Early learning centres help children’s mental, physical, social, and emotional development. Families consider several things while choosing a daycare. Looking for the perfect blend of facilities, safety, expansion, and skilled employees may be tough.
Childcare centers provide a secure environment for young children to play, learn, and explore while parents work or take time for themselves. Let’s help you find the best childcare centre in Melbourne, Victoria to suit your needs and budget.
Finding the Best Childcare in Melbourne
A child’s development reflects the quality of early childhood education they receive. Finding quality early learning care centres in Melbourne will be beneficial for a child’s healthy development. The educational program will vary from one child care centre to another. Choosing the right service can be fun for you and your child.
The types of child care include long day care, family day care providers (but not individual services), kindergarten, preschool, and care outside of school hours (for school-age children). You’ll have to consider your child’s age and the hours and days you’ll need child care.
You can use a Space Childcare Finder to save time finding childcare centres and knowing which centres perform better than others. Compare different services that match your needs as a family and make a short list from there.
A quality standard is one of the considerations you can include in your search. Typically, high-quality early education and care services will have a rating of “Meeting”, “Exceeding” or “Excellen” from the National Quality Standard (NQS). Find out how the NQS rates quality of childcare centres.
Services that have been approved by the National Quality Framework (NQF) under the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) give parents a certain level of assurance as these services have been evaluated on seven factors:
- Educational program and practice
- Children’s health and safety
- Physical environment
- Staffing arrangements
- Relationships with children
- Collaborative partnerships with families and communities
- Governance and leadership
This is one way to help families decide which service is best for their children when comparing child care centres. Find out the difference between child care vs day care.
How do we rate the Best Childcare centre in Melbourne?
Space childcare listing platform allows families to compare services, enquire directly, book a tour (whether virtual or in-person) and be put on the waitlist.
Other than the basic information about a provider, our listings also indicate information such as the centre’s ACECQA Rating, maximum children places licensed for the centre, centre hours, type of childcare available, and other services they provide.
Honest reviews from parents of enrolled children are also available to showcase the reputation of the service.
Best Early Learning Centres in Melbourne
Some of the best care centres in Melbourne are:
- Little Genius Childcare & Kindergarten, Glen Waverly
- Inspired Early Learning Centre and Kindergarten, Botanic Ridge
- Inspire Early Learning Journey, Chadstone
- Inventors of the Future, Newport
- Mt Hira College Early Learning Centre, Keysborough
Little Genius Childcare & Kindergarten: Average Rating 5 from 11 reviews
Little Genius Childcare & Kindergarten is a family-owned and run centre which emphasises learning through play. They provide outstanding programmes to help children’s learning and development. Their capacity is 70 slots for 6 month-to-school-age children.
Children learn fastest in their first five years. Their philosophy is to foster a love of learning and encourage curiosity for their students through the guidance of highly skilled and loving teachers. Little Genius offers Hey Dee Doo and Sportzbuzz. They encourage family participation and seek to provide a warm, caring, supportive, and nurturing environment that suits your family’s requirements.
Their environment enables children to explore, learn, develop a feeling of wonder, and follow their own interests and ideas. They offer a high-quality education programme, employ warm, nurturing, and motivated workers, and maintain excellent sanitary standards.
Inspired Early Learning Centre and Kindergarten: Average Rating 5 from 9 reviews
Inspired Early Learning is a centre based on the Reggio Emilia approach, a new way of teaching young children that is both innovative and inspiring. It sees the child as strong, capable, resilient, and full of wonder and knowledge. Every child is born with a lot of curiosity and potential, which makes them want to learn about the world and where they fit in it.
Insipred Early Learning really wants to give children the tools they need to be successful in all parts of their lives. They give your child meaningful experiences every day through a strong curriculum and safe, interesting environment.
The age groups they cater to are as follows:
- Possums (6 weeks to 12 months old)
- Echidnas (1 to 2 years old)
- Koalas (2 to 2.5 years old)
- Emus (2.5 to 3 years old)
- Kookaburras (3 to 4 years old)
- Wallabys (4 years and older)
INSPIRE EARLY LEARNING JOURNEY CHADSTONE : Average Rating 5 from 8 reviews
Inspire Early Learning Journey follows and embraces the Montessori method. This encourages each child to grow and learn at his or her own pace in a safe, caring, and organised environment.
Each child will be able to explore, learn, grow, and develop emotionally, intellectually, physically, and psychologically in the environment that has been set up. All of the materials and methods used by Montessori are made with care so that each child can learn at their own pace. In a Montessori classroom, the teachers are Observers.
Grace and courtesy lessons are also a big part of a Montessori environment. This helps kids develop a positive outlook on life and the right way of thinking to be a respectful person.
Inspire Early Learning Journey promise to provide a nurturing prepared home-like environment where a child feels protected, has a secure sense of belonging and is a valued contributing member of a community.
Inventors of The Future : Average Rating 5 from 7 reviews
Inventors of the Future (IOTF) is owned and run by a family who knew there was a need for high-quality child care in Newport City and the areas around it. The building was built on the site of their first family home, which makes it even more special that families can enjoy the warm and cosy place.
IOTF thinks each family is unique in their beliefs, structure, and accomplishments and that they are their child’s first teachers. They think that early childhood is the cornerstone for life skills and learning. Creating a safe and consistent atmosphere for children to collaborate on their own learning gives them ownership, accomplishment, and passion.
To facilitate this, IOTF classrooms create instructional and loving environments that encourage individual learning and play. Their programmes accommodate each child’s needs and abilities through open-ended, child-initiated activities.
Their name represents their goal to enable children to become the world’s future inventors by harnessing their innate inquisitiveness and curiosity to boost early grasp of scientific concepts and set the framework for future learning about the living world.
Learning environments are divided into rooms for nurseries, toddlers, and kindergarten.
Mt Hira College Early Learning Centre : Average Rating 5 from 7 reviews
The goal of Mt Hira College is to inspire and encourage “Lifelong Learning” in each student by meeting their social, emotional, academic, and spiritual needs in a positive, safe, caring, challenging, and supportive learning environment. They are committed to raising good, responsible people who will hold universal values in a world that is becoming more global and technologically advanced.
Mt Hira College provides a child-safe atmosphere where students feel safe, happy, and powerful because they are supported and respected. This includes culturally and linguistically diverse, disabled, Aboriginal and Torres Strait, and vulnerable students.
All Mt Hira College staff, students, and volunteers are responsible for ensuring student safety and wellbeing.
Age groups are from 3 months to 5 years old with opening hours from 6:30am to 6:30pm from Monday through Friday.
Station House Early Years Learning : Average Rating 4.98 from 16 reviews
Station House Early Years Learning in Cranbourne is a government-funded early learning centre founded in 2011. They offer long daycare and high-quality educational programs.
They are Exceeding the National Quality Standards (NQS) and aspire to maintain this rating.
Station House EYL can care for 71 toddlers and preschoolers with teachers that are highly qualified and participate in ongoing professional development. Station House EYL provides meals and refreshments as well. Kids Gourmet caters to healthy food ensuring each child obtains at least 50% of their daily dietary requirement.
Station House EYL uses a communication app that allows parents to access their child’s online portfolio. Their educators encourage family visits to our early learning centre, and hope the children consider it their second home, either for long daycare or kindergarten.
Brighton Street Early Learning : Average Rating 5 from 7 reviews
Brighton Street Early Learning is a modern, inclusive daycare in Richmond, Victoria.
The centre is in a dynamic, artistic neighbourhood 200 metres from Richmond’s Barkly Gardens.
Brighton Street Early Learning has three beautiful outdoor spaces and smartly planned rooms with a maximum capacity of 118 children. Their personnel are well-trained, caring, and qualified to help every child’s development.
They encourage children to explore the world and interact creatively using the Reggio Emilia approach and play-based learning. They consider each child’s needs, interests, and strengths and aim to satisfy them.
They serve healthy, delicious meals daily. Parents can learn about their activities by contacting their child’s teacher or visiting the centre.
Open from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. They offer kindergarten programs for children aged three or four.
Launchpad Early Learning Centre : Average Rating 5 from 7 reviews
Launchpad Early Learning Centre in Lower Plenty, Victoria, serves 124 children in age groups between 6 weeks to 6 years old.
Launchpad aims to launch or encourage children into a world of exploration. By exploring possibilities in a strong community, children develop life skills and self-worth.
They follow Reggio Emilia and Montessori that supports play-based learning. Curriculum follows Australia’s National Quality Standards and Early Years Learning Framework.
Healthy nutrition and exercise are valued at Launchpad where menus are based on the Victorian Government’s Healthy Eating Advisory Service.
Children will acquire environmental respect, sensory, creative, problem-solving, and social abilities by exploring Launchpad’s natural play places. Outdoor areas incorporate native plants, sensory decks, dirt-digging spots, and bush cubbies.
They believe that a child’s development depends on community and family. Parents and caregivers can contact Launchpad support team with questions, feedback, or enrolment inquiries.
Advice on finding the right childcare centres
With the help of a childcare checklist, you can write down your criteria and make the decision of what works best for your family easier.
Some factors that almost all families consider are safety and security, growth and development, and readiness for school. To narrow the search, you may ask the child care centre about their program and curriculum, meals, environment, educators, facilities, flexibility, and fees.
Get in touch with an approved family day care provider or scheme in your state or territory. Find a service in any region to help you find a family daycare service near you. Our search platform can tell you what services are available in your area.
Convenience and flexibility may also be important considerations after you’ve narrowed down your choices. In the end, remember that only you can determine what’s best for your family.
Sign up for a free Space membership and compare the childcare centres near you.