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:

• Numeracy & Literacy: Developing key skills for lifelong learning.
• Self-Regulation: Fostering emotional control and resilience.
• Social & Emotional Development: Supporting independence and building healthy relationships.
• Creativity & Problem-Solving: Encouraging curiosity and critical thinking.

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:

• Government subsidy: Further reduces out-of-pocket Kinder fees in addition to your eligible Childcare Subsidy (CCS).
• Personalised Learning Plans: Tailored to your child’s unique needs.
• Rhythm and Resilience Program: Music and movement to improve emotional regulation.
• School Readiness: Preparing your child for a smooth transition to school.

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 supporting 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.

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 Kayla, and I am the Centre Manager here at Creative Garden Cheltenham. My career in early learning started in 2015. I joined the team at Creative Garden Early Learning Cheltenham in October 2023. I have a Diploma in Early Education and Care and an Advanced Diploma in Community Sector Management. I have been working with G8 Education for more than eight years and have been in a leadership role for approximately four years. Recently, I became a First Steps Trainer within the company, responsible for onboarding and inducting new Centre Managers. Being a part of a child’s first five years is crucial, and I am grateful to be a part of it every day. I love mentoring other educators who share my passion and ensuring that we provide quality education and care to every child who comes to our Cheltenham centre.

I believe that play is a child’s unique way to learn about their world. It is also a means of expressing knowledge from previous experience. Our Cheltenham centre aims to provide opportunities for all children to play freely and express themselves creatively, utilising all the resources in an inclusive, non-biased environment. Play is central to children’s development, both structured and unstructured.

My approach when supporting children on their learning journey and development differentiates with each individual child. By getting to know the children and family’s culture, interests, hopes, and dreams, we can work together to ensure the best quality outcomes for the children.

Our Education Team at Creative Garden Cheltenham is a wonderful group of passionate, dedicated and welcoming professionals. We pride ourselves on having a long-standing team, as this supports the continuity of care for the children and families.

Families are crucial to our centre as they are the first teachers in their child’s life. We pride ourselves on building reciprocal partnerships with families to understand their needs, wants and goals for their child/ren. We love to invite families to our service through many events throughout the year. Communication is key which is why we send out weekly emails for any upcoming events, educators leave and friendly reminders. Monthly newsletters are also created to share our education spotlights, celebrations, and more.

We look forward to welcoming you to our Cheltenham centre!