Its owners are billing it Canberra's first "prestige" childcare centre, with a concierge, hatted-chef to cook meals for children and a million-dollar fit-out making it look more like a hipster resort.
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And with salmon, kale and quinoa, lamb ragu and gnocchi on the menu, it's going to taste like one too.
Husband and wife Stephen and Jane Matthews have taken over the old Fujitsu building on Moore Street in Turner to open Sage Education and Childcare. They are hoping to pass registration by the ACT government's childcare regulator, finish construction and open by the end of this month.
They have already received 150 registrations of interest for a place in the 135-capacity centre, subject to approval.
Having owned and operated a number of South Coast childcare centres, the couple made the move to the ACT last year to fill what they saw as a gap in Canberra's childcare market.
While prestige childcare centres are nothing new in Melbourne or Sydney, the Matthews say they studied the ACT closely and have tried to appeal to the city's busy professional parents who want their children to have as enriching an experience as they would at home.
Yoga, Mandarin, music and art will be strong curriculum offerings, while a focus on freshly cooked, local and seasonal food will appeal to busy parents who want their youngsters to eat healthy and nutritious breakfasts, lunches and dinners but don't have time to pack it themselves.
In fact, the centre will take it one step further and will cook the family's dinner that night – packed in takeaway boxes and ready for pick-up with the child.
While the take-home meals will be an extra charge, daily food will be included in fees which will range between $115 for over-threes and $122 for under-threes.
With Canberra's average childcare costs around $100 a day, and some centres charging up to $130 a day, the Matthews say they have tried to keep fees competitive and accessible.
They have invested more than $1 million in turning the old office building into a light and bright centre for children with balconies extended to provide outdoor learning areas, glass bifold doors opening rooms to the sunshine and ceiling heaters to provide comfort in the sandpit on a winter's day. All of it carrying a definite Hamptons theme.
They have hired South Coast hatted chef Josh Tyler to create a menu for the children that uses BurraBee Farm produce and supplies from the garden beds lining the building.
Tyler's wife Anna is a dietitian, and he is busy preparing his menus with Anna's input and the taste-testing advice of his four-year-old daughter Chloe.
She has given a thumbs up to the salmon, quinoa and kale, potato pillows and mini burgers, but she was less keen to try the buckwheat porridge with blueberries – before her adventurous spirit got the best of her and she cleaned the bowl.
Tyler, who received a hat in The Sydney Morning Herald's 2014 Good Food Guide for Tyler's Kitchen and Pantry on the South Coast, and who will devise menus and take cooking demonstrations with the kids, said he was more nervous cooking for little people than big.
"They can be a bit more direct in their opinions than their parents," he said.
Meanwhile, parents can grab a professionally made coffee once they sign their children in – with a concierge stationed outside the centre for peak-hour drop-offs.
"We have tried to think of all the ways we can make life easier for busy parents and having someone outside ready to help them bring in bags and children is one of the ways we can help. Then they can sign them in, chat with staff, grab their coffee and get on with things," Mrs Matthews said.
