Guardian Childcare & Education McKinnon

Our Centre team, led by our experienced Centre Manager Leigh, prides themselves on creating a great sense of community for all families.

Each role in the Centre is designed to work together to help create a nurturing environment for every child in each of our learning spaces.

In our Nursery Room, the dedicated team has a special role in creating secure attachments, routines, and strong relationships. Unique to Guardian nurseries is our Baby Ambassador, who is your go-to person for you and your baby’s first 12 months with us. They will know every detail about your baby: how breast or bottle milk is managed, how they like to eat, their sleeping routines, the nappies they wear, and more. With babies as young as six weeks in the Centre, it’s the Baby Ambassador’s job to work with families and Educators to help make our Nursery feel just like home.

Our Educators across the age groups work together to create fun, stimulating, and age-appropriate experiences for every child in their care. They are dedicated, experienced professionals who are allocated to a specific room so they can get to know each child individually and support their learning and development.

As part of our 2-year Flying Start to School program, we have degree-qualified Teachers who use the latest teaching practices to help your child build essential practical and social skills, ensuring they’re ready for their next big adventure—school!

Each room has a Lead Educator or Teacher who is responsible for planning and implementing an effective ongoing cycle of planning, documentation, and evaluation of the room’s learning program.

At the core of the Centre is our Cook—make sure you check out their daily menu when you visit. They help make food part of the learning journey and love seeing how children respond to new and exciting flavours.

The team is supported by a strong Leadership Team, including an Assistant Centre Manager and an Educational Leader.

Every role at the Centre is as important as the next.

Great communication is vital in our collaborative partnerships with families at the Centre. We have a variety of different ways we communicate with you about your child’s learning and progress:

1. Storypark app - Stay connected to your child's day with regular updates, including photos and learning insights

2. Pick-up and drop-off updates – Our Educators will share highlights from their day, including experiences they enjoyed, mealtimes, and naps to support your evening routine.

3. In-room learning exchange displays make our weekly learning plans easy to see so you know what your child will be learning.

4. Centre Newsletters – Great for community connection and wider Centre and team updates.

5. Development documentation and meetings for your individual child’s progress.

But remember our door is always open.

Guardian Childcare & Education McKinnon is a beautiful, open-plan centre located on Tucker Road. Our early childhood education programs are focused on play-based learning, and our spacious day care and child care centre provides a nurturing and stimulating environment for children aged six weeks to six years of age, supporting them to discover the world in a safe and secure way.

Our childcare centre, with long day care services, is filled with bright, stimulating materials that encourage children to explore and engage their curiosity to discover more about the exciting world around them.

Children are supported through those important early years to explore and develop their social and emotional skills through their early learning journey by a dedicated team of university-qualified Teachers and Educators. They create learning experiences in a nurturing environment that fosters creativity and imagination in a safe environment for young age groups.

Guardian McKinnon is open from 7.00 am to 6.30 pm every weekday, so each family are provided with plenty of flexibility for the hours they work and the time they choose to drop off and pick up their child. During drop-off or pick-up times, we encourage you to stay for a little while and spend some time exploring the learning environment.

Our Educators and Teachers in each age room can provide some understanding of the various play materials and education spaces throughout the Centre to help you discover some ways to continue learning at home. We encourage involving the whole family in their child’s care and education to ensure they are happy as they learn and grow.

Our family communication app, Storypark, provides you with photos and updates on your child throughout the day, offering you the opportunity to stay informed about your child’s early learning and development. We also set up different learning outcomes for the children through Storypark, which supports them in achieving developmental milestones and understanding new ideas.

For children aged three and four, we have a kindergarten program led by university-qualified Teachers that can support your child in their preparation for the step up into primary school. Our kindergarten curriculum has the Victorian Government Kinder Tick, which demonstrates our commitment to providing the best possible start to life for your child through quality childcare services.

Our program is led by specialist Educational Leaders who guide teaching and learning in a flexible and research-supported way. The leading curriculum supports discovery and gives children the best start to life, as well as being aligned with the National Quality Standard.

Through our high-quality kindergarten program, children have the opportunity to learn some of the skills that are often only introduced in early primary school. We begin learning and exploring shapes, numbers and letters through fun, play-based activities.

We develop each child’s literacy and numeracy skills to help them feel confident and prepared during the challenging leap into primary school. Our high-quality program supports the needs and routines of each of our families, and we ensure each child’s cultural and family background is supported and encouraged.

We’re committed to children’s nutrition, and our on-site cook prepares each meal fresh and packed with all the nutrients that children need at their age. We encourage children to engage in food preparation and to ask questions about where their food comes from, why it’s good for them, and how they can eat it. We also encourage exploration of the cultural heritage behind different foods, helping promote diversity and inclusion from an early age.

As part of our unique Visible Learning Program, families will be able to gain an understanding of their child’s education. Our Learning Exchange Display will provide the opportunity for our Teachers and Educators to share updates on your child’s progress. It will also be a chance for you to have direct input into your child’s learning!

Why not come and meet the team and have a look around our Centre today? We’d love to show you why Guardian Childcare & Education McKinnon is the perfect learning environment for your child. At Guardian, we believe that together, we can give young children the best start to life.

We look forward to welcoming you soon!