Mulberry Tree Childcare Centres have been working to revamp their centre menus (22 centres in WA ) to eliminate all additives which may be linked to health or behaviour problems in children. They have initiated this process themselves driven by a corporate philosophy of providing the absolute highest care for their clients and, as far as I know, this is a first within the industry – I haven’t come across any child care chains who have gone to this level in making sure they are serving the best food possible to the kids in their care.

I know this is a big issue for lots of parents who really stress about the quality of food when their kids enter care – although all child care centres nowadays do have guidelines for nutrition, most are oblivious to the very real impact any food additives have on children especially in relation to common problems such as behaviour, sleeping, asthma and eczema.

Mulberry tree Child Care Centres are putting kids health and wellbeing above profits – many of the changes they have made means they have switched to buying premium brands rather than the cheaper ones, but they are committed to the changes to eliminate the harmful additives. I am hopeful this will be the beginning of an improvement across the industry as many centres are short changing kids by serving sub standard foods , full of additives, in an effort to keep costs down. Although this is not enforceable change, it would be a fantastic thing to see all child care centres adopt a policy such as this, to ensure that kids in care , some 5 days a week, are actually getting food which is truly good for them not full of additives which are known to cause problems.

I am happy to fully endorse the menus and foods provided by the Mulberry Tree Child Care Centres new “Additive Smart Menus”

Julie Eady
Director / Founder
Additive Alert Pty Ltd

Thanks for dropping by our blog. Here we aim to give parents helpful advice on parenting, links to government services such as Child Care Assistance & the Family Assistance Office.

The Australian Government provides different types of financial assistance to help with the cost of placing children in child care. The main payments to eligible families are:
Child Care Benefit, Child Care Rebate, Jobs, Education and Training Child Care fee assistance, Grandparent Child Care Benefit & Special Child Care Benefit. Read more

Baby Bonus is paid to families following the birth (including stillborn babies) or adoption of a child. It recognises the extra costs incurred at the time of a new birth or adoption. This payment replaced the Maternity Allowance and Baby Bonus (administered by the Australian Taxation Office) from 1 July 2004. Read more

The Family Assistance Office has been set up by the Australian Government to give Australian families better access to government services. Instead of going to different agencies to get family assistance, families are able to get all their payments from just one place – the Family Assistance Office.

Family Assistance Offices have been set up in Medicare offices and Centrelink Customer Service Centres across the country, offering a range of payments to support families with their work and family responsibilities. Read more

My son has been going to Mulberry Tree for almost a year now.  When I went back to work I found it very difficult to leave him at day care but the staff were excellent in helping both my son and I transition into our new way of life.

It did not take long and he was happy to go over to any one of the girls when I dropped him off.  This gave me peace of mind for the rest of the day knowing that my son was in a place that he was happy and was well cared for.

He has learned so much whilst being at Mulberry tree.  He sings songs and knows all the actions to the songs.  He has also become a budding artist and will proudly show me his latest master piece when I pick him at the end of the day.

There is always a detailed breakdown of the day’s activities for me to read and I can then go through the events of the day with him when he is at home.  He is always talking about the girls that look after him and loves them to bits.  This is a very important sign for me to know that he trusts them and that he loves them. Thank you Mulberry tree for being the best you can and taking such great care of my son.  He is a very happy and healthy boy and credit is due to you all for helping me achieve that in him.

Thank you for being his Mum away from Mum….you guys are great!

Sharon Mendes

I have three children under 5 so we have been going to Mulberry Tree every week for the past 4+ years. As they transition from baby through to Kindy, I have found the staff friendly, loving and caring. The carers take pride in their work and always have a smile for everyone.

The centre is very professionally run and Kindy in particular has a sense of structure, thereby giving kids the resources they need for ‘proper’ school. I love it that the staff always engage with us all – personally and by name – on arrival and pick up, even taking time to ask how school was for the child no longer in their care. I would recommend the centre to anyone.
Ceridwen Clocherty

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We have been using Mulberry Tree Mt Hawthorn for almost 2 years now, and are very happy with their service. When we started using the centre, our son Tom was 3 and our daughter Maya was just about to turn 1. Both children were warmly welcomed and the care they have received since has been faultless. Tom was happy there until he was old enough to start school, and Maya still attends and always looks forward to her day care days.

The staff we have been lucky enough to have looking after our children have been sensitive, warm and caring – the kind of people you really want looking after your children. They are fun too, and have the patience of saints! We feel lucky to live so close to such an excellent day care facility, where everyone is always happy to see you and make your children feel special.
Heather Syme

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My son Solomon ended up at Mulberry Tree Mt Hawthorn, even though we lived in South Perth. This was simply because it was the only day care centre I could find that could fit him in, so you’d think that there might have been something wrong with the place…but that has not been the case at all; in fact it is the friendliest day care centre that I have visited, and Solomon and I have always been made to feel hugely welcome every time we arrive.

The daily activities and events seem to be highly organised, and well thought-out, and the outdoor play equipment well used and loved, and there is nothing better than a child coming home having spent quality time running, climbing and jumping about in the fresh air (with hats and sunscreen compulsory throughout the year)! Also, from the occasional waft of cooking I have encountered, and from the varied and healthy-looking menus that are pinned up on the walls, everyone obviously gets well – and nutritiously – fed. Certainly better than the school dinners I vaguely remember from a few decades ago!! I can certainly thoroughly recommend Mulberry Tree Mt Hawthorn, and the wonderful staff, from Baby to Kindy Room, have been instrumental in nurturing Solomon into a happy, chatty, confident little man, who is eager to learn and to socialise. So a big Thank You from all of us!
Lisa, Chris & Solomon