Devonshire Street Children’s Centre wins national award for intergenerational garden

At a Chatswood early childhood service, a vegetable garden is bringing children and grandparents together to grow food and share knowledge.

Devonshire Street Children’s Centre has won the Wellbeing Champions category at the 2026 National Kitchen Garden Awards for its intergenerational vegetable garden.

The award was announced on 15 September. In a statement published on 26 September, Willoughby City Council said the garden brings children and grandparents together to plant and care for vegetables while sharing gardening skills, cultural experiences and knowledge about food.

The project began after the centre’s teaching team observed that many families were separated from their extended families. Educators also recognised that some older community members had limited opportunities to connect with others locally. Inviting grandparents into the garden offered a way for children and older people to spend time together around a shared activity. 

For children, the visits provide opportunities to learn how plants grow and where food comes from, alongside the stories and practical knowledge grandparents bring. The centre said the relationships formed through the project have become a valued part of an initiative that has run for several years. 

Willoughby City Mayor Tanya Taylor said the garden was helping knowledge, culture and traditions pass between generations while strengthening community connections. 

The centre was selected from a national field of 647 entries across schools and early childhood services. Nine category winners were chosen from 27 finalists. Devonshire Street Children’s Centre will receive a prize package valued at almost $5,000, including a $1,000 grant and membership of the Kitchen Garden Program.

The centre plans to expand the garden project this spring. Its award offers other early childhood services as an example of how an ongoing gardening activity can create opportunities for families and community members to share their knowledge with children.