Great Beginnings Mt Clear
Great Beginnings Mt Clear Centre overview
Great Beginnings Mt Clear Centre highlights
- Families' individual needs are well catered to, with everything from meals, sunscreen, nappies, wipes and bedding all included in the fees!
- Our community engagement program encourages children to interact with and discover their local community. We often have visits from community services, and we go out on adventures to teach the children about their local environment.
- We are a multicultural early learning centre, with educators proficient in multiple languages, including Japanese and Hindi.
About Great Beginnings Mt Clear Long Daycare and Kindergarten
Welcome to Great Beginnings Mt Clear. We're ideally located for families in Canadian, Mount Helen, Buninyong, Miners Rest and Ballarat East.
Our Long Daycare and Kindergarten Centre provides early education and care for children aged 6 weeks to 6 years.
We provide convenient, full care coverage from 9hr, 10hr or full days, 5 days per week, including school holidays.
Our multicultural, dedicated team of Teachers and Educators provide a safe, nurturing, and inspiring learning environment - where your child can thrive, and be their wonderful self, every day.
Getting school ready? We offer the Government-approved Kindergarten program that helps ensure your child has a successful transition to formal schooling.
We offer a great variety of learning experiences at our Centre including:
- Sustainability Program: Helps children develop and understand the importance of embedding sustainable practices into everyday life. Children learn about recycling, conserving water, growing food and the importance of protecting our planet.
- Community Engagement Program: Encourages children to interact with and discover their local community. We often have visits from community services, and we go out on adventures to teach the children about their local environment.
- Music & Movement Program: Designed to develop fundamental skills that help support children’s self-regulation, memory, and concentration. Children learn to appreciate and develop an understanding of music - and of course, have fun.
- Sports Program: Allows the children to be active and learn about different sports and movements.
Fees & Vacancies
Great Beginnings Mt Clear Service features
See more (15)Great Beginnings Mt Clear service include:
Book a live tour at this carefully curated childcare centre and embark on the journey for your child’s growth and development
Get to know us
Kindergarten/Preschool Programs
Kindergarten/Preschool Programs
At Great Beginnings, your child will benefit from our enhanced learning program in Kinder combined with our play-based learning program. With the added convenience of long daycare hours, run all year-round. Perfect for busy families.
The added benefits of our Kindergarten program include:
- Extended opening hours
- Open all year round (excl public holidays)
- Programs developed and delivered by our Early Childhood Teachers
- Exclusive music and movement program for self-regulation
About the Curriculum
About the Curriculum
“Let the child be the scriptwriter, director and the actor in their own play” - Magda Gerber
Nursery Space: 6 weeks – 2 years
Learning starts from before birth, and our Educators have created a welcoming and nurturing nursery environment where each baby feels safe to explore and discover new things - through their senses, their communication and cues (body language, facial expression and sounds) and by experimenting. On any given day you can see the nursery children engaging in all types of play, water play, music time, story time and more. Every day provides a brand new, exciting adventure for our babies to support their development, learning and wellbeing!
Toddler Space: 2 - 3 years
Our teachers and educators encourage the children to learn through play to help enhance their sensory-motor development. This happens through carefully planned music, dance, games and reading experiences.
On any given day the Toddler children can be seen developing their numeracy by building a tower, sorting objects, pointing and identifying shapes and patterns and participating in counting songs and games.
Children in our toddler space are encouraged to participate in group play. Group play is important as it helps our toddlers develop important social skills such as, turn taking, developing self confidence and emotional self regulation. Our team helps children through talking, planning and role modelling.
Kindergarten Space: 3 – 6 years
Kindergarten is a unique time for learning with peers and developing skills for later learning including confidence and curiosity, important skills for starting school. Our play-based program encourages active engagement in learning and supports a range of positive developmental outcomes including resilience, independence, critical thinking and creativity.
The oral language supports literacy learning. A child’s oral language ability is the best predictor for later success in learning to read and write. Hearing the sounds within a language is the first critical step for all literacy learning. Our team supports our Kindergarten children's development by engaging in rich discussions, introducing new vocabulary as part of everyday conversations, as well as singing, playing games, and reading with the children daily.
Throughout the Kindergarten year, children use their language to share ideas, ask questions, express themselves, and connect with peers and adults in social settings.
Social-emotional skills, including the ability to self-regulate emotions, is supported through group learning environments. Our team supports each child’s social and emotional development by labelling and talking about emotions and supporting appropriate responses as together, they engage in new and challenging situations. Lastly, ensuring that all children are ready for the ‘big school’ by preparing them for all that ‘big school’ has to offer.
Morning
Jesse is 11 months old and enjoys sensory play outside in the sandpit with her friends. She sits near her educator who helps teach her how to scoop the sand into the bucket. Jesse is learning how to dig, carry, and move the sand. She is also exploring texture and learning what happens to the sand when she adds water!
Lunch
Jesse has finished her lunch and is preparing to take a nap. Her educator changes her nappy, prepares a bottle and reads Jesse a story before her afternoon sleep.
Afternoon
Jesse and some of her nursery friends enjoy some story time and songs outside in the shaded garden. They read ‘Peepo’ which is Jesse’s favourite book.
Morning
Nick is two and a half years old and loves to start his day at the centre outside on the climbing equipment. His friends join him, and together they pretend to be pirates on a ship looking for treasure. Through this exciting dramatic play, Nick is learning about himself and the world around him. Dramatic play is helping Nick identify his interests, abilities, likes and dislikes.
Lunch
Nick is watering the vegetables in the garden. By doing this, Nick is learning the importance of growing and caring for the veggies in the garden. Nick picks a tomato from the garden, which the Chef will use to help make Nick and his friend’s lunch - Spaghetti Bolognese!
Afternoon
Nick enjoys art, and today he is painting a beach scene from a recent family holiday. He adds the finishing touches and sets the painting aside to dry; so that he can take it home to share with his family.
While painting, Nick is learning how to express himself creatively and how to convey his ideas and emotions. Painting is also helping develop Nick’s hand eye coordination, finger, wrist and hand strength. Making marks on paper is important for self expression as well as later learning.
Morning
Daniela is almost five years old and can’t wait for today’s carpentry experience - she loves building things! Carpentry experiences allow Daniela and her friends to extend their learning through real-life experiences. While participating in carpentry, Daniela is learning to problem solve, experiment and predict. She is also improving her hand eye coordination, manipulative skills and muscular strength.
Lunch
Before Daniela sits down for lunch with her friends and educators, Daniela takes part in the centre’s sports program. Daniela loves sports. Sports helps Daniela improve her flexibility and strength (perfect for growing bodies!). Sports also allows her to practice different skills in a fun and engaging way.
Afternoon
Daniela is off to ‘big school’ next year and she can't wait to start! Daniela and her friends will be visiting the local primary school next week. In preparation for the visit, the class is creating a list of questions to ask the Principal and school children.
Health and Nutrition
Health and Nutrition
Our centre chef prepares and cooks healthy and nutritious meals daily, catering to the unique dietary requirements of every child. We believe that by encouraging active participation (such as growing their own fruit and vegetables, preparing, and finally cooking!) children learn to appreciate and understand the importance of healthy eating.
Our centre offers children nutrient-rich, unprocessed, and seasonal whole foods – created to delight the fussiest eaters.
Meet the team
Meet the team
Hi my name is Geraldine, and I am the Centre Manager here at Great Beginnings Mt Clear. I began my career in 1998. I joined the team at Great Beginnings Mt Clear in 2023. I hold a Diploma in Early Childhood Education. My experience in the sector includes working my way up from an assistant educator to a room leader, 2IC and Director. I also spent time working for child protection but returned to centre-based education. I strive to bring my broad experience, passion, knowledge, and dedication to this important role.
During my career I have learnt that every child is unique. As educators, we should embrace their individuality. Here at Great Beginnings Mt Clear, we respect and nurture each child and their individuality. We want children’s early years to be a time of discovery, exploration and development of lifelong learning skills. The team here provides a safe and secure environment and embraces each child and family to empower their sense of belonging. The educators and children within the service are our extended family. We endeavour to ensure that the relationships we build are based on trust and communication, as the children see us almost every day and need to know that they are safe and cared for. Our approach is child-led, meaning when a child asks or shows an interest in playing with water, dirt, paint, or something equally messy, we say yes! For every child, high quality early childhood education and care can assist children to have the best start in life. The team within the service can deal with all the mess and clean up! Early childhood education and care can provide important opportunities to learn and develop by helping your child make friends, develop independence and learn new routines.
The team are working together to build strong connections within the service and the community. From the moment you walk in the door, you are greeted with a friendly "good morning" and made to feel welcome. The team here are always up for a chat and eager to be informed on anything that can assist us with engaging and aiding the development of each child.
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26 Olympic AvenueMount Clear, VIC, 3350
Centre Reviews
This childcare centre has significant issues, too many to list. Children are not offered activities, educators leave regularly, the food is poor quality,... This childcare centre has significant issues, too many to list. Children are not offered activities, educators leave regularly, the food is poor quality, there are genuine safety concerns. Our kids often came home with other kids clothes, their belongings were often lost. In general, it was really inconsistent and required me to follow up with management and staff and G8 education on several occasions to ensure basic care to be taken with my children (they would also lie or fail to accept responsibility when they messed up). There were lots of children who left at the same time we did for the same reasons and parents were really unhappy. There are far better childcare centres available. Don’t risk it. Read more
I honestly could not be happier with the service that Great Beginnings offers my son! The staff are amazing and I love knowing... I honestly could not be happier with the service that Great Beginnings offers my son! The staff are amazing and I love knowing that my son's happiness is their number one priority. The learning spaces are spacious and provide fantastic learning experiences. The educators are nurturing, passionate and provide exceptional care! I highly recommend Great Beginnings in Mt Clear!!! Read more
Dear Daniel, thanks for leaving us such a wonderful review. We are thrilled that you loved your experience; our staff will definitely be happy to read what you wrote. We put customer experience and satisfaction as our priority, and your review reaffirms the hard work we put in every day. Kind regards, The Great Beginnings Team.