space, and we answer the questions you didn't know to ask. Book through the form below or call us on 02 9858 5333.
Tours run weekday mornings during quieter moments at the centre. Tell us a bit about your child and your preferred days, and we'll get back to you within one business day.