About Us

We are a locally owned family business with a strong desire to allow all families and children to have a happy childhood and to reach their full potential throughout life. Grace and Tom Azzopardi are the Owners of the business, Sarah McAnulty is the Centre Manager and Nancy Cross is the Assistant Director.

Prior to opening Altona Early Education Centre, Grace worked in Altona as a registered psychologist, Grace has also undertaken years of voluntary work at the Royal Children’s Hospital, assisting children with various developmental challenges so that families can have a harmonious healthy family lifestyle. Tom also owns his own Road and Traffic Business but loves to be at the centre helping out when needed.

Sarah is our Centre Director; she has 19 years’ experience in Early Education and is as passionate today as the day she started in the industry. Sarah works 5 days a week and can be seen wearing many different hats in her role as Mentor and Leader, she loves the team environment and can be found working in the rooms to make sure the educators and children feel supported and engaged. Families often comment about Sarah’s friendly nature, attention to detail and exceptional communication skills. Please feel free to give Sarah a call and book a tour or have a chat about bookings over the phone.

Nancy is our Assistant Director and our Educational Leader; she has 15 years experience within the Education industry. Nancy is passionate about children and strives to encourage and motivate educators to deliver a unique and educational program that focuses on the whole child. Nancy works Tuesday to Thursday so please don’t hesitate to contact and intrust Nancy with any concerns if Sarah is unavailable.

Grace, Tom, Sarah and Nancy believe that an Early Education Centre thrives with Passionate Educators and therefore offer exceptional support along with above award wages and the opportunity for all educators to upskill their current Qualifications and interests, so not only do the Children feel empowered and Happy in the service but so do the Educators.

Get in touch

9398-5229 [email protected] MON - FRI: 7am - 6pm">MON - FRI: 7am - 6pm

View our centre

Why Choose Us?

We pride ourselves on providing the best long day care services in Altona and the Western Suburbs. Our small, boutique and homely purpose-built centre offers much that many centres built today don't. We Offer:

Small room sizes - Important when considering early education for your child. Studies have shown improved academic, social and emotional development in children who attend smaller centres;

Small, cosy, homely centre - Our centre provides a lovely homely setting, so your child will feel safe and welcomed into our home. Our owners are onsite daily and are very hands on, ensuring the highest standards of care. You and your child will feel welcomed and have a sense of belonging as part of our family environment at Altona Early Education Centre;

Higher educator ratio's - Enabling us to provide your child with the highest possible care;

Free weekly incursions - We understand that cost is an important factor to our families, that's why we offer our incursions at no cost to your family;

Higher qualifications amongst our staff - We hire only the best to care for your children, that's why most of our educators are diploma qualified or above;

Casual bookings - Because we understand that life is often unpredictable, where possible, we offer casual days to support your family with last minute change of plans, or to replace lost days due to public holidays, (subject to availability);

Owner operated, and conveniently located - Our Altona Early Education and Learning Centre is located near Altona Primary School and St Mary's Primary School making the kindergarten, preschool and school run a breeze.

Hear From Our Parents

“ We love Altona Early Education Centre, and so does our three-year-old son who has been attending for 18 months. The staff are amazing, and we feel so comfortable leaving our child in their care. It's a warm and nurturing environment for children to feel safe and thrive.

- Chelsea

“ My baby currently goes to Altona early education. I could not feel more comfortable leaving her there each day!! A fantastic centre and fantastic educators.

- Tegan

“ I cannot recommend this centre more highly. Sarah and her team are caring, compassionate, flexible and make leaving for work that much easier. Due to its size it feels more intimate than others in turn making the care very individualised and keeping the children engaged.

- Kylie

“ We are thrilled that our little man has a spot with the team at AEEC. We’ve always felt that the team care about him as a human, his wellbeing, his early education, his routine and (most importantly) his happiness as much as we do, and this means everything to us. Tate loves his friends and carers at AEEC.

- Erin

“ This day-care has made such a positive difference in my son’s life and by extension, our whole family’s wellbeing. From 6 months old to now 2.5 years, my son has grown into a caring, articulate, sociable, and well-behaved little boy. This is largely because of the meaningful interactions and relationships he has built with all of the carers and other children. I never take for granted how lucky we are to have this day-care in Altona and that we are a part of it. Thank you so much!

- Monica

“ This day-care couldn't be any more helpful, supportive and caring to our family and our son who is enrolled. I feel so lucky that we have a spot here. The leaders are amazing with the children, the food is always amazing and the amount that my son learns is astonishing! Thank you to everyone for such a great experience!!

- Reagan

“ We have been very happy with the care at AECC. It’s a very friendly and supportive place. The educators in my sons’ rooms have been amazing. The management team are approachable and very supportive. We are very happy to have the team at AECC as part of the village helping us raise our son.

- Liz

“ Since their opening in July 2017, our son (7 months then) has been attending EEC. A five-star boutique childcare experience for first time mum and dad, and the best in the Inner West. Grace (owner) and ALL the STAFF are so amazing, affectionate, caring and very accommodating of our needs. The facilities are fantastic and modern which is only complemented by the healthy food they provide for my little boy. I cannot recommend this centre more highly. This place is like a 2nd home for my son and the best decision we made for his early childhood learning.

- Lisa

“ Our kids have attended the centre since its opening and couldn’t be happier. We love the fact that it’s an independent family owned centre. You can tell that they really care about providing service excellence in all areas and most of all wanting to make it a happy experience for all. We also love all the extras they do to celebrate special occasions such as Christmas, Kinda Graduation etc. We certainly give the service a gold star.