Whyalla Early Learning Centre
Providing outstanding Early Childhood Education and Care to the local community since 1977.
We are open from 7.45am to 5.45pm Monday to Friday, 50 weeks of the year. We offer long day care for children from 6 weeks old to 5 years old and from 2026 we will also offer a 3-year-old and 4-year-old Preschool program run by university qualified Early Childhood Teachers.
The Whyalla Early Learning Centre is licensed to care for up to 85 children per day. Our Centre was previously known as the Whyalla Child Care centre but in 2025 we changed our name to the Whyalla Early learning Centre.
Our Philosophy
At the Whyalla Early Learning Centre we believe that children are the most valuable resource on the planet, it is through their dreams, ideas, values and beliefs that our futures will be shaped. Therefore, our educators are committed to providing a high quality, play-based, educational program for the children in our care. We focus on embedding the Early Years Learning Framework, Child Safe Standards, National Law and National Regulations and the Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics to ensure that the children are offered stimulating environments with both passive and active learning opportunities to scaffold on their interests, needs and abilities.
Our educators foster the development of values and beliefs that are based around kindness, empathy, respect and inclusiveness through individual, small and large group learning experiences. We embrace children’s individuality and intentionally work with each child to build their self-confidence and resilience.
We acknowledge that the land we live and teach on is the land of the Barngarla peoples. We embed respect and celebration of culture into our teaching principles. We connect and contribute to our local community through excursions, incursions, events and by having strong relationships with all stakeholders in our service.
Safety is our number one priority, and this is embedded in everything we do. We work with children to understand risks and how to keep themselves safe. We embed health and hygiene practices into our routines from our Joey room through to our Dolphin room to ensure this becomes natural for children. The meals provided by the service follow the recommendations for a healthy diet for children provided by Preventative Health SA. Physical development activities are offered every day to children to keep them fit and active.
We believe that families are the children’s first educators, so we involve them in the centre in every way we can. Our relationships with families are established from enrolment with open communication, approachability and an open-door policy. Our children feel a sense of belonging to our service because we make their families feel like they belong at our service.
Our educators consistently review and enhance their knowledge by participating in team and group meetings, networking with other Early Childhood services, attending professional development opportunities and support agencies, and staying informed about overall changes in the Early Years sector. This commitment ensures we uphold a high standard of knowledge and professionalism, allowing us to provide the best care for the children in our service.
“Play is our brain’s favourite way of learning” ~ Dianne Ackerman
Parent Handbook
Click here for Parent Handbook.
Contact the centre for a hard copy of our family handbook. You can contact us on 86454030 or through email: childcare@whyalla.sa.gov.au
Social Media
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Who can attend & how much does it cost?
The Whyalla Child Care Centre is an 85 place community based centre which cares for children from 6 weeks to 5 years old. We are licensed in accordance with the Children's Services Act and there are five play areas within the centre:
The centre is open Monday to Friday from 7:45am to 5:45pm.
The centre provides morning and afternoon tea and cooked midday meals for all children and can cater for allergies and special food requirements where possible.
Fees & Charges
Our Centre claims funding through the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) provided by the Australian Government which assists families with child care fees. Full costs before any subsidy are:
- 6 weeks to 2 years old: $140 per session
- 2 years to 3 years old: $135 per session
- 3 years to 5 years old: $130 per session
The centre is a non-profit, government subsidised centre. This means all money received from fees and grants is used to pay educator wages and cover operating costs.
Enrolment Process
If you are interested in enrolling at the centre please contact by phone, email or drop into the centre between 9 and 5 Monday to Friday.
Contact information:
159 Nicolson Avenue
Whyalla Norrie SA 5608
Ph: (08) 8645-4030
Email: childcare@whyalla.sa.gov.au