Our History

Byron Bay Preschool has been providing preschool education to our local community since 1976. We were the first preschool in our region, and we are proud to combine our long history, with our contemporary high-quality approach to exceptional early childhood education.

Byron Bay Preschool has been providing preschool education to our local community since 1976. We were the first preschool in our region, and we are proud to combine our long history, with our contemporary high-quality approach to exceptional early childhood education.

Where It Started
Northern Rivers Preschool opened our doors under the name Byron Bay Preschool in 1976. We were the first and only preschool in the Northern Rivers and children attended from across our region. Our organisation was started to respond to our communities need for high quality early education, knowing the important impact quality preschool has for children across their life span. We continue to respond to our communities’ changing requirements and now provide a variety of programs and services to support the spectrum of family needs in the Northern Rivers. We started in a community hall in 1976, and Byron Bay Preschool Johnson street was then built in 1978. We opened Byron Bay Preschool Cavanbah in 1986.
Cavanbah preschool was funded and built by families using mud brick. In 2010 Byron Bay Preschool Coogera was built in Suffolk Park. Byron Bay Preschool Coogera was built as an integrated early childhood hub, the hub provides early intervention services to families needing extra support. In 2022 we developed our innovative Nature Hearts program to allow children to learn immersed in nature. In 2024 our organisation reopened Kunghur Preschool- under the name ’Northern Rivers Preschool Kunghur.’ Kunghur preschool has been an important part of the community for 47 years and closed in 2023. We reopened the preschool to ensure the local community continues to have access to quality early childhood education and care. In 2024 Byron Bay Preschool took on the umbrella name ‘Northern Rivers Preschools’ to better include our services both in the Byron Shire and in other Northern Rivers locations. Byron Bay Preschool Coogera and Cavanbah have kept the name ‘Byron Bay Preschool’ to preserve their long-standing identity. We are excited about our future supporting the Northern Rivers community as we continually grow and adapt.