Inside Our Centre
These childcare centre St Ives photos show our building at 75 Killeaton Street as it really is: the learning spaces, the outdoor play area, the materials children use and the people who work here. Every picture was taken at Lead, with no stock images. Browse the gallery, click any photo to start a photo tour, then come and see the rooms in person.
Families often ask us for childcare centre St Ives photos before they book a visit, so this page gathers them in one place. Photos help you picture the day before you come in, and we would rather show you the real thing than a polished brochure. Some pictures come from our opening day, when families first walked through the doors. For the people and ideas behind the rooms, read about our team and approach.
Browse every photo, or take the tour
Filter by indoors, outdoors or people and events. Select any photo to open it full size, then use the arrow buttons or your keyboard to walk through the centre one picture at a time.
Our nursery
Our nursery is the calm, low-to-the-floor space for babies from six weeks to two years. Photos rarely do a baby room justice, so this is the part of the centre we most encourage you to see in person, at a quiet time of the morning when you can sit and watch.
Look for soft floor space where babies can roll, crawl and pull up, with low shelves they can reach.
Cots and rest follow Red Nose safe sleeping guidance, and each baby keeps their own sleep routine from home.
NSW rules set a limit of four babies per educator for children under 24 months, and the room is staffed to that standard or better.
Bottles are prepared at your baby's usual times, and solids come from our kitchen. Read the full picture on our baby room page.
Nursery at a glance
- Who it is for
- Babies from six weeks up to their second birthday
- Staffing
- Four babies or fewer per educator
- Sleep
- Red Nose safe sleep practice
Tiny hands, big daysOur toddler room
Our toddler room is built for movement. Two-year-olds want to climb, pour, carry and push, so the space gives them room to do it safely, with low tables and chairs they can reach on their own and materials set out where they can choose.
Toddlers are cared for with at least one educator to every five children. Small tables like the one in the gallery let them sit, pour and build together.
Toilet training is something we work on together with families, at the pace each child is ready for. Rest, meals and toileting fit around each child. See the day hour by hour on our toddler room page.
Our Pre-Kindy and Preschool rooms
Our Pre-Kindy and Preschool rooms serve children from three until they start Kindergarten, the first year of school in NSW. The spaces feel more like a classroom: window seats for reading, number and shape puzzles on the benches, and tables set up for projects and experiments.
One educator is present for every ten children in these rooms. During the final year before school starts, our School Readiness Program builds on this.
Compare the two on our Pre-Kindy room page and Preschool room page.
Outdoor play spaces
Our outdoor play area sits under tall trees, with soft synthetic grass, shade sails and a timber climbing frame. The wooden cubby house with its little picket fence appears in several of the photos, and it can be a shop, a house or a castle depending on who is playing.
Every room heads outside daily, weather permitting.
Shade sails cover the main play areas, and sunscreen is supplied as part of the daily fee.
Children bring a named hat each day for outdoor play.
Children move freely between climbing, running and quieter corners, which builds strength, balance and confidence in ways indoor play cannot.
Outdoors is also where sport sessions and messy play often happen, and the trees around the yard change with the seasons.
What you will find outside
- Soft synthetic grass
- Shade sails over play areas
- Timber climbing frame
- Wooden cubby house
- Tall trees on the boundary
Our art studio
Art at Lead is set up so children can paint whenever an idea arrives, not only at a scheduled time. Clear double-sided easels stand by the window, where two children can paint face to face and see each other's work through the panel.
In a Reggio Emilia inspired centre, art is one of the main ways children think, so drawings and paintings are treated as real work worth keeping. Read why on our Reggio Emilia page.
Our kitchen
Our kitchen prepares every meal and snack children eat at the centre, five times a day, all included in the fee. Early arrivals start with breakfast; the day then brings a mid-morning snack, a cooked lunch, an afternoon snack and something light before home time.
We are a Nut Aware service, and children with allergies have their own management plans. Families pack a water bottle, plus formula for babies who need it. Read more in our guide to meals and nutrition in childcare.
Book a tour to see it in person
Nothing beats standing in the rooms yourself. On a visit you can walk through every space, meet the educators your child would have, see the outdoor area and ask anything you like. Bring your list of questions; there is no such thing as too many.
Choose a time that suits you online, or call (02) 7238 8668 and we will find one together.
Visiting, answered
Can I visit before enrolling?+
Yes, and we encourage every family to visit before enrolling. Book online or by phone, then look around, chat with the people who would care for your child and ask about fees, routines and places. Once you enrol, orientation visits help your child get to know the room before their first full day.
See every room and age group on our age groups page, or return to our St Ives early learning centre homepage.
Come and see the real thing
Every room, every educator, and the cubby house your child will want to try first.