Ellenbrook Early Learning Centre (EELC) is part of MercyCare’s vision to enable people and communities to thrive.

This development was purposefully designed to provide care for children aged 0-5 years, and to provide outside school hours care for primary school-aged children.

As MercyCare’s first new-build project, this presented an opportunity to redefine their service and delivery model around the needs of their young charges.

SPH assisted MercyCare to research and understand ideal operational workflows, childcare models, food service plans and compliance requirements, while developing an innovative vision for the site.  

A key outcome was that the project achieved a higher certified number of child places due to the clever use of veranda and place spaces for circulation, and they are lovely, green and bright spaces to enjoy and use.  

This design solution provides a wide range of benefits for the children and their parents, and carers and staff. The design enables outdoor play, exploring, digging in the dirt, lots of fresh air and natural light. And versatile shared spaces can be used for art, learning and structured play across all age groups.

This design emulated and expanded MercyCare’s early learning model and service offering. In short, this new childcare building provides a series of inspiring and fit-for-purpose spaces that offer seamless connections with the natural environment, providing children with endless opportunities to explore, grow and learn.