Early learning and childcare

Our curriculum

Our early learning centres operate under the National Quality Framework, which aims to raise quality and drive continuous improvement and consistency in children's education and care services. As part of this, we follow the Early Years Learning Framework, Belonging, Being and Becoming. Our kindergarten programs in Victoria follow the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework.

All of our centres have a dedicated Educational Leader/Assistant Manager to coach, guide and mentor our educators in developing high quality educational programs and outcomes for children. They all hold a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care or higher, and work closely with our Management, Quality and Operations teams to develop the best experiences and programs for children.

Our long day care services are for children aged from six weeks to five years old.

Available at all of our centres from early morning until evening, we follow a play-based, child-led curriculum to meet the needs of each child. 

Three and four year olds can also take part in our integrated kindergarten programs during long day care (more below).
Nursery   Toddlers

Led by qualified teachers, our three and four year old kindergarten programs help set children up for success at school and beyond.

Families can choose between:

• Integrated kindergarten which takes place within long day care, perfect for families needing longer hours of care (available at all centres).
  
  
• Sessional kindergarten which takes place at specific days and times during the school term, without the long day care element (available at select centres).

As part of the Victorian Government’s ‘Best Start, Best Life’ reform, from 2025, kindergarten will gradually transition to Pre-Prep with programs across Victoria increasing from 15 to 30 hours each week.

Three year old kinder   Four year old kinder

Wondering whether integrated or sessional kindergarten is right for your family? 

Watch the video to learn more about the differences between these programs.

Yarning circles

Across our early learning centres, children start their day by joining a yarning circle.

It's a lovely way for our educators to share what the day will look like, what activities are planned and acknowledge the traditional owners of the land.

Our menus have been created in line with the Heathy Eating Advisory Service guidelines and the YMCA Healthy Food and Beverage Policy. We update our menus seasonally, with an emphasis on fresh ingredients. 

We can cater for almost all dietary requirements including allergies, cultural and religious preferences. We take an allergy aware approach to our service, so no food outside the centre is permitted.

If your child has any dietary needs, please let the educators at your centre know. It's important that we have up to date information so that we can best support your child.

Some of our centres feature their own herb and vegetable gardens and chickens, giving children the opportunity to grow herbs, collect eggs and cook with seasonal ingredients. These hands-on experiences encourage children to connect with nature and develop a positive relationship with food from an early age.

We enrich our educational program with a variety of excursions, incursions and special events.

Whether it's through a yoga class in centre, visiting local community spaces like libraries and parks, or taking part in cultural celebrations, your child will be able to explore their world and experience diverse learning opportunities. 

We always encourage and welcome parents to get involved in these events. Risk assessments are conducted to determine the appropriate safety measures required for the event, which includes child staff ratios, mode of transport, potential hazards and medications.

If there are any celebrations or festivals your family participates in, please let the Centre Manager know and we'll do our best to include these in our educational program. 

Our programs qualify for the Federal Government's Child Care Subsidy (CCS).

CCS helps eligible families access approved and registered child care providers by partially subsidising the cost of daily fees.

Visit the Services Australia website to find out more or use this Child Care Subsidy Calculator to see how much you might pay.

Starting child care is an exciting time, but it can be emotional for you and your child. We're here to make the transition as stress-free as possible with a flexible and free-of-charge orientation period.

The orientation period involves a series of short visits where your child can become familiar with our centre, educators, other children and programs before they officially start. We offer as many visits as you and your child need to feel confident.

Parents and guardians are required to stay on-site during these visits, giving you the opportunity to share insights about your child's routines, interests and learning goals with our educators. This helps us to better support your child's needs and wellbeing.

Book a tour at a centre near you

Discover the child care and education programs on offer at your nearest Y early learning centre.

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