Welcome to Treehouse Early Learning Centre
Your child deserves a place where they are genuinely known, not just enrolled. At Treehouse Early Learning Centre in Hillcrest, that is exactly what we have built.
Located at 2 Balmoral Street, Hillcrest SA 5086, we have been a trusted part of this community since 2012. We are a single-centre early learning service, which means every educator knows your child's name, their favourite activity, and what kind of morning they are having. That kind of personal attention is not a policy here; it is simply how we work.
We care for children aged 6 weeks through to school age across six thoughtfully designed rooms, supported by two large outdoor playgrounds and three sandpits. Our doors are open 6:30am to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday, 52 weeks of the year, because we understand that working families need reliability they can count on.
“Every child who walks through our door is an individual. Our job is to notice who they are, support what they need, and celebrate who they are becoming.”
Our Philosophy
At Treehouse, we believe every child is a unique individual with their own background, interests, strengths, and abilities. Learning happens through play: meaningful, child-led experiences that build curiosity, confidence, and a genuine love of discovery. Our approach is grounded in the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the National Quality Framework (NQF), and guided by our own service philosophy developed over more than a decade of caring for children in Hillcrest.
Learn About Our Approach
Our Approach to Care
Choosing a childcare centre is one of the most significant decisions you will make for your family. At Treehouse, we take that trust seriously. Our open-door policy means you are always welcome, and our educators are always ready to talk. Our Xplor Home app means you stay connected to your child's day, even when you are at work. Every photo, observation, and update is shared in real time, because you deserve to feel close to your child's world, not separated from it.
Book a TourThe Treehouse Story
Treehouse Early Learning Centre has been at the heart of this community since 2012. From a single room to a 109-place centre spanning six dedicated rooms and two large playgrounds, our growth reflects the trust families in Hillcrest and surrounding suburbs have placed in us.
Our Centre Director, Zarna Shah, joined Treehouse in 2012 as an educator. Over 13 years, she has held every role in the centre, from educator to team leader, assistant director, and now director. That journey means the person leading this centre knows every corner of it, and genuinely cares about every child in it.
In early 2025, Treehouse underwent a rebrand, strengthening our identity and our commitment to the Hillcrest community. The values that have guided us for over a decade remain unchanged: every child known by name, every family treated as a partner, every day designed to help young minds thrive.
What Does Our Centre Look Like?
Treehouse is purpose-built for early learning. The space was designed so children can move naturally between indoor and outdoor environments throughout the day, supporting the kind of free-flowing, self-directed play that research consistently shows is best for development.
Inside, six fully air-conditioned rooms cater to every age group from 6 weeks to school age. Each room is thoughtfully set up around the children using it: scaled furniture, natural materials, and open-ended resources that invite both active exploration and quiet, focused play. Dedicated spaces for creative play, construction, storytelling, and sensory learning sit alongside comfortable areas where children can rest, connect with their educators, and simply feel at home.
Every room is clean, well maintained, and designed to feel welcoming from the moment your child arrives. The transition between rooms as children grow is carefully managed so each child moves at their own pace, with familiar educators supporting them through each stage.
The entire centre is secured, monitored, and maintained to meet the highest safety standards. Ratios are always at or above the national requirements.
Our Outdoor Spaces
At Treehouse, outdoor play is not a break from learning. It is where some of the most important learning happens.
Two large playgrounds and three sandpits give children the room to move, build, dig, climb, and explore freely. Permanent shade structures mean outdoor time is available safely throughout the South Australian summer, and our outdoor environments are designed to change with the seasons, offering new experiences, challenges, and sensory discoveries throughout the year.
Nature-based play is central to our philosophy. Children at Treehouse have regular access to garden spaces where they can observe, tend, and connect with the natural world under the guidance of educators who are genuinely passionate about outdoor learning. Getting hands in soil, watching plants grow, and caring for a living thing builds patience, responsibility, and a sense of wonder that stays with a child long after the day is done.
Our outdoor environments are checked, maintained, and risk-assessed regularly to ensure they remain safe, stimulating, and ready for play every single day.
Stay Connected with the Xplor Home App
Leaving your child at the start of the day is easier when you know you will hear from them before morning tea.
Treehouse uses the Xplor Home app to keep you connected to your child's day from wherever you are. Through the app, you receive daily photos and videos of your child in action, developmental observations recorded by their educators, and direct messages from the team when something is worth sharing. Payments and bookings are also managed through the app, so everything you need is in one place.
Xplor is not a surveillance tool. It is a communication channel, designed to give you genuine insight into what your child is experiencing, learning, and enjoying. The moments your educators capture are chosen because they matter: a first attempt at something new, a friendship forming, a look of concentration on a face that tells you everything is exactly as it should be.
You will not wonder how their day is going. You will know.
A Day in the Life at Treehouse
Every day at Treehouse has a shape that children come to know and trust. Predictable rhythms help young children feel safe, and safe children learn more freely.
The day begins gently. From 6:30am, early arrivals settle into breakfast together in a shared space, with children from different age groups mixing naturally before transitioning to their own rooms by mid-morning. There is something intentional about that start: it feels like arriving at a home, not a facility.
Once children are in their rooms, the day moves through group time, morning tea, and a block of programmed activities designed specifically for their age and stage. Educators plan these experiences thoughtfully, drawing on each child's interests, developmental needs, and the learning outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework. Lunch follows, then rest time for those who need it and quiet activities for those who do not.
The afternoon brings another round of room-based and child-led activities, afternoon tea, and a late snack before the day winds down into integrated play across age groups. By the time you arrive for pick-up, your child has eaten well, moved freely, connected with their peers, and been genuinely engaged from the moment they arrived.
That is what a good day looks like at Treehouse. And they happen every day.
Ready to See Treehouse for Yourself?
The best way to know if Treehouse is right for your family is to come and see it. A centre tour takes about 30 minutes, costs nothing, and puts you under no obligation. You will meet our educators, see the rooms and playgrounds, and get a feel for what a typical day looks like for your child.
Limited places are available. We recommend getting in touch early.