They have been great with our kids. The staff are very friendly

We've been with OAC (previously Maples) since my youngest child was 1. The team at OAC have always been fantastic. My children have created close bonds with many of the educators and throughout the transition to OAC from Maples Hayley and her team have maintained their continued care. After touring many of the other childcares around Mernda, I'm so glad we chose this one. My children have created lasting friendships throughout their journeys in the different rooms that will hopefully last a lifetime.

We’ve had such a wonderful experience at Only About Children Mernda! The educators have been amazing with our daughter Shamaya — so patient, caring, and genuinely invested in her learning and happiness. She has grown so much in confidence and independence since joining. The team always takes time to greet her by name and share updates with us, which makes us feel included and reassured. The environment is safe, clean, and full of fun, creative activities that Shamaya absolutely loves. We’re so grateful for all the love and support from the staff — Only About Children Mernda truly feels like a second home for Shamaya! Highly recommend this centre to any parent looking for a nurturing and professional childcare experience.

If you care about your child do not choose this childcare. They are a money hungry organisation, treated my 7 month old baby horribly to the point she would come home scared and crying all the time. She was a happy and friendly baby before she started here. Her behaviour started to change she would always be alert and startled over little things and mostly scared even at home. The seedlings room educator Georgia has been unreliable and has no empathy towards children. She would never post about my baby on their apps and will never provide an update unless I called to check in. Upon asking they said “we do not post crying babies as it does not look nice to other parents”. She also said if you want your child to be held all the time then ask management to provide an educator who will just take care of your child. She was extremely rude and I wonder what she did to my baby to make her so scared. I had complained to the director Hayley who in return did zero to even give us an explanation and I pulled her out of that childcare. They also overcharged us and it took me 4 months to rectify it, their billing team has been horrible and never responds to emails or calls. I have reported these guys to the childcare association in Victoria, my child is now very happy and it’s almost instantaneous that her behaviour changed when she started a different childcare, it validated my concerns even more that something wrong has happened.

We always highly recommend this centre to friends and family. The educators have built meaningful connections with our children which has been critical for us. The children are always engaged in a multitude of learning opportunities which is fantastic to see. The food offered is fantastic and fuels our little learners. Definitely a centre that goes above and beyond for the kids.

I cannot praise this centre enough! From staff who treat each child like their own, to amazing food, thoughtful experiences and activities, to a wonderful internal management who will go above and beyond for the families ❤️. This is the centre you want! Our daughter runs into her classroom every day and is greeted with the biggest smiles not only from the staff but all the children, who are just as happy to be there! The sense of belonging and community shines and we would happily recommend this centre to everyone! In regards to the change of management: We have been at Maples for 2 years before OAC took over last year and the majority of the staff and children have stayed, which means the classroom standards have not changed and are still fantastic. Don't be deterred by the company name, this centre has the best staff in the area!

My son has been attending Only About Children Mernda since he was just 10 months old, and we couldn’t be happier with the experience. From the very beginning, the educators have been warm, friendly, and genuinely invested in his wellbeing and development. One of the things we love most is the centre’s play-based learning approach. They really encourage the children to explore, be themselves, and learn at their own pace. It’s been amazing to watch how much our son has grown — socially, emotionally, and intellectually — thanks to the nurturing and engaging environment they provide. The chef is also incredible! Our son comes home talking about the delicious meals, which makes us feel confident that he’s being well cared for in every way. We’ve been so impressed that we’ll be enrolling our daughter there too. It’s such a relief knowing she’ll be joining a community we already trust and love. We’re truly grateful to be part of Only About Children and highly recommend it to any family looking for a caring, child-centered early learning environment.

We are really happy with this centre. There have been a few change of ownerships since we signed up (about 2 years ago) but the staff remained the same. The educators are absolutely incredible, they are invested in the development and care of our child. We collaborate together to help our son grow. If we have had any feedback or special requests, the educators and staff have delivered on everything we ask and keep as updated as needed. The chef at the daycare centre is incredible! Not only does she cook nutritious and seasonal food for the kids, she also does little classes on how to prepare veggies, composting etc. All in all, I couldn’t recommend this place enough and our son absolutely loves going to daycare- we just increased his days because he loves it so much.

My oldest son has been attending OAC Mernda since he was 11 months old, he is now 3 and a half. He is now in one of the 3 year old Kinder rooms. My younger son is in the Seedlings/babies room. I recomend this center to everyone who asks and cannot speak more highly of it in general. The staff are friendly and welcoming, always saying good morning to each child individually at drop off (always using names). Communication has always been clear wether it be during handover, calling to ask questions or notify of incidents that may have happened (kids can be clumsy and unpredictable). The patience and care educators displayed while our family grew from 3 to 4 was incredible and really helped my son adjust to his new normal. He was never rushed into following instruction, he was guided into small things like feeding the fish, or reading a book. It is a time and support I will always be thankful for. Every child you see throughout the center is happy and engaged, and the opportunities for real world learning and language experiences are short of nothing. It is incredible to see the children's interests encorportated into their learning environemtn and education program. OAC Mernda really is an Early Learning Center, not just a daycare.

Before the take over from only about children, maples was fantastic, would have highly recommended for maples but since take over there is always something going wrong. Poor communication with the parents, no news letter or information to parents in regards to their changes. Accounts problem as they charge surcharge as well even though it’s a direct debit from the bank account. And their makeup days and holiday discount policy does not exist but still the account gets debited from parents account for the public holidays that child has not attended the care centre. I would not recommend only about children to others and so as my other child won’t be enrolled in that centre.