Marjorie Mann Lawley Day Care Centre opened its present premises in 1969, one of the first services of its kind in Perth. At that time, there was no child care available for children under two and there was little (if any) financial assistance for single parents, presenting challenges for single mothers and working mothers who needed to work to provide for their family. Marjorie Mann identified the need for this service in the community and was determined to fill the gap and create a solution.

Marjorie Mann and her friends, Rita Murphy and Freda Waldron, started by providing care for babies on a voluntary basis in Marjorie’s own home. There was always a great demand for care and numbers grew steadily, even in the Centre’s early days. With the backing of the church and community groups, the fledgling Centre moved from Marjorie’s home on Crawford Road in Inglewood to its current premises in Mount Lawley, relying on donated equipment, fund-raising and volunteers to continue operating.

At that time, the Centre’s mission was to meet the needs of single parents, low-income families, families in crisis and families supporting children with special needs. The Centre worked closely with Dr. Trevor Parry at Princess Margaret Hospital, providing a unique service to families and children in need.

Marjorie Mann Lawley Day Care Centre has continued to flourish, change and grow over the years and recently celebrated its 50th Year of operation. We keep in mind how and why the Centre came into being and continue to be inspired by the legacy of Marjorie Mann, Rita Murphy and Freda Waldron. We are proud to follow their example as we support children and their families and work to bring about meaningful social change in our community.

At present , the welcoming, homelike atmosphere is undeniable. From the moment you arrive, you’re greeted by a beautiful front garden. As you approach the building, you can’t help but notice the old front door decorated with a picture of our founding member Marjorie , much like a cherished family photo of Nana.

What truly sets the centre apart is the genuine sense of community fostered here—strong relationships among children, educators, families, and staff. It’s just as our founders envisioned all those years ago.

Marjorie Mann is influenced by the Reggio Emilia philosophy and is built on a long history of providing a homely feel where we will continue to build a connected community that provides children with strong foundations for lifelong happiness.

We see children as unique and capable individuals who have the right to grow in a warm, caring and nurturing environment. We believe there are countless ways for children to learn and communicate, and we endeavour to support them to express themselves through the 100 languages.

We view families as the child’s first teacher and respect the important role they play in their child’s life. We pride ourselves on the connections we have with our families. We believe by building strong respectful relationships we can focus on the children’s social and emotional development which lays the fundamentals to support them to become lifelong learners.

Educators are focused on supporting children’s holistic learning and development and set children up for success by creating genuine partnerships with children and their families, providing an inclusive and supportive environment, to allow time and space to listen to children

Educators will be dedicated to ongoing professional learning and networking opportunities to support continual improvement. Educators will reflect collaboratively to support children’s learning, using each other’s strengths they will build strong collegial relationships that support children, families, and one another.

Our environments reflect the play-based and nature-loving approach of our centre where children are given agency to explore, take risks and challenge themselves, creating rich possibilities for deep and meaningful learning. Within a beautiful natural space children are taught to respect and care for living things

We pride ourselves on providing an inclusive environment regardless of strengths, gender, capabilities, or diverse ways of being. We acknowledge and pay respect to the Whadjuk people, the Traditional Owners of the land where we come together every day. We are committed to developing our knowledge of First Nations Australian and Torres Strait Islander people’s culture and their connection to the land as we see it as an important part of our Reconciliation work.

We acknowledge children as active citizens of a vibrant and diverse global community; we continue to build our knowledge to ensure that our practices are both inclusive and free of bias. We understand that we have a responsibility to care for our planet and endeavour to make sustainable choices in our daily practices.

Reviewed June 2024

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Our philosophy is written and developed by our team of educators, communicating what is important to us in our professional practice. Our philosophy serves as our compass, helping to guide us in our decision-making at Marjorie Mann. It also helps individually to align with a collective vision for supporting children, families, each other and our community.