Our centre offers the VIC Government-approved ‘Best Start, Best Life’ Kindergarten Program.

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 Sara, and I am the Centre Manager here at First Grammar Wantirna South. I began my career in early childhood education and care in 2009 and have been working at First Grammar Wantirna South since 2021. I hold a diploma of early childhood education and care and have been working in various roles including assistant educator, lead educator, assistant centre manager and centre manager.

There’s nothing more rewarding than watching a child learn with passion and wonder. As a mother of 2 beautiful children, I understand that parents need a place where they can drop off their precious child to people that genuinely care about them and will help them in those crucial first five years of their learning journey. I love working in early childhood, have grown up with children all my life. To me every day is a new day, there is nothing than rewarding seeing the children develop their own personalities, watching a child learn, grow and becoming their own person.   

The benefits of attending an early childhood education centre are endless. It encourages social skills, improves social anxiety and more development needs. High quality early childhood education gives children the best start in life. It provides important opportunities to learn and develop. Early childhood education can help your child make friends, develop independence, and learn new routines. It also supports their transition to school.

We have qualified educators guided by the children's interests and the Early Years Learning and Development Framework (EYLDF). Our team is extremely passionate about creating a child care centre that is a home away from home for both families and children. The centre really is an extension of the home environment, and we work in partnership with families to ensure this is the case, understanding each child’s individual needs. 

We understand that starting at a new early education centre can be overwhelming, which is why we communicate with families regularly. We walk families through all the forms and administration that need to be done. This includes enrolment forms, Child Care Subsidy (CCS), explaining subsidies, government caps, centre schedules, our centre menu and more.

On the first orientation the child will orientate in the room. Educators will discuss with the family the child’s needs and then the child/children will start after a few orientations or when educator and family think child is ready. Our team will make the transition as smooth as possible. We are happy to help.  

Welcome to First Grammar Wantirna South.