Lady Gowrie Tasmania is celebrating 80 years of operation since the establishment of its first Hobart centre in 1939 but the statewide service has been in Launceston for the past 15 years.

While childcare remains at the heart of what the not-for-profit is all about, Lady Gowrie chief executive Ros Cornish said the centre's purpose had evolved with social change.

"We offer a holistic approach to childcare, now we understand that it's more than just childcare," she said.

In Launceston, the first centre to be established was the long daycare at Norwood but today Lady Gowrie operates facilities at Launceston, as well as at Newnham and, more recently, George Town.

The centre was established as a training facility and example of best practice for early childhood training professionals and as such is a way for students to gain real-work experience as educators.

Ms Cornish said in Launceston Lady Gowrie also operates the childcare centres located at the University of Tasmania Newnham campus along with one located at TasTAFE at Alanvale.

Lady Gowrie Tasmania is a significant Tasmanian employer, which employs about 460 permanent staff along with its casual pool across its services statewide.

While demand for care had always been a constant, Ms Cornish said one thing had definitely changed in the past eight decades - its approach.

"We have really moved to a more holistic type of care, it's providing childcare but it's also about supporting the entire family unit, not just care," she said.

Ms Cornish said society had undergone significant social change and it was more likely than not to see mothers returning to their careers and jobs after having children.

So Lady Gowrie had to adapt to provide support for the entire family unit for their care needs and provide that critical early years education for children.

"Education during the early years is so crucial, we know now the brain development that occurs during those first few years is rapid," Ms Cornish said.

While they had only been in Launceston for 15 years, Ms Cornish said Lady Gowrie has been well established in Northern Tasmania and hoped to grow its presence.

The organisation's longevity was one of the reasons that made its services unique, she said because it was a testament to its core values.

"We do a lot of programs that are outside of just childcare, to try and offer that holistic approach," Ms Cornish said.

One of those programs is support for children whose parent is incarcerated at Risdon Prison.

Ms Cornish said the program helped to foster connections between the child and their incarcerated parent, to ensure they continued to bond with their child and families.

She said Lady Gowrie also supported programs in disadvantaged areas both as a business and finance.

Morning tea for staff was held at Lady Gowrie's Hobart centre and a history leaflet was published to commemorate the history of the past 80 years.