Swanston Street Children’s Centre
Applications for 2024 are now open! Read how to apply below.
About the Swanston Street Children's Centre
The Swanston Street Children's Centre is housed in an historic building directly opposite the University of Melbourne’s main Parkville campus.
It offers:
- Integrated three-year-old and four-year-old kindergarten programs, delivered five days per week by qualified Early Childhood Teachers
- A responsive curriculum that caters for children’s individual needs, dispositions, personalities and learning styles
- Purposefully developed play-based programs that respectfully acknowledge the importance of secure attachment and stages of development
- Inquiry-based curriculum that encourages sensory exploration, experiential learning and communication through visual and expressive arts
- Generalist age-appropriate curricula that focuses on learning in language and literacy and science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics (STEAM)
- A regular 'Stepping Out, Finding Out and Speaking Out' learning in nature program which supports children as active citizens through walking excursions into the local community
- A weekly Indigenous studies program across all rooms
- A specialist weekly music program delivered by qualified teacher
- Food services and cloth nappies.
Age groups and rooms
The Swanston Street Children's Centre is registered for 41 places, with children grouped by age.
| Room | Age | Places |
|---|---|---|
| Kurrajong Room | 3–12 months | 8 places |
| Acacia Room | 1–2 years | 8 places |
| Tea Tree Room | 2–3 years | 12 places |
| Casuarina Room | 3–5 years | 13 places |
Hours, programs and enrolment requirements
The Swanston Street Children's Centre operates from 7:45am - 6:00pm, Monday to Friday, 50 weeks per year. It is closed some public holidays and University of Melbourne holidays.
Swanston Street Children's Centre offers full day early education programs for children aged three months to five years, including:
- Long day care programs for children under three years old
- Integrated kindergarten and long day care programs for three and four-year-olds.
Attendance is limited to one University of Melbourne Early Childhood Service per child.
For enrolment into integrated kindergarten and long day care programs, priority is given to children who will be attending a funded program at Swanston Street Children's Centre. Children attending a funded program at Swanston Street Children's Centre must not be enrolled into a funded kindergarten program at any other early childhood service.
Age requirement
- Three-year old program: Children are required to turn three years of age by 30 April in the year of entry
- Four-year old program: Children are required to turn four years of age by 30 April in the year of entry.
Virtual tour
Photo gallery
Fees and subsidies
Fees
| Family | Full fee (per child) |
|---|---|
| Daily attendance (staff and community) | $153 |
| Daily attendance (student) | $134 |
Subsidies
Swanston Street Children's Centre is a registered service provider with the Australian Government. For eligible families, a Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is paid directly to the service as a weekly fee reduction. Full fees are charged to families until CCS entitlements are confirmed.
A rebate system to assist low-income local and international student families is available. To find out more, please contact us.
How to apply
Applications for 2024 are now open. To apply, please complete an application form (PDF 389.6 KB) and return it to:
Early Childhood Education Services Administration
228 Queensberry Street, Carlton 3053
childcare-enquiries@unimelb.edu.au
Applications are accepted throughout the year with places allocated dependent on availability. Applications for enrolment commencing January must be submitted by August the previous year to be considered in the initial round of allocations.
For more information, please see: Information for applicants: 2024 (PDF 157.3 KB)
Centre tours
The Swanston Street Children’s Centre will be conducting tours for interested families. You are welcome to meet with our Centre Director and some of our educators whilst you learn about the centre’s approach to early learning and take a walk through our indoor and outdoor experiences.
To find out more about early childhood education at the Swanston Street Children’s Centre and to arrange a tour, please contact the Administration Team on 03 8344 9621.
Contact us
For all applications, accounts and enrolment enquiries, contact the Administration Office:
- Phone: 03 8344 9621
- Email: childcare-enquiries@unimelb.edu.au.
To contact the Centre directly, phone 03 9035 4300.