(03) 5312 7541
(03) 5312 7541Address:
26 Olympic Avenue, Mount Clear, VIC, 3350
Care Type:
Long Day Care, Pre-school, After School Care
Hours:
6:30am to 6:30pm
Vacancies
Check by age group
Infant
0-1 years
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Your enquiry will be sent directly to the Great Beginnings Mt Clear.
Address:
26 Olympic Avenue, Mount Clear, VIC, 3350
Rating Score
I honestly can’t speak highly enough of Great Beginnings Mount Clear! The educators have been nothing short of amazing with my son, they’re so patient, caring, and genuinely invested in his growth and happiness. Every day he comes home excited to tell me what he’s learned, and it’s clear how much he loves being there.The communication with parents is fantastic, and I always feel confident knowing he’s in such a safe and nurturing environment. You can tell the staff truly care about the kids. Thank you to the whole team for making daycare such a positive experience for both of us 💜
- Hailey Meyer
We are conveniently located for families in or commuting through Mount Clear, Canadian, Mount Helen, Buninyong, Miners Rest and Ballarat East.
Many of our Children go on to attend local schools such as Buninyong Primary School and Mt Clear Primary School, supporting a smooth transition to school.
We offer nurturing care and quality early education for children from 6 weeks to 6 years, with flexible hours (9, 10, 11, and 12-hour sessions) to suit busy families.
Our Learning Environments
Our children benefit from familiar faces as they grow, creating a sense of continuity:
We’re proud to have qualified teachers and educators, supported by a team of national education experts, ensuring the highest quality childcare and early education.
Innovative Early Learning Programs
Our teachers deliver the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF or the national curriculum) through play-based learning that covers language, literacy, numeracy, STEM, social, and emotional development. Our program also includes:
We focus on strong family partnerships through regular learning and development conversations with your child’s lead educator, learning showcases, and in-centre family events. Our Xplor app provides real-time updates and learning summaries daily to keep you informed on your child’s journey.
We are conveniently located for families in or commuting through Mount Clear, Canadian, Mount Helen, Buninyong, Miners Rest and Ballarat East.
Many of our Children go on to attend local schools such as Buninyong Primary School and Mt Clear Primary School, supporting a smooth transition to school.
We offer nurturing care and quality early education for children from 6 weeks to 6 years, with flexible hours (9, 10, 11, and 12-hour sessions) to suit busy families.
Our Learning Environments
Our children benefit from familiar faces as they grow, creating a sense of continuity:
We’re proud to have qualified teachers and educators, supported by a team of national education experts, ensuring the highest quality childcare and early education.
Innovative Early Learning Programs
Our teachers deliver the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF or the national curriculum) through play-based learning that covers language, literacy, numeracy, STEM, social, and emotional development. Our program also includes:
We focus on strong family partnerships through regular learning and development conversations with your child’s lead educator, learning showcases, and in-centre family events. Our Xplor app provides real-time updates and learning summaries daily to keep you informed on your child’s journey.
Our centre offers the Victorian Government-approved ‘Kinder: Best Start, Best Life’ program for 3–4-year-olds, providing up to 15 hours per week of funded Kindergarten. This program supports children’s learning, development, and well-being, setting them up for future success.
Our Enhanced Learning Program for Kindergarten children focuses on:
With extended hours and a year-round program (excluding public holidays), our Kindergarten program is delivered by qualified Early Childhood Teachers committed to supporting your child’s individual development.
Additional Benefits Include:
We also engage with local schools and provide transition statements, ensuring your child feels confident and prepared for the next steps in their education journey. Stay connected with your child’s progress via our Xplor platform, which offers regular updates on their learning and development.
“Let the child be the scriptwriter, director and the actor in their own play” - Magda Gerber
Nursery Space: 6 weeks – 2 years
Learning starts from before birth, and our Educators have created a welcoming and nurturing nursery environment where each baby feels safe to explore and discover new things - through their senses, their communication and cues (body language, facial expression and sounds) and through experimentation. On any given day you can see the nursery children engaging in all types of play including sensory play, music time, story time and more. Every day provides a brand new, exciting adventure for our babies to support their development, learning and wellbeing.
Toddler Space: 2 - 3 years
Our teachers and educators encourage the children to learn through play to help enhance their sensory-motor development. This happens through carefully planned music, dance, games, role playing and reading experiences.
On any given day the Toddlers can be seen developing their numeracy by building a tower, sorting objects, pointing and identifying shapes and patterns and participating in counting songs and games.
Children in our toddler space are encouraged to participate in group play. Group play is important as it helps our toddlers develop important social skills such as, turn-taking, developing self-confidence and emotional self-regulation. Our skilled team helps children through talking, planning and role modelling.
Kindergarten Space: 3 – 6 years
Kindergarten is a unique time for learning with peers and developing skills for later learning including confidence and curiosity, important skills for starting school. Our play-based program has school readiness at its core, encouraging active engagement in learning and supporting a range of positive developmental outcomes including resilience, independence, critical thinking and creativity.
The oral language supports literacy learning and a child’s oral language ability is the best predictor for later success in learning to read and write. Hearing the sounds within a language is the first critical step for all literacy learning. Our team supports our Kindergarten children's literacy development by engaging in rich discussions, reading, storytelling, dramatic play and experimentation all of which introduce new vocabulary as part of everyday conversations.
Throughout the Kindergarten year, children use their language to share ideas, ask questions, express themselves, and connect with peers and adults in social settings.
Social-emotional skills, including the ability to self-regulate emotions, are supported through group learning experiences. Our team supports each child’s social and emotional development by labelling and talking about emotions and su pporting appropriate responses as together, they engage in new and challenging situations. Our goal in the kindergarten year is to prepare children and families for a smooth transition to primary school.
Morning
Jesse is 11 months old and enjoys sensory play outside in the sandpit with her friends. She sits near her educator who helps teach her how to scoop the sand into the bucket. Jesse is learning how to dig, carry, and move the sand. She is also exploring texture and learning what happens to the sand when she adds water!
Lunch
Jesse has finished her lunch and is preparing to take a nap. Her educator changes her nappy, prepares a bottle and reads Jesse a story before her afternoon sleep.
Afternoon
Jesse and some of her nursery friends enjoy some story time and songs outside in the shaded garden. They read ‘Peepo’ which is Jesse’s favourite book.
Morning
Nick is two and a half years old and loves to start his day at the centre outside on the climbing equipment. His friends join him, and together they pretend to be pirates on a ship looking for treasure. Through this exciting dramatic play, Nick is learning about himself and the world around him. Dramatic play is helping Nick identify his interests, abilities, likes and dislikes.
Lunch
Nick is watering the vegetables in the garden. By doing this, Nick is learning the importance of growing and caring for the veggies in the garden. Nick picks a tomato from the garden, which the Chef will use to help make Nick and his friend’s lunch - Spaghetti Bolognese!
Afternoon
Nick enjoys art, and today he is painting a beach scene from a recent family holiday. He adds the finishing touches and sets the painting aside to dry; so that he can take it home to share with his family.
While painting, Nick is learning how to express himself creatively and how to convey his ideas and emotions. Painting is also helping develop Nick’s hand eye coordination, finger, wrist and hand strength. Making marks on paper is important for self expression as well as later learning.
Morning
Daniela is almost five years old and can’t wait for today’s carpentry experience - she loves building things! Carpentry experiences allow Daniela and her friends to extend their learning through real-life experiences. While participating in carpentry, Daniela is learning to problem solve, experiment and predict. She is also improving her hand eye coordination, manipulative skills and muscular strength.
Lunch
Before Daniela sits down for lunch with her friends and educators, Daniela takes part in the centre’s sports program. Daniela loves sports. Sports helps Daniela improve her flexibility and strength (perfect for growing bodies!). Sports also allows her to practice different skills in a fun and engaging way.
Afternoon
Daniela is off to ‘big school’ next year and she can't wait to start! Daniela and her friends will be visiting the local primary school next week. In preparation for the visit, the class is creating a list of questions to ask the Principal and school children.
Our centre chef prepares and cooks nutritious meals daily, catering to the unique dietary requirements of every child. We believe that by encouraging active participation (such as growing their own fruit and vegetables, preparing, and finally cooking!) children learn to appreciate and understand the importance of healthy eating across a wide variety of food.
Our centre offers seasonal whole food-based menus – created to delight the fussiest eaters.
Hi my name is Geraldine, and I am the Centre Manager here at Great Beginnings Mt Clear. I began my career in 1998. I joined the team at Great Beginnings Mt Clear in 2023. I hold a Diploma in Early Childhood Education. My experience in the sector includes working my way up from an assistant educator to a room leader, 2IC and Director. I also spent time working for child protection but returned to centre-based education. I strive to bring my broad experience, passion, knowledge, and dedication to this important role.
During my career I have learnt that every child is unique. As educators, we should embrace their individuality. Here at Great Beginnings Mt Clear, we respect and nurture each child and their individuality. We want children’s early years to be a time of discovery, exploration and development of lifelong learning skills. The team here provides a safe and secure environment and embraces each child and family to empower their sense of belonging. The educators and children within the service are our extended family. We endeavour to ensure that the relationships we build are based on trust and communication, as the children see us almost every day and need to know that they are safe and cared for. Our approach is child-led, meaning when a child asks or shows an interest in playing with water, dirt, paint, or something equally messy, we say yes! For every child, high quality early childhood education and care can assist children to have the best start in life. The team within the service can deal with all the mess and clean up! Early childhood education and care can provide important opportunities to learn and develop by helping your child make friends, develop independence and learn new routines.
The team are working together to build strong connections within the service and the community. From the moment you walk in the door, you are greeted with a friendly "good morning" and made to feel welcome. The team here are always up for a chat and eager to be informed on anything that can assist us with engaging and aiding the development of each child.
Want to see the centre first hand? Book a tour with Great Beginnings Mt Clear below.
Infant
0-1 years
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Toddler
1-2 years
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Pre-Kindy
2-3 years
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Kindy
3-5 years
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Your enquiry will be sent directly to the Great Beginnings Mt Clear.
Rating Score
Hailey Meyer
I honestly can’t speak highly enough of Great Beginnings Mount Clear! The educators have been nothing short of amazing with my son, they’re so patient, caring, and genuinely invested in his growth and happiness. Every day he comes home excited to tell me what he’s learned, and it’s clear how much he loves being there.The communication with parents is fantastic, and I always feel confident knowing he’s in such a safe and nurturing environment. You can tell the staff truly care about the kids. Thank you to the whole team for making daycare such a positive experience for both of us 💜
Hello Hailey, Thank you for your fantastic 5-star review! We’re thrilled that our educators have been nothing short of amazing with your son. Your positive feedback is invaluable to us and motivates our entire team to keep delivering excellence. Best regards, The Great Beginnings Team
Sarah
Our experience of Great Beginnings has been exceptional so far. The staff seem to truly care about the children. The centre manager is amazing and has made us feel heard and valued as parents. Our child loves going. He talks about his friends and the staff while we’re driving to care. The activities and learning seem really well thought out and I love how they focus on different things such as reconciliation week. I received a beautiful handmade gift for Mother’s Day which meant a great deal to me. The centre has a community feel to it, and the thought put into the little details makes it a special place.
Hello Sarah, Thank you for your fantastic 5-star review! We’re thrilled that you found our staff to truly care about the children and that your child loves going. Your positive feedback is invaluable to us and motivates our entire team to keep delivering excellence. Best regards, The Great Beginnings Team
Natalie Sean
Had our children enrolled here roughly 3 months. Please take note of the bad reviews. Firstly if something feels off trust your gut! We had multiple problems here while enrolled. Everything felt ok for the first couple of weeks then it all went sideways. The place as an oppressive dark feel to it. We witnessed our children being served morning tea on dirty plates and the excuse from family care was " they are stained" appalling safe food handling either way and plates/bowls don't cost alot to replace. We had to request a CWA to sign a couple of weeks after starting and the fees are outrageous. We apparently did not meet the CCS hours when we questioned why we don't receive our entitled CCS but had absolutely no guidance from management on the hours we required to meet this (we had guidance in previous daycare at another G8 centre in Melbourne) Our eldest felt unsafe and had an incident where another child hit her back leaving bruising and a welt on her back that lasted a week. We noticed while bathing her and reported it. No incident form filled out and staff were apparently not notified for 3 weeks after the event. We don't normally allow a comforter at daycare but we did after she became withdrawn and cried every day attending. After a day another child ripped the comforters nose off. We reported this and were told that they encouraged them if the children feel as though they need them. She started thumbsucking a month into care, something she had never done before and refused to let go of us when leaving her (a sign something was wrong) she became extremely withdrawn on the way to daycare and refused to go in (also a new behaviour as she attended another daycare and never felt this way) The children were displaying behaviours i had never witnessed before in a centre such as running around with brooms hitting at furniture and other children and absconding the classroom (kindy room) on 2 occasions when I entered the room on pick up leaving the educator in a difficult situation as they were unable to leave the children the room to collect the child who was absconding it was as though the children walked all over the educator's (I felt sorry for them) There was no structure in the room and no school readiness for prep. The class did not have a kindy teacher at the time and when they did hire one they resigned after a couple of weeks and did not have the free kindy grant im assuming because they struggled to keep a educator. The place smells unclean and the outdoor area is not what you see in the photos online. There were several empty rooms and very few children who attend the daycare. We had 1 orientation before commencing instead of the usual 3 in other centres that are offered. This place needs to have cameras with audio. The management is extremely poor and untrustworthy. This really needs to be investigated. We made a complaint to the G8 familycare (great beginnings family care )and it felt as though the response was very defensive and we really got nowhere. We had to threaten legal advice against this centre and management to get somewhere with them. After we gave notice the centre manager would not respond to our emails and would take weeks to reply if at all sometimes. Although she was happy to write to us after hours and weekends within a day of us asking a question. There are so many more daycares around please research and if something feels off dont attend. Be sure once you leave to sign in your child on the last day otherwise you'll be charged ridiculous amount of full fees. This was something not advised to us when we enrolled. We had high hopes with this G8 centre because our last one was amazing this one was thoroughly disappointing. I had concerns for the wellbeing and safety of our 3 children.
with Mount Clear, 3350
Above average
Great Beginnings Mt Clear
Contact Centre
Suburb Average
$140
Above average
The National Quality Standard is an industry benchmark defined by the government.
Great Beginnings Mt Clear
Meeting
Suburb Average
Meeting
