Guardian Childcare & Education South Yarra

(Formerly River Garden)

Every day is a new opportunity for discovery and growth at Guardian Childcare & Education South Yarra (formerly River Garden). With a range of resource-rich environments – including a spacious rooftop garden and yard – children are encouraged to explore and learn.

The light-filled and modern centre also features a water pump, a creek bed, natural climbing structures, a Wellness Centre with a daily yoga program, an Invention Centre and a range of open-plan ateliers.

Children get out and about on excursions, so we have a great connection with the surrounding community. Favourite locations include the Rockley Gardens, Como Park, Prahran Markets, Chapel Street and our local library.

We are proud to have such a culturally diverse team and plan to celebrate a variety of cultural events and holidays throughout the year.

We work with an esteemed catering company, that prepares five nutritionally balanced meals using seasonal ingredients, and brings them up to the centre every day. Children enjoy their meals in the dedicated piazza while socialising.

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 7:30am to 6:30pm
Monday to Friday

Fee Information

Age Group Daily Fee
All Ages $168.50*

*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, hat and an environmentally friendly bag.
  • Five nutritionally balanced meals including: Breakfast, Lunch, Morning and Afternoon tea and a late Snack at the end of the day
  • Nappies
  • Bibs
  • Bedding
  • Free drop off and pick up parking zone

What to Bring

  • Spare change of clothing
  • A family photo
  • Formula and bottles

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 South Yarra is ideally placed to help families manage their work/life balance with an all-inclusive service, including a high quality, nutritious and varied menu for our children prepared by our in-house chef and served in our mezzanine dining area.

Our team of Bachelor-trained teachers lead our caring, professional and highly-skilled educators in all of our spaces, which are equipped with the highest quality Reggio Emilia-inspired learning resources and programs for all levels of early childhood development in line with the Guardian Curriculum.

In addition to the enriched indoor active play spaces for children, this centre offers your child a unique and welcoming environment with many amazing learning spaces for children. This includes a picturesque roof top garden and an outdoor Invention Centre classroom that will provide children with endless possibilities for creation and design.

With our regular Out-And-About excursions, all children are able to explore areas of our local community such as the Library, the Yarra River, Prahran Market and nearby parks and gardens. Our youngest children are also out and about in our 8-seat pram.

Introducing Guardian’s Summer Rain Program

From November to January, five Guardian Centres – 101 Collins, Kids Time Mckinnon, Rivergarden, Richmond and St Kilda Road – are running a Summer Rain Program with bespoke experiences for children from 0 to 5 years. Run in and around the art ateliers at each of the five centers, the program is designed by Multidisciplinary Artist, Heidi Weatherald. From visual arts, science and technology to dramatic play and literacy, no two days will look the same.

A taste of the experiences in the program

  • Science, sensory, technology and music
  • Science and literacy
  • Puppetry, engineering sculpture, and song
  • Sculpture and Song
  • Science, poetry, and music
  • Visual arts and storytelling

Are you interested in participating in our Summer Rain Program? Book a tour today.

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