Applecross Pre-Kindy and Childcare Centre
Nurturing the Changemakers and Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow
Applecross"
“We couldn’t be happier with APK. The educators are so kind and caring, and every staff member we’ve met has been wonderful. You can really tell they genuinely care about the children and creating a positive environment for them. One of our favourite things is the nature playground. It’s such a great space for the kids to explore and play.
Our sons loves coming here, and we’ve had such a great experience that we’ll be sending all three of our children here. We can’t recommend this daycare highly enough. Thank you to the whole team for everything you do!”
Our Oasis
Most centres have a playground. We have a nature oasis, and the difference matters.
There is no rubber softfall and no primary-coloured plastic. Children climb marri logs, cross a bridge, follow paths that wind off into the trees, and work in a sand kitchen that produces an extraordinary volume of mud pies and cakes. Water play runs through summer. River rocks get moved, stacked and moved again. Adventures begin in our boat yard and children create forts and treasure caves amongst the fruit trees and succulants.
Mature trees cover the space so children can be outside through a Perth summer rather than watching it through a window.
And we haven’t finsihed yet. With local initiatives, encouraged by The Perth Zoo, our Kindy projects aim to redefine our spaces to connect more purposefully with native hibitats and children’s play.
Families always talk about our natural spaces first — they feel the difference the moment they arrive.
Our educators are out there with them. They wonder out loud, ask what happens if, and let children work out the answer. It is the ninth of our ten principles, that the environment itself is a classroom encouraging endless learning opportunties.
Why it matters
Natural materials do something manufactured equipment cannot. A log is a different challenge every time a child approaches it. A plastic climbing frame is the same challenge forever.
Uneven ground teaches balance. Loose parts teach planning. Sand and water teach cause and effect faster than any worksheet. And a bit of risk, the kind children can see and assess for themselves, is how confidence gets built.
Nature builds children’s immune systems by offering sunlight, fresh air, exposure to gentle microbes and physical challenges their bodies need to grow strong. When children dig, climb, carry and explore outdoors, their immune system is activated in healthy ways that build long‑term resilience.
We’re committed to strengthening our outdoor spaces with purpose. Our connection with Perth Zoo is inspiring us to reshape the yards into native habitats and seasonal zones that reflect the land children are growing up on. Natural materials, indigenous planting and movement-rich play equipment invite children to move like animals- to swing, dig, balance, climb and explore in ways that build strength, coordination, resilience and immune health. This is outdoor learning that supports behaviour, wellbeing and the way children are wired to grow.
Inside isn’t forgotten
Each age group has its own house, with rooms designed for thinking rather than filled for show. Indoors carries just as much purpose as the outdoor spaces — calm, uncluttered rooms stocked with real materials so children can focus, regulate and follow their ideas without distraction. Furniture sits at child height, giving children the independence to set up their own spaces and move confidently through their day.
These rooms shift with children’s interests: quiet corners for regulation, open areas for mat sessions, and practical‑life spaces like our real cooking cafés. Here, children prepare simple snacks, work with real tools, enjoy restful periods and build everyday skills — experiences that strengthen independence, confidence and community.
Displays show children’s actual work, changing as their ideas evolve, so the room reflects the learning happening inside it rather than a curated adult version of it.
The afternoon is where the day’s concept is explored again — this time through child‑led play and small‑group reflection. Educators use open‑ended questions to help children stretch their thinking and connect ideas.
Late afternoons wind back down. By the time you arrive we are back to the pace the day started at, so pick up is not a scramble.
Doors close at 5:30pm.
What a day looks like
Doors open at 7am and the first stretch deliberately focuses on settling in and relationship building. Our children arrive at different times and settle at different speeds, so we keep it personal and invite them in to play with personal touches and enagaging set ups.
At 9:00am children move to their designated houses and enjoy welcoming each other and morning tea.
Our program begins at 9:30am with our focus concept explicitly taught through play before the explore part of the learning is ignited through child-led activities.
Lunch is around 12:00pm where chidlren are encouraged to help set up the tables, collect their lunchbox and drink bottle independently. Meals are unhurried and educators sit and eat with them.
After lunch is enjoyed with friends, children who need sleep enjoy their rest and those who don’t enjoy a stretch of restful activities and play with their educators.
Come and see the rooms
Photographs do not do the indoor or outdoor spaces justice. Book a tour, bring your child, and let them explore here to feel the connection.