At Little Zak’s Academy Hunters Hill, children’s safety, wellbeing and development come first. These priorities shape everything from the centre’s daily routines and early learning environments to its sustainability initiatives and extensive extracurricular program.
Centre Director Gabby has worked in early childhood education for 20 years and has led Little Zak’s Hunters Hill for the past 18 months. She also understands the centre from a parent’s perspective, as her own two daughters attended Little Zak’s Hunters Hill.
Since becoming Director, Gabby has carefully built a team of educators who share her high standards. Many team members have been with the centre since it first opened, providing valuable experience, stability and consistency for children and their families.
Parent Christine Pencev says Gabby’s leadership has made an enormous difference.
“Gabby is amazing and the reason this place is so good. Since she’s been here, it’s gone from strength to strength. She’s hand-selected the staff. I’m very fussy, and I wouldn’t send my kids anywhere else.”
Child Safety Is the Number One Priority
The health, safety and wellbeing of every child is the centre’s highest priority, with a particularly strong focus on child protection.
Children take part in age-appropriate conversations and activities about what makes them feel safe. Through discussions, drawings and other learning experiences, they develop the language and confidence to express their needs.
Families are included too, with parents invited to share what helps their individual child feel safe so educators can incorporate this into their daily care.
The centre’s safety and hygiene practices include:
- Regular discussions and learning experiences focused on child safety
- Family input into each child’s individual needs and routines
- Toys steam-cleaned twice each day
- A no-shoe policy in the Explorers Room, where babies spend much of their time playing on the floor
- Cot checks every 10 minutes while babies are sleeping
- Thorough daily cleaning and hygiene procedures
Gabby says the centre consistently performs strongly during spot checks and has developed a happy, trusting community of families.
Learning Inspired by the Reggio Emilia Philosophy
Little Zak’s Hunters Hill draws inspiration from the Reggio Emilia approach, which views children as capable learners with valuable ideas, interests and choices of their own. Learning experiences are designed around the children rather than following a one-size-fits-all program. This includes:
- Natural resources, loose parts and open-ended materials
- Carefully arranged learning stations
- Opportunities for children to choose what they would like to explore
- Handmade activities tailored by the educators
- Input from children and their families
- Experiences supporting fine-motor skills, problem-solving, sorting and cognitive development
- Art lessons with a practising artist who works at the centre
Behind each activity is a detailed planning cycle. Educators observe the children, collect and analyse information about their learning, plan and implement new experiences, and then reflect on the results. It is an intentional program designed to extend children’s learning, not simply fill their day.
The centre has also designed a Grace and Courtesy program, which reinforces the messages “gentle hands, kind hearts and walking feet”. With children of different needs and abilities learning together, the program encourages kindness, inclusion and consideration for others.
Programs for Every Stage
Each room has its own age-appropriate focus, supporting children as they grow in confidence and independence.
Explorers Room: Birth to 18 Months
The Explorers Room provides a clean and nurturing environment for the centre’s youngest children. The babies appeared relaxed, engaged and happy, supported by educators who understand the importance of:
- Close supervision
- Responsive care
- Secure relationships
- Safe opportunities to explore
- Individual sleep, feeding and care routines
Navigators Room: Two to Three Years
The Navigators Room has a strong focus on growing independence and developing self-help skills. Children are supported to practise everyday tasks and build the confidence they will need as they prepare to move into the preschool room.
Inventors Room: Three to Five Years
The Inventors Room introduces more advanced, intentional teaching through the centre’s comprehensive school-readiness program. Children take part in:
- Early writing activities
- Home readers and prep books
- Show and tell
- Homework-style activities
- Introductory coding
- Lunchbox Week
- Uniform Week
- Visits to local primary schools and school libraries
These experiences help make the transition to primary school feel more familiar and exciting.
Sustainability in Action
Sustainability is woven into everyday learning at Little Zak’s Hunters Hill, which was named a finalist for excellence in environmental programming. Children learn about reducing waste and caring for the environment through practical experiences, including:
- Reusing donated paper shopping bags for craft activities
- Learning about Hunters Hill Council’s FOGO service
- Feeding and caring for the centre’s worm farm
- Growing vegetables, herbs and other produce
- Helping care for the centre’s chickens
- Using garden produce in meals prepared onsite
- Feeding suitable food scraps to the chickens
The vegetable garden produces items such as potatoes, cauliflower, rhubarb, herbs and squash, with the weekly harvest incorporated into the centre’s meals where possible.
Eggs laid by the chickens are donated to a local aged-care centre in Hunters Hill. It is a lovely full-circle project that teaches children where food comes from, how resources can be reused and how their efforts can benefit the wider community.
So Much More Included
Children can also take part in an impressive range of extracurricular experiences as part of their time at the centre, including:
- Yoga
- A comprehensive preschool preparation program
- Swimming lessons at a local swim school
- Zakaroos sports sessions
- Little Zak’s Kitchen cooking lessons with the centre chef
- French language classes
- Mandarin experiences led by a Mandarin-speaking educator
- Art lessons with a practising artist
Together, these programs give children opportunities to build confidence, coordination, creativity, communication and practical life skills across the week.
An Outdoor Space Made for Exploration
The large outdoor learning environment is another highlight. Built around a beautiful, established gum tree, the nature-themed yard includes:
- A bike track
- Treehouse
- Climbing areas
- Sandpit
- Slide
- Water play
- Vegetable gardens
- Chickens for the children to help care for
More than simply a place to play, the outdoor area extends the centre’s learning program by encouraging physical development, imaginative play, curiosity and a hands-on connection with nature.
Meals and Parent-Friendly Inclusions
Meals are prepared onsite, with the menu able to accommodate allergies, intolerances and family food preferences. Through Little Zak’s Kitchen, children can also get involved in cooking and learn where their food comes from—particularly when ingredients grown in their own garden appear on the menu.
Practical inclusions for families include:
- Onsite drop-off and pick-up parking
- Pram parking
- Nappies and wipes
- Sunscreen
- Meals throughout the day
- Casual days available on request
- An enrolment pack containing a bag, hat and drink bottle
Start Strong Fee Relief
Little Zak’s Hunters Hill participates in the NSW Government’s Start Strong for Long Day Care program. In 2026, eligible families may receive:
- Up to $2,563 per year for children aged four and above
- Up to $769 per year for eligible three-year-olds
Depending on a family’s circumstances, this fee relief can be used alongside the Australian Government Child Care Subsidy.
The Details
Address: 32 Ryde Road, Hunters Hill
Hours: 7am–6pm
Phone: 1300 33 9257
Website: Little Zak’s Academy Hunters Hill
Tours: Families can contact the centre or book a tour through the Little Zak’s website.