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Genuinely small groups
Tight educator-to-child ratios across every age. The kind of childcare where staff actually know your child. Not corporate scale.
Family-owned long daycare with small groups, on-site chef-cooked meals, nappies and every incursion included. No surprise add-ons, ever.
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Most families pay significantly less after the Child Care Subsidy, and children aged 3+ may also qualify for NSW Start Strong fee relief.
Small enough to remember every child's name by day three. Considered enough that the chicken hatching program is real, not a stock photo. Families travel to us from across Newcastle's south and Lake Macquarie.
Tight educator-to-child ratios across every age. The kind of childcare where staff actually know your child. Not corporate scale.
Mackinley remembers names. No call centres. No shift managers.
Meals cooked on-site, nappies, sunscreen, every incursion. One fee covers it.
Literacy and numeracy paced for real four- and five-year-olds.
Real children, real moments — paint, capes, the chicken hatching program, and Mackinley calling your child by name on the second visit.
Monday to Friday, 7am – 6pm. We're closed weekends and public holidays. We don't offer overnight, casual, or half-day bookings — permanent bookings only keeps group sizes consistent.
We're at 425 Warners Bay Road, Charlestown NSW 2290 — right where Charlestown meets Warners Bay and Hillsborough. Families travel to us from across Newcastle's south and Lake Macquarie, and there's undercover parking in the basement for easy drop-offs and pick-ups.
Six weeks through six years — childcare for every stage from nursery to pre-K. We split into three age-grouped programs (Junior Labs, World Ready, I AM Ready) so educators are trained for the specific developmental window in their room.
Our ratios meet or exceed NSW requirements. Nursery is 1 educator to every 4 babies; toddlers 1:4; pre-K 1:10. We intentionally cap each room below licensed capacity.
Most families qualify for some level of CCS. The amount depends on family income and the activity test. Call us and we'll walk you through what your family is likely to pay.
No — permanent bookings only at this stage. It lets us hold consistent group sizes and lets your child build real bonds with their educators.
For some rooms, yes. Best to call us to check current availability for your child's age group — we'll be honest with you about it.
Your enquiry goes straight to Mackinley, our director. She'll respond personally within one working day — usually with a quick phone call or email to share current availability for your child's age group, and to offer a 30-minute tour if you'd like one.
No. You're welcome to just ask questions — about hours, fees, the Child Care Subsidy, whether we have a spot for your age group. We won't push a tour if you're just exploring.
5.0 out of 5 · 7 verified Google reviews
“Couldn’t be any happier with Lumio, I knew it was going to be great but Lumio has exceeded my expectations. The staff are amazing! The owners are hands on and involved. I can’t recommend them enough.”
— Tahneal T.
“Lumio has been an absolute blessing for our family. My son usually struggles with new places and takes a long time to warm up, but from the very first day at Lumio he walked in with confidence and came home smiling.”
The staff are truly incredible — patient, nurturing, and genuinely invested in each child. You can feel the love and care the moment you walk through the door. They’ve created such a safe, fun, and supportive environment that my son actually looks forward to going.
— SSN GA
“It is our very first time signing up for child care, so it was so important to us that it’s safe and trustworthy. We really like it here! Everyone is very nice. It’s a brand new place with amazing facilities!”
Every day we can see new photos of what our kids were doing during the day. Security system and parking is great. We are very satisfied!
— Olha J.
“Every single member of staff is positive, welcoming and happy. My child is excited to go to daycare and I believe this is truly due to a positive environment. Thank you.”
— Claire H.
“We honestly couldn’t be happier with our experience at this place. Starting daycare was one of the biggest and most emotional transitions for us as parents, and naturally we had so many worries at the beginning.”
But the kindness, care, patience and genuine support we have received from the team have made the whole process so much easier and far less stressful than we ever expected. When we drop our child off, it genuinely feels like we are leaving him with family.
— Mo S.
“They have beautiful educators for the children.”
— Lauren H.
“We were nervous about moving our daughter to a new centre but it was a necessity, after reviewing centres we come across Lumio.”
Lumio were quick to respond to our initial enquiry and questions, flexible with finding a mutual day/time for a trial visit and it was as if time did not exist when we met with Mackinley for the trial. She stayed late, spent time with our daughter, answered questions and showed us around without any rush or hurry.
We are now a month into Lumio and we have a completely new daughter; morning routines are easier as she doesn’t argue getting dressed anymore, she is excited to go see her friends! Drop off is a breeze, with her walking in and putting her bag away and we have even had pickups where she has asked to stay and not come home. Our afternoons are more peaceful, she is calm and happy rather than argumentative and emotional.
The app that Lumio use is always updated throughout the day, detailing nappy checks and changes, food eaten, sunscreen application and sleeps as well as a daily recap of their activities with photos.
The centre itself is clean, modern and packed to the brim with educational toys and craft supplies.
We also love that Lumio support our daughter in learning French, as we speak this at home sometimes. They really nurture who she is and engage her in activities that she is genuinely interested in.
“We are beyond happy with Lumio and look forward to the years coming.”
— Jamie B.
★★★★★ — five-star rating, no written review.
— Tori M.