Childcare & preschool in Maroubra · Privately owned since 2010
The same faces, year after year.
Maroubra Junction Early Education Centre is a privately owned early learning centre offering preschool, long day care and childcare in Maroubra, for children 6 weeks to 6 years. Led by a Director with more than 30 years in early childhood education, and a team where some educators have been here for more than a decade.
- 6 weeks to 6 years
- 7:00am to 6:00pm
- 1/142 Maroubra Road
- Child Care Subsidy approved
- Start Strong funding
Lauren is here every day.Welcoming children and families, and knowing every one of them by name.
Privately owned and run by the same person since 2010
Visiting us
A tour shows you the centre. Stay and play shows your child the centre.
The tour is for you
Walk the rooms with Lauren while the children are in them, meet the educators, and ask whatever you need to about ratios, fees, meals, sleep and settling. Bring your child if you like, though you do not have to.
Stay and play is for your child
When you are ready to go further, we book your child into an ordinary session in the room they would join. They play, you stay and watch, and you see how the educators speak to them and how your child responds.
The order matters. There is little sense unsettling a child at a centre you have not chosen, or enrolling somewhere your child is unhappy. Notice whether they want to leave when it is time to go.
A website can describe a centre. Half an hour in one of our rooms lets your child feel it, and lets you watch them feel it.
Step one
Book your tour
Tours, enquiries and waitlist requests all go through our enrolment system, so nothing gets lost.
Book a personalised tour Tell us your child’s age and the days you need. Join our waitlist For a later start, or a room that is currently full. Or speak to Lauren (02) 9315 5588, Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 6:00pm.Step two
Your stay and play session
No second form. When your tour is done and you would like to go further, Lauren arranges it with you then and there.
- A session chosen to suit your child
- An ordinary day in the room they would join
- Around 30 minutes, with you present
- Free, with no obligation to enrol
- Siblings and grandparents welcome
Why families choose us
The things you cannot see on a tour.
Any centre can look lovely for an hour. These are the things that make the difference over three years.
Privately owned, one centre, one owner
We are not part of a group and there is no head office. Every family has direct contact with the owner and Director, who is here every day.
Meet LaurenEducators who stay
Some of our educators have been here more than ten years. Your child sees the same faces every morning, which is what allows them to settle and stay settled.
See our roomsOur own chef, our own kitchen
Fresh food cooked on site every day, never delivered frozen. Allergies, intolerances and cultural requirements are all catered for.
See what we cookTwo full years of school readiness
Two years to lay the essential foundations school is built on. Language, early literacy and numeracy, independence and self regulation, cemented over time rather than crammed in a final term.
How it worksChild safety comes first
Safety decides everything else here, from who we employ to how a room is set up. Our children learn about it too, so they know their own rights.
What that meansEverything included, nothing added
Nappies, wipes, sunscreen, all meals, our martial arts program, musical appreciation classes and regular yoga sessions are in the daily fee. Your invoice is the fee, with nothing added later.
See our fees
Meet the Director
Lauren Ziegler
Owner, Director and Nominated Supervisor. More than thirty years in early childhood education, and the last sixteen of them right here.
I always wanted a centre of my own. A place where children are valued and understood, and where they leave with the confidence to step into kindergarten. I spent seven years studying towards it, and hold a Diploma in Montessori Education, a Diploma in Child Care Studies and a Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood.
My own children came through this centre, so I have seen it from both sides. I know it as the Director, and I know it as the parent standing at the door in the morning.
I am here every day. At the gate at drop off, in the classrooms, in the kitchen going over next week’s menu, or on the phone to a family who needs me.
I hold the Nominated Supervisor role myself rather than delegating it. In practice that means the person legally accountable for your child’s safety and education is the same person who says good morning to you.
Because the centre is privately owned, decisions are made here and made quickly. There is no regional manager, no call centre, and no policy written in another state by someone who has never met your family.
What makes this centre special is the team around me. Our educators are here because they love what they do, and it shows. It is not just a job for them.
Most of our families come to us by word of mouth. When friends and relatives enrol alongside one another a close community grows, and children feel secure within it.
Connection and relationship are the foundation of this centre. When children and families feel a sense of belonging, children are free to simply be, and what they become grows from that. Belonging, being and becoming.
The most rewarding part of thirty years is watching children who began in our nursery go on to university, and seeing their families still call in to say hello. Knowing I had some small part in that is what makes it worthwhile. From first steps into childcare, to big steps into the world.
Speak with Lauren on (02) 9315 5588Our programs
Four rooms, one long relationship.
Settled, unhurried, held
- One educator to every four children
- Your home routine followed, not ours
- The same faces every morning, not a new one each week
- Sleep, bottle and nappy updates through the app
- Nappies, wipes and all meals included
Big feelings, small people
- One educator to every five children
- Language, independence and self regulation
- Toilet training at your child’s pace
- Patient support through big emotions, and the words to name what they feel
- Messy play, sand, water and outdoors daily
Curious, capable, growing
- One educator to every ten children
- First stage of our two year school readiness program
- Language enrichment, early literacy and phonological awareness
- Confidence, independence and early problem solving
- Child safety program, so children know their rights
Ready for school, really ready
- One educator to every ten children
- Second stage, the year before school
- Breaks and lunches at school times, with routines like school
- Numeracy, STEAM investigations and refined fine motor skills
- Conflict resolution, resilience and a transition to school statement
School readiness
Two-year school readiness program
School readiness is not tracing worksheets in November. It is two years of quietly building the things that decide whether a child copes in kindergarten.
- Phonological awareness
- Recognising their own name and letters
- Strong numeracy skills
- Naming and managing big feelings
- Emotional regulation techniques
- Opening a lunchbox
- Asking an adult for help
We also run information evenings for our families with the surrounding school principals and local allied health professionals, so you walk into big school informed.
Child safety
Nothing we do here matters more than this.
Keeping children safe is the most serious responsibility we carry, and we treat it that way every single day rather than once a year at audit time.
It shapes how we roster, who we employ, how a room is set up and how we respond the moment something does not sit right. Where safety and convenience pull in different directions, safety wins, every time.
Children learn about it too. Our preschoolers take part in a child safety program, so they understand their own rights, know that their body belongs to them, and know which adults they can tell if something worries them. Children who can speak up are safer children.
Ask us about any of it on your tour. We would far rather you asked.
- NSW Child Safe Standards
- Working With Children Checks verified and monitored
- Code of conduct signed by every educator
- Mandatory reporting training for all staff
- Secure entry, signed arrival and collection
- Authorised persons only
- Daily indoor and outdoor safety checks
- First aid, CPR, asthma and anaphylaxis trained team
Our statement of commitment to child safety
Maroubra Junction Early Education Centre is a child safe organisation. We are committed to the safety, wellbeing and participation of every child in our care, and we have no tolerance for abuse or harm of any kind.
We work to the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and the NSW Child Safe Standards. Every educator holds a verified Working With Children Check, signs our code of conduct and completes child protection and mandatory reporting training. We take particular care with the safety of children who may be more at risk, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children with disability, and children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
We listen to children and we act on what they tell us. If something ever worries you, tell us. We would far rather hear it early.
National Quality Standard
Meeting NQS. In all seven areas.
Maroubra Junction Early Education Centre is rated Meeting NQS in all seven quality areas under Australia’s National Quality Standard (March 2024). The rating is public.
Outdoor play
Outside every day, whatever the weather.
Children at MJEEC play outside every day in a large, open playground with a big sandpit, covered and shaded so rain does not cancel outdoor play and neither does a fierce Sydney sun.
Space matters at this age. Children need room to run properly, not shuffle around a courtyard, and the sandpit is where a good part of every day happens. Outdoor play is not a break from the learning, it is where a lot of it happens. Climbing, balancing and carrying build the strength and coordination a child needs before they can sit still and hold a pencil. Sand, water and mud teach cause and effect long before anyone calls it science. Negotiating whose turn it is on the bike teaches more about getting along than any lesson could.
On the hottest and the wettest days, our children are still outside. They just need a jumper or a hat.
- Large open playground
- Big sandpit
- Covered and shaded all year
- Outdoors every day
- Water and messy play
- Room to run, ride and climb
- Hats and sunscreen provided
- Gardens the children help tend
- Daily safety checks before children arrive
In house chef
Cooked here. Every day.
Every meal at MJEEC is cooked on site each day by our own chef, and included in the daily fee. Nothing arrives frozen in a truck.
Seasonal menus are planned around growth, energy and variety, and we cater fully for allergies, intolerances and cultural requirements. Children eat together, serve themselves where they can, and are never made to finish a plate. Parents tell us their fussy eaters try things here they will not touch at home.
- Morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and late snack
- Allergy and anaphylaxis trained team
- Seasonal four week menu
- Included in your daily fee
Our fees
The fee below is the whole fee.
Nothing gets added to it. Nappies, meals, sunscreen, hats, incursions, our martial arts program, musical appreciation classes and regular yoga sessions are all in MJEEC’s daily rate, with no bond and no fees over the Christmas closure. Most centres will not publish a fee at all. We publish ours so you can compare properly, and when you do, ask the other centre what theirs leaves out.
| Room | Age | Daily fee |
|---|---|---|
| Nursery | 6 weeks to 2 years | $189 |
| Toddlers | 2 to 3 years | $184 |
| Preschool 1 | 3 to 4 years | $162 |
| Preschool 2 | 4 to 5 years | $162 |
| Short Preschool Day | 3 to 5 years, 8:00am to 3:00pm | $100 |
Our daily fees are $189 for the Nursery, $184 for Toddlers, and $162 for Preschool 1 and Preschool 2. Per child, per day, before subsidy. Fees effective 2026.
New in our Preschool rooms
Need a fourth day without paying for a fourth full day?
MJEEC’s Short Preschool Day runs 8:00am to 3:00pm for $100 and sits on top of the preschool days your child already has. Book two full preschool days, then add one, two or three Short Preschool Days. Each one uses seven of your subsidised hours instead of eleven, which for a lot of families is what turns three days of preschool into four.
See how it works and work out your feeAvailable to children booked for two or more full preschool days. Up to three Short Preschool Days per child per week.
Almost nobody pays the full fee
The Child Care Subsidy does most of the work.
A federal payment made straight to us, so it comes off your invoice rather than arriving in your bank account. How much you receive depends on your combined family income, and families on lower incomes receive the highest rate. You may also receive a higher rate for a second or younger child.
Subsidy is calculated up to a capped hourly rate, and five per cent is withheld until your tax return is balanced. To claim, set it up through myGov before your child starts. We confirm your enrolment at our end.
Fee estimator
So what would you actually pay?
Put your own numbers in and see the weekly gap fee, not the sticker price. It takes about twenty seconds, and nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Your estimated gap fee
$0per week
That is about $0 a day, or $0 over a 50-week year.
How this is worked out
Your subsidy is the lower of our hourly fee or the government’s hourly rate cap of $15.19, multiplied by your subsidy percentage, for up to your entitled number of subsidised hours.
- Our day runs 7am to 6pm, so a day is 11 hours of care. Nursery works out at $17.18 an hour and Toddlers at $16.73, both above the cap, so those are subsidised at $15.19. Preschool is $14.73 an hour, which is below the cap, so it is subsidised on our actual fee.
- Subsidy percentage: 90% for combined incomes up to $88,520, then reducing by 1% for every extra $5,000, reaching zero at $538,520. A younger sibling aged 5 or under is assessed on a separate, higher scale.
- Subsidised hours: 72 a fortnight for every eligible family, or 100 a fortnight with more than 48 hours of recognised participation. At 11 hours a day, five days a week comes to 110 hours a fortnight, so the last 10 hours sit outside the subsidy.
- Services Australia withholds 5% of your subsidy through the year and returns it at tax time if you have not been overpaid. We include that here because it is money that actually leaves your account.
- Start Strong fee relief is applied after the subsidy, as an equal weekly reduction spread across our operating weeks.
Figures current for the 2026–27 year, which took effect from Monday 6 July 2026.
This is an estimate, not a quote. Your actual subsidy is assessed by Services Australia on your family’s circumstances, and can differ from this figure. It assumes you have a current CCS assessment, that your child is up to date with immunisation requirements, and that a Complying Written Arrangement is in place with us. For your official entitlement use the Services Australia estimator or call them on 136 150. Start Strong fee relief requires a signed declaration and consent form each calendar year. Happy to sit down and go through your actual numbers on a tour.
Almost nobody pays the full fee
Two more things bring this down, and we will work all of them out with you.
The 3 Day Guarantee
From 5 January 2026 the 3 Day Guarantee replaced the Child Care Subsidy activity test. Every family eligible for Child Care Subsidy now receives at least 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight, which is around three days a week, whether or not the parents work or study.
Families where both parents have more than 48 hours a fortnight of recognised activity can still access up to 100 hours a fortnight. Families caring for a First Nations child receive 100 hours a fortnight.
It changes how many hours are subsidised, not the percentage. Your rate is still based on family income and a gap fee usually still applies. If you already receive subsidy, the new hours were applied automatically and you did not need to do anything.
NSW Start Strong fee relief
State funding for children in the years before school, applied on top of Child Care Subsidy as a further reduction to your fees. It comes off automatically once we confirm your child is eligible, so there is nothing for you to claim.
Amounts differ for three year olds and four year olds, are set by the NSW Department of Education, and change each year. If your child is in Preschool 1 or Preschool 2, ask us and we will tell you exactly what applies.
We will sit down with you before you enrol, put your income and days into the calculation, and tell you your real out of pocket cost per week. No guessing, and no surprises on your first invoice. Rates, thresholds and hourly rate caps are set by Services Australia and the NSW Department of Education and change each July, so confirm your own entitlement at servicesaustralia.gov.au.
Included in every fee
- Nappies and wipes
- Sunscreen
- Hat
- All meals and snacks
- Martial arts program
- Musical appreciation classes
- Regular yoga sessions
- Incursions
- Kinderm8 parent app
- Orientation visits
- Transition to school statement
We are a Child Care Subsidy approved centre, and families with a child in the year before school may also be eligible for NSW Start Strong fee relief. We will sit down with you and work out your actual out of pocket cost before you enrol.
Ask for a fee estimateWhat families say
Sixteen years of Maroubra families.
Reviews from families at our Maroubra childcare centre and preschool.
Finalist, 2026 Randwick City Business Excellence Awards
Recognition for the team who show up for our children and families every single day.
Settling in
Orientation costs nothing, and is never rushed.
Come as often as you need
Orientation visits are free and unlimited. Some children need one. Some need five. We do not charge for either.
A plan built around your child
We ask about sleep, food, comforters and what helps your child calm down, then build the first fortnight around that.
Photos from day one
Updates, photos and observations through the Kinderm8 app, because the first week is harder on parents than it is on children.
Call us any time
Ring at 10am on the first day. We would rather you called than sat at your desk worrying.
@maroubra_eec
Real moments from our rooms.
This is what an ordinary Tuesday looks like here.
From the blog
Written by us, for Maroubra families.
Honest writing about choosing care, subsidies and starting school. No fluff, and no ghostwriter.
Ten questions to ask on a childcare tour in Maroubra
The questions that actually separate one centre from another, and our own answers to all ten.
Read the articleHow the Child Care Subsidy actually works
The 3 Day Guarantee, the hourly rate cap and the five per cent withholding, in plain English.
Read the articleWhat school readiness actually looks like at four
Why it takes two years, and the skills that decide whether a child copes in kindergarten.
Read the articleWhat to look for in a childcare centre
The signs that separate a genuinely good centre from an average one, room by room.
Read the articleFind us
Right above the shops.
1/142 Maroubra Road, Maroubra NSW 2035. We are on Level 1, directly above the shops.
- Entry via the West End Gallery on Maroubra Road
- Do the shopping before pick up
- Lift access and pram friendly
- Two hours free parking a day at Pacific Square
- Coles and Aldi downstairs
- Buses along Maroubra Road
- Secure, controlled entry
Do the week’s shopping, then collect your child on the way back to the car. It sounds like a small thing until you are doing it five days a week. Close to local schools, parks and Maroubra Beach.
Open Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 6:00pm.
Phone (02) 9315 5588
Email info@mjeec.com.au
Our community
We welcome families from Maroubra, South Coogee, Kingsford, Matraville and surrounding Eastern Suburbs communities.
- Maroubra
- South Coogee
- Kingsford
- Matraville
- Pagewood
- Malabar
- Randwick
- Chifley
- Eastgardens
- Coogee
Questions
Questions we are asked most
What educator to child ratios do you work to?
We work to the educator to child ratios set under the National Quality Framework. In our Nursery that is one educator to every four children, in Toddlers one educator to every five, and in Preschool one educator to every ten. Ask us on your tour what the ratio looks like in your child’s room on an ordinary day, and who is in there.
How much does childcare cost in Maroubra?
Our 2026 daily fees are $189 in the Nursery, $184 in Toddlers and $162 in Preschool, with meals, nappies and all activities included, no bond and no fees over the Christmas closure. Most families pay much less than this after the Child Care Subsidy. Bring your family income estimate to your tour and we will work out your actual daily cost with you.
Do you have vacancies?
We have limited places in our Toddler and Preschool rooms for 2026 and 2027. For other rooms, join the waitlist. The fastest way to check availability for your child is to call Lauren on (02) 9315 5588 or book a tour.
Are you approved for the Child Care Subsidy?
Yes. Maroubra Junction Early Education Centre is a Child Care Subsidy approved provider. Eligible families receive the subsidy on our fees automatically once their enrolment is confirmed in myGov, and we help every family set this up before their child starts.
What ages do you take, and what are your hours?
We take children from 6 weeks to 6 years across four rooms, and we are open 7:00am to 6:00pm, Monday to Friday. You will find us at 1/142 Maroubra Road, above the Pacific Square shops, with two hours free parking at Pacific Square.
What happens if my child is unwell?
If your child becomes unwell during the day, we call you straight away and one of us stays with them until you arrive. For infectious illnesses we follow the NSW Health exclusion guidelines, and we will walk you through how they work at orientation.
How does settling in work?
Gently, and at your child’s pace. Orientation costs nothing and is never rushed. You and your child visit together as often as you need before their first day, and we plan those visits around how your child is settling rather than a fixed schedule.
Who will be looking after my child?
The same people, year after year. Many of our educators have been at MJEEC for more than a decade, around 80% hold a diploma or higher, and Lauren, the owner and Director, is on the floor every day. On your tour you will meet the actual educators who would care for your child.
How does the waitlist work?
Join through our online waitlist form with the days you need and your preferred start date. When a matching place opens in the right room, we contact you. While you wait, you are welcome to book a tour and a stay and play session, so the decision is easy when the call comes.
Do you help with toilet training?
Yes. We follow your child’s lead and work in step with what you are doing at home, so the approach is the same in both places. Spare clothes help, and no child is ever shamed for an accident.
Is your program aligned with the Early Years Learning Framework?
Yes. Our curriculum is guided by the Early Years Learning Framework and delivered through meaningful play based learning. Educators plan intentionally around each child’s strengths and interests, and document what your child is working on so you can see the thinking behind the play.
What do I need to pack?
Very little. Nappies, wipes, sunscreen, a hat and all meals are provided. Bring a spare change of clothes, a comforter if your child uses one, and a bottle for babies. Everything else we have here.
My child has allergies or additional needs. How do you support that?
We build a plan with you before your child starts. Our chef caters fully for allergies, intolerances and cultural requirements, and our team is allergy and anaphylaxis trained. We also work alongside speech pathologists, occupational therapists and early intervention teams, and can access inclusion support so your child is fully part of the room.
How will I know what my child did today?
Through the Kinderm8 app, in real time. Photos, sleep and bottle times for babies, learning observations and what your child is working towards. You will often see it before you leave your desk.
Our promise to your family
Five things we will always do.
Your child will be known. Not managed, not minded. Known by name, by mood, by what makes them laugh.
You can always speak to the person in charge. Lauren is here, and she answers the phone.
We will tell you the truth about your child’s day, including the hard parts.
Our fees will be clear before you enrol, with no hidden extras added later.
Your child will leave here ready for school, and sad to go.
Come and see for yourself.
Start with a personalised tour with Lauren. If it feels right, we will book a free stay and play session so your child can decide too. Limited places available for 2026 and 2027.