Mariah Ware
Centre Manager
Every day children amaze me with their imaginations, understanding and interpretations of the world- working alongside and getting to know each individual is the highlight of my day.
Guardian Childcare & Education St Kilda South is a beautiful, sprawling Centre with a wrap-around playground, a water play area, natural play structures, and a range of age-specific areas for children to explore and learn.
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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 7:30am
Handover time with children, families and our friendly Educators. There’s a chance to share what’s important for the day and any news from home.
From 7:30am
Breakfast time where families are welcome to stay and enjoy breakfast with the children.
Morning
An opportunity to play and discover with open-plan play in family groups and multi-age groupings.
Morning
Planned experiences. This is where the Guardian difference comes to life. Alongside our Educators your child’s exploration leads to learnings in numeracy, literacy, language, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, social skills, technology, creative arts and much more.
Morning tea
An opportunity for children to come together for a healthy snack, often they help prepare their food alongside our carers and chef.
Mid-morning
Individually tailored to your child’s needs and curiosity the planned experiences continue, this includes both indoor and outdoor programs.
Lunch
Another nutritious meal expertly prepared by our chef. Families are invited to join the children for meals and excursions if they wish.
Afternoon
If your child wants to, or needs to sleep, it’s time to rest and recharge. For children who don’t need to rest the planned experiences continue, in most cases outdoors.
Afternoon tea
Another chance for the children to come together and re-fuel in small groups or with siblings. There is also an opportunity to rest or play together and reflect on the day.
Pick-up
As you arrive to pick up your child, there’s a chance to speak with our Educators and share news about the day. Our Storypark App also allows you to stay in touch 24/7 wherever you are.
End of day
Your child is encouraged to grab a light snack as they leave the centre. We’re mindful of how routines vary, throughout the day if we notice your child looking tired food will be provided.
Open 7:30am to 6:30pm
Monday to Friday
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.
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.
Guardian Childcare & Education St Kilda South is built around a historically significant tree. This Morton Bay Fig tree is around 200 years old and has been a place of gathering for children and families for generations. At Guardian, we acknowledge the history and traditions of those who have come to this site before us, including the Boonwurung People. We also acknowledge that the presence of this tree is the reason this site was available for the centre to be built around.
This leads us to feelings of respect, appreciation and responsibility towards nature, which guides our practices and is ever present in our educational program. Our centre runs a wonderful excursion program with regular visits to the supermarket, library, local primary schools, cafes, beach, the list goes on.
Our centre has a dedicated on-site chef who prepares fresh, locally sourced food with a large emphasis on a balanced diet of fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, legumes and seeds. We also provide necessities such as nappies, sunscreen and bedding for nap times.
The first five years of your child’s life are incredibly important when it comes to social and emotional development, and setting them up with a love of learning that lasts a lifetime. That’s why at Guardian we’re focused on teaching children how to learn versus just ticking a box.
Our world-class curriculum is delivered by qualified teachers through exciting and engaging play-based experiences, including a leading Kindergarten Program for our older children. We combine this with the highest quality care, and communicate it all back to you so you can see how your child is growing and developing every day.
Our Centres inspire curiosity, foster creativity and support discovery with a variety of sensory-rich and sustainable spaces designed for early learning that encourage your child to think, question and do amazing things. All of the classrooms and outdoor areas are filled with the best natural, open-ended materials to inspire your child to be brave, curios and imaginative in their learning.
Our close partnership with families allows us to offer a range of additional benefits to the learning and childcare experience for the children in our St Kilda South childcare centre. We pride ourselves on the support we offer families and want to help make it a little easier to balance all those daily commitments, through initiatives such as:
Guardian Childcare St Kilda South is an early learning centre that services a number of local areas, including: St Kilda, Prahran, Richmond and Malvern.
Adam Bramdaw
Our 2 boys have been cared for here over the last five years. Quality of care is great, and despite challenges, the team are always happy and genuinely care for ... Read More
Kate Fandieieva
I always recommend the center to all my friends. It is a great place for kids to grow. Having animals in the center is an absolute advantage because educators can ... Read More
Jacqueline Xavier
Our child has been going here to Treehouse (now Guardian) since she was a year old. We have been very happy with all the Educators here and our daughter also ... Read More
Tristan Jamieson
I have now had two of my three children attend this centre and couldn't be happier with the service and staff. I pulled my daughter out of her previous centre due ... Read More
E Kate
My children receive high quality nutritious meals, and have been so happy here. Fantastic educators who care so much and go above and beyond for my family. The place ... Read More
Amber Bramdaw
Mariah Ware
My daughter has been attending Guardian St Kilda South since she was 4 months old, the educators made it so easy for me to return to work. Being a first ... Read More
Adeline Watbot
My first child has attended this centre, and my second son is now. We can't be happier with the quality of the learning, the great natural spaces, the open door ... Read More
Michele Ribeiro Soares
I have my 2yo daughter here since last year. It makes me so happy every day that she arrives at the centre smilling. She adores her teacher and her room. ... Read More
Anne Koopmann
We could not be happier with this center. From day one we have loved coming here. Our son is so happy every morning when he walks through the door. Lots ... Read More
Rebecca Sanders
Sanders Family
We're absolutely loving this centre. It's out 3rd try finding a centre for our daughter and we're so relieved to have found such a great place for her. The carers ... Read More
Stephanie Collins
Estefania M
Maria Jansson
Maria Coulter
Fresh food prepared daily. Definitely recommend this.
Michelle Catanese
I think it's a great centre, lots of outdoor play, creativity, education and natural play. The staff is friendly and my daughter always goes with a smile on her face, ... Read More
Andrew Pantelis
Couldn't be happier with this centre, I can see my little boy advancing in areas we can't do at home. He loves it here, as do we.
Heritage 56
We were super heart broken when we had to look for a new centre. Given all the fond memories we had with both our children attending this centre I was ... Read More
betty time
poorly run by the current centre manager, she is unfriendly and couldn't care about any of her staff of families attending the centre. have tried to have conversations with her ... Read More
To explore the centre, chat with our team of Educators and learn more about our high-quality curriculum, book a tour now.