Guardian Childcare & Education Hillside

Every day is an opportunity for discovery and growth at Guardian Childcare & Education Hillside. With a range of exciting, resource-rich environments – including a soon-to-be launched community garden – children are encouraged to explore and learn.

The light-filled centre also features a community library, vegetable gardens, a giant horse, a wooden forte, and a range of age-specific ateliers where our programs come to life.

Children get out and about on regular excursions, so we have a great connection with the surrounding community. We visit locations such Scienceworks, Essendon Traffic School, museums, the aquarium, and the local fire station and primary school.

We are proud to have a culturally diverse team and celebrate a variety of cultures and holidays throughout the year, including our regular family breakfast events.

Our on-site cook, Kathy, prepares four nutritionally balanced meals using seasonal ingredients every day. Having been with the centre for over 10 years, Kathy loves chatting with the children whilst she prepares meals, and offers self-serving so the children can customise each dish.

Begin the adventure at Guardian today by booking a tour to explore the centre, chat with our team of Educators and learn more about our high-quality curriculum.

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Read more information about the centre

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Rhythm of The Day

With endless possibilities, there’s never a dull moment at Guardian and no two days are the same. Here’s what a day at Guardian might look like. Please note, this will vary depending on centre opening hours.

  • From 6:30am

    Handover time with children, families and our friendly Educators. There's a chance for conversation to share what's important for the day/what's happened the night before at home.

  • From 7:00am

    Breakfast time where families are welcome to stay and enjoy breakfast with the children.

  • Morning

    As children are arriving and families are coming and going, there's an opportunity for play as well as family grouping, open-plan play and multi-age grouping.

  • Morning

    As the children come together, planned experiences begin. This is where the Guardian programs and practices come to life. Examples of learning include numeracy, literacy, language, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, social skills, technology, science, creative arts, curiosity and more.

  • Morning

    There's an opportunity for children to come together and enjoy morning tea.

  • Mid-morning

    Following morning tea, the planned experiences continue. This includes both indoor and outdoor programs.

  • Afternoon

    There's an opportunity for children to come together for lunch. With an open-door policy, families are able to join the centre for meals and excursion if they wish.

  • Afternoon

    For children who want to, or need to, there's an opportunity to sleep, rest or relax. For children who don't need to rest, there are planned experiences, which are more likely to be outdoors.

  • Afternoon

    Children come together for afternoon tea in small groups or with siblings (they can also rest and play together, too). This time also presents an opportunity to reflect on the day.

  • End of the day

    As families arrive to pick up children, there's an opportunity to speak to Educators and share information about the day.

  • End of the day

    Some centres offer early tea or light snack at the end of the day, which they can grab as they leave the centre. We’re mindful of how routines vary at home, so if throughout the day, we notice children look tired, food will be provided.

Helpful Information

Opening Hours

Open 6:30am to 6:30pm
Monday to Friday

Fee Information

Age Group Daily Fee
Under 3 Years $113.00*
Over 3 Years $113.00*

*Price before the government rebate. To calculate what Child Care Subsidy you might get back, click here.

Good to Know - What to Bring

What we Provide

  • Sunscreen
  • Five nutritionally balanced meals including: Breakfast, Lunch, Morning and Afternoon tea and a late Snack at the end of the day
  • Nappies
  • Bibs
  • Bedding

What to Bring

  • Hats
  • Formula and bottles
  • Soft toy or comfort blanket for nap time
  • Spare change of clothing
  • Water bottle

Our Educators

Our team of Educators are committed and passionate about ensuring your child will be safe, nurtured and cared for every day. At Guardian, children are encouraged to engage in interest-led play that creates learning and meaningful experiences.

Our Educators seek to optimise diverse learning opportunities and implement the Curriculum as framed by the Early Years Learning Framework.

You and Your Child

All Guardian Centres provide a Centre-to-Family communication platform so families can maintain contact with their children’s experiences through photos, stories and learning outcomes.

Our Centres use Storypark and each family is provided with a secure login to access on their computers, mobiles or apps.

Learn More About Our Centre

Guardian Childcare & Education Hillside provides a friendly and engaging centre for all families. The children can learn, grow and develop in a range of expansive spaces that offer endless stimulation for big imaginations. The outdoor spaces are set up daily with the children, which allow them to be the creators of their own play experiences.

The children at our centre love experimenting with recyclable materials, like constructing city buildings out of boxes. We also try to incorporate a lot of natural materials from local parklands into our program, so that children can learn about the natural environment around them.

The children enjoy hosting special guest visitors that link in with what they are learning. An example of this is when we were investigating owls, and we invited keepers to bring an owl along to our centre for the children to see and touch. Further to this the Children at Guardian Childcare & Education Hillside are provided with opportunities to further investigate topic of interest through Excursions. For example when the Pre Kinder Children we investigation different modes of transport the group were provided with the opportunity to go on a Bus Trip around Melbourne.

Our educators are always excited to meet new families and their children. We go the extra mile to ensure that you are well-informed about your child’s day and developmental progress. Our door is always open for you to visit throughout the day and on special events, and we can always call you to provide an update on your child for peace of mind.

Begin the Adventure at Guardian

To explore the centre, chat with our team of Educators and learn more about our high-quality curriculum, book a tour now.

Book a Tour Enquire Now

What Our Families Say