CCCI provides Early Childhood Education for children aged 6 months to 6 years old. This includes:


Long Day-Care

Long Day-Care is offered at CCCI Monday to Friday, from 7am to 6pm, approximately 49 weeks per year, for children aged 6 months to 6 years old. Long Day-Care is staffed by an experienced Team Leader and several Educators, who are often qualified beyond what is required by regulations. We know that the relationships with Educators are essential in creating a trusting and harmonious environment – we rarely use agency staff so that there is a continuity of relationships and unfamiliar faces are limited.

Our long day care includes:

  • All meals and snacks (see our nutrition page here for more information)
  • All cloth nappies and reusable wipes used while attending the centre
  • Flexible pick-up and drop-off times, including half-day bookings
  • Integrated Kindergarten for Kinder-aged children (see below)
  • A nature-based learning program that encompasses a range of learning experiences and interactions
  • Excursions and incursions at no additional cost 
  • Support for school transition

Kindergarten

Kinder is an essential learning experience for many young children and can significantly impact a child’s achievement and wellbeing. CCCI offers both integrated kindergarten and sessional kindergarten for 3 and 4 year old’s.

What Happens at Kindergarten?

All of our kinder programs are delivered by a qualified kindergarten teachers through a play-based curriculum. Research shows that during the early part of a child’s life, the emotional, cognitive, social and behavioural skills they need for their future are built through play, so facilitating positive play is essential to what we do at CCCI.

The skills play-based learning can include:

  • Social skills like negotiation and cooperation so they can work together with others and make connections and friendships
  • Communication skills like listening, taking turns to talk, and having conversations
  • Creativity and problem solving so that children can express themselves and generate ideas to deal with the issues they come across in day to day life
  • Developing the very beginnings of reading, writing, and math’s skills 

What may look like playing is actually intentional teaching encompassing experiences, resources, and environments built by our teachers to help children develop these important skills.

The Different Models of Kindergarten We Offer

Integrated Kinder

CCCI runs sessions integrated into long day care for children that turn 3 before 30th April of the current year (3-Year-Old Kinder) or turn 4 before 30th April of the current year (4-Year-Old Kinder). These sessions run five days a week in the Walert and Gurrborra room. Eligible children will receive up to $2000 credit towards their long day care fees when attending integrated kindergarten as the governments Free Kindergarten – Best Start Best Life reforms.

Kinder-aged children that attend long day care in the Gurrborra room participate in the weekly Bush-Kinder program (see below).

Bush Kinder

In addition to our nature-focused, outdoor play spaces at CCCI, we offer Bush-Kinder for children attending Long Day-Care in the Gurrborra room. During Bush Kinder, the children venture into our Bush Kinder site along the Merri Creek, to engage in child-led, nature play. Research suggests that learning in nature supports children’s imaginative play, the development of positive relationships, and allows for the environment to become a place of learning. The Bush Kinder day rotates each term to maximise children’s opportunity to participate in the program.

Bush-Kinder only takes place in the Gurrborra room long day care program – if you would like your child to participate in our Bush Kinder program, please ensure your child is enrolled in long day care as there is no Bush Kinder in sessional kinder. 

Sessional Kinder

For enrolments for 2023 Sessional Kindergarten, please call the Centre to discuss current opportunities.

Unlike Integrated Kinder, Sessional Kinder is capped at 15 hours per week for 3 and 4 year old’s. At CCCI, in 2024 we will be providing 15 hours of free kindergarten to 3 and 4 years old’s per week. Additionally we will be offering before & after kinder hours care and holiday care for the sessional kindergarten children. Families eligible for the child care subsidy will be able to apply their subsidy to these additional fee paying services. For more information on CCCI’s sessional kinder programs and how to apply, please call our office on 9354 7633 or go straight to Merri-bek Council Central Enrolment to enrol your child: https://www.merri-bek.vic.gov.au/kindergarten

Our Sessional Kindergarten includes:

  • All meals and snacks
  • Qualified staff in each room, including:
    • Higher than regulation ratio of qualified diploma and teaching staff
    • Rare use of agency staff and focus on ensuring stability of educators in each room 
  • Excursions and incursions at no additional cost 
  • Support for school transition

In 2024 free sessional kindergarten for both 3 and 4 year old’s will operate from 8.30 to 4pm each day, during school terms.

4 year old’s:

  • Group 1: Monday and Wednesday
  • Group 2: Wednesday and Friday
  • Group 3: Monday and Friday

3 year old’s

  • Tuesday and Thursday

Out of Kinder Hours Care

In 2024, we are pleased to be able to offer greater flexibility to sessional kindergarten families by providing care outside of the kindergarten hours and during school holidays.

  • Before care: 8am to 8.30am
  • After care: 4pm to to 5.30pm
  • Holiday care: 8am to 5.30pm

Families eligible to receive the Child Care Subsidy will be able to apply their subsidy to out of kindergarten hours fees.

How to Enrol

If you’re interested in enrolling your child for Long Day-Care or Kinder at CCCI, you can find more information here or call us for a chat.


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FAQs

Not sure whether Long Day Care or Sessional Kindergarten is right for you? Try our FAQs

About us

For all the details of our centre, our staff, food, educational programs, etc.

Fees

Fees for Long Day Care and Sessional Kindergarten, and what these cover.

Join our centre

Find out how to arrange a tour and join our waiting list.