Guardian Childcare & Education Thornbury

(Formerly Smith Street)

Every day is a new opportunity for discovery and growth at Guardian Childcare & Education Thornbury (formerly Smith Street). With a range of resource-rich environments, including spacious outdoor areas, natural climbing structures, and alfresco dining, children are encouraged to explore and learn.

The light-filled centre also features a beautiful old tree, high ceilings, a wooden cubby house, herb and vegetable gardens, worm farms, pet chickens, and a range of age-specific ateliers where our exciting programs come to life.

We are proud to have a diverse team of Educators and celebrate a variety of cultures and holidays. We are relaunching our bush kinder program, and enjoy taking the toddlers out for regular walks in the neighbourhood.

Our on-site cook prepares five nutritionally balanced meals using seasonal ingredients every day. The children and Educators often collect herbs and vegetables from the garden to add to the daily meals and use in cooking classes.

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

Book a Tour Enquire Now

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 7:00am to 6:00pm
Monday to Friday

Fee Information

Age Group Daily Fee
Under 3 Years $137.00*
Over 3 Years $133.00*

*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 Thornbury provides joyous early learning experience and care for young children aged between 0 and 5 years old of age. Founded in 1965, we have become an extended family for community of Thornbury creating a welcoming environment of learning and growing that celebrates the individuality of each child.

We are nestled in the suburb of Thornbury and if you are travelling to work into the CBD our centre would suit these surroundings suburbs: Coburg, Northcote, Preston, Pascoe Vale South and Brunswick.

Your child will love their day at Guardian Childcare & Education Thornbury with our friendly and passionate team of educators. We have high educator to child ratios allowing educators and families to work together to ensure a happy and productive time whilst children are in our care.

Our educators take the time to provide families with up to date information on their child’s day and development progress. Our educators are selected for their qualifications and expertise in the early childhood field and we pride ourselves on the quality of our care and the warm and secure learning environment we provide.

Your child’s learning and development will benefit greatly from the interaction with educators and other children at the centre. We make sure that our curriculum and school readiness program fits within the Commonwealth Government’s Early Years Learning Framework and National Quality Standards.

We cater our services at the centre to make life easier for our busy families and offer a funded kinder programme. We provide nutritionally balanced meals prepared by our own chef in our centre kitchen. We also provide necessities such as nappies, sunscreen and bedding for nap times and our beautiful naturally based outdoor environment is perfect for children to explore, play and learn.

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