By offering both three and four-year-old Kindergarten programs with a qualified teacher in a long day care early learning centre, we provide more flexibility in terms of hours to suit both your and your child’s needs. Additionally, there is no need to arrange twelve weeks of leave each year; your child can attend Elles Belles Early Learning during the school holidays.
Kindergarten
Home / About Us / Age Groups / Kindergarten
Kindergarten · 3 and 4-year-old programs
Sessional kinder benefits, without the limited hours.
Most parents think it is a choice: sessional kinder for the program, or long day care for the hours. At Elles Belles, it is both.
Our funded three and four-year-old kindergarten programs run inside our long day care centres, so your child gets a full Victorian kindergarten program with a qualified teacher, on the days and hours your family actually needs.
What your child gets
Everything you look for in kinder, in one place
Victorian Government-approved kindergarten
Our kindergarten programs carry Victorian Government approval.
Qualified kinder teacher every day
Both our three and four-year-old programs are delivered by a qualified Early Childhood Teacher.
Full Victorian kinder curriculum
Guided by the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework and its five learning outcomes.
Funded kinder, plus the hours working families need
Funded kinder where eligible, delivered inside long day care open 7.00am to 6.30pm, including over the Christmas break.
Intentional teaching and school readiness
Play-based learning and intentional teaching work side by side, and Elles Belles is approved for School Readiness Funding.
Bush Kinder
Bush Kinder is a big part of our kinder program, taking children’s learning outdoors into nature.
Sessional vs long day care
How kindergarten at Elles Belles compares
Both models can deliver a quality kindergarten program. The difference is how it fits around your family.
Feature
Elles Belles Kindergarten
Sessional kindergarten
Kindergarten program
Yes: Full Victorian kindergarten program, Victorian Government-approved
Yes: A kindergarten program
Teacher
Yes: A qualified kinder teacher, every day
Yes: A qualified kindergarten teacher
Funding
Yes: Funded three and four-year-old kinder
Yes: Funded kinder
Hours
Yes: Long day care hours, 7.00am to 6.30pm, and open over the Christmas break
No: Limited session hours
School holidays
Yes: Open 52 weeks a year, so kinder continues through the school holidays
No: Closed for school holidays, around twelve weeks a year to arrange care for
Sessional programs vary between providers. Our team is happy to talk through how kinder works at each campus.
Bush Kinder
Learning in and through nature
Bush Kinder is a dedicated part of our kindergarten program. Children head outdoors into natural settings to explore, investigate and connect with the world beyond the classroom.
Bush Kinder sessions take children into natural outdoor environments where they can climb, explore, observe and play freely. It is a regular part of our kinder timetable and complements the learning happening inside the classroom.
Intentional teaching
Play, with purpose
Kindergarten at Elles Belles is play-based, and it is also deliberate.
Our teachers notice what children are curious about, then plan experiences that stretch their thinking further. Programs are documented, flexible and responsive to the children in each group, and incursions are planned around their learning and interests.
Our three and four-year-old kinder children also take part in a weekly Mindfulness Program with Kerri, who is qualified in Tibetan Singing Bowl Therapy and Sound Healing, included at no extra cost.
“What I like about Elles Belles is the centre’s philosophy and how they follow the needs of the children.”
School readiness
Ready for school, in every sense
Being ready for school is about more than letters and numbers.
Our kinder program supports communication, independence, friendships and a lifelong love of learning, with early literacy and numeracy woven through play.
Elles Belles is approved for School Readiness Funding, a permanent part of the Victorian kindergarten funding model that supports programs building the capacity of kindergarten services, educators and families. All kinder students also receive their own polo shirt.
“My children have always received top tier care and built lovely relationships with the educators.”
Continuity of care
The same familiar faces, from nursery to kinder
Because our centres cater for every stage from nursery to kindergarten, many children start kinder somewhere they already know, with friends they have grown up alongside.
Many of our educators and room leaders have been with us for years, so children keep familiar faces as they grow. And because kinder runs inside long day care, there is no juggling a sessional kinder with a separate care arrangement.
“Beautiful childcare. My daughter has been here the last 3 years. The carers and teachers are brilliant.”
Why families choose Elles Belles
Family owned, and parents too
Elles Belles is a proud, private, family-owned childcare and kindergarten. Our own children have attended Elles Belles, and decisions are made by parents who understand the trust you are placing in us, never by a head office far away.
- Meals cooked fresh on site every day by qualified chefs
- Staffed above the legislated ratios
- Extracurricular programs included at no extra cost
- Open 7.00am to 6.30pm, including over the Christmas break
Good to know
Kindergarten questions
For anything we have not answered, email us at opsmanager@ellesbelles.com.au or ask on your tour.
Each classroom is led by a qualified room leader who must hold a minimum of a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education. Some of our Room Leaders may hold or be working towards a higher qualification or degree in their field. These educators, together with the Educational Leader, are responsible for the overall operation of the classroom, including the implementation of learning and developmental outcomes for all the children.
Fifty percent of all educators caring for and educating your child must hold a minimum of a Diploma in Early Childhood Education or be working towards this qualification. The Co-Educators are required to hold a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education at minimum or be working towards this qualification. We provide traineeships to support educators in achieving this.
Our three and four-year-old Kindergarten programs are both delivered by a qualified Early Childhood Teacher.
Our waitlist operates by considering the child’s age to determine if our age-specific rooms have vacancies that meet the family’s needs, such as preferred days and start date. We also take into account the Priority Access Guidelines set by the Government.
Once one of our campuses reaches full capacity, we can only depend on existing families to voluntarily change their care requirements or cease care for a vacancy to arise. When a vacancy becomes available, the Campus Directors will consult the waitlist. Additionally, three months prior to your child’s commencement, you will receive a courtesy phone call from Elles Belles Early Learning, informing you of any potential vacancies for your consideration.
Yes. Our incursions are planned around themes based on the children’s learning and interests. We also offer extracurricular activities related to music, language, or physical activity at all our campuses, at no extra cost.
Ready to visit?
See kinder at Elles Belles
for yourself
Book a tour of Cheltenham or Ormond to see the rooms and meet the team. Still researching? The Early Learning Hub is a good place to start.