The baby formula at Lake Cathie Little Learners tastes extra sweet now that the centre has been recognised for excellence.
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Hayes Construction Company won the Childcare Centre up to $5 million category for Lake Cathie Little Learners at the recent Master Builders Association Awards night.
The event took place at Star Casino in Sydney with most award winners hailing from metropolitan areas.
Hayes Construction Company is run by Evan Hayes of Mudgee in Central West NSW.
The is the first commercial award for Mr Hayes, who has previously won three awards in the residential arena.
The developers behind the project are Sensory Cove Developments, a family business specialising in the development of high-quality childcare centres in rural NSW.
Lake Cathie resident Josh Stevens finds the sites and oversees each project.
"Evan's win means a lot to everyone in the project," he said.
His father John Stevens devises the design features and unique facilities that make their centres so special, and his mum Elaine uses her background in education to carefully plan room layouts and interior design.
The Stevens family pride themselves on going above and beyond when planning each centre, and they have developed centres in Orange, Queanbeyan, Yass, Huntlee, Warners Bay and Lake Cathie.
"The most powerful way to give children the best start in life is through education, and our role in the process is to create safe and innovative learning spaces," Josh said.
Lake Cathie Little Learners is a highly innovative centre for 125 children and boasts an outdoor education facility, art room, science lab, music room and performing arts room with a commercial kitchen.
Port Macquarie-based architects Collins W Collins took the family's idea and turned it into a design, the Hayes Construction Company took the baton and turned the design into an award-winning centre.
"It was a real team effort," Josh said.
"This award tells us that we are going in the right direction with our design and finish, and it motivates us to continue developing state-of-the-art facilities."
