Goodstart Wendouree

Exceeding-rated early learning near Lake Wendouree

Inclusive care and education form nursery to kindergarten.

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1122 Howitt Street, BALLARAT, 3353, VIC

6:00am to 6:00pm, Monday to Friday
Open every weekday of the year, except public holidays

Nursery, Kindergarten

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Join our team

Welcome to Goodstart Wendouree!

We're a not-for-profit early learning centre near Howitt Street and Ballarat Grammar school, built on Wadawurrung Country.

Our Exceeding-rated service offers a secure, nurturing, home-like environment where every child is safe, celebrated and supported.

Families choose us for our inclusive culture, consistent, longstanding educators, and tailored programs with meaningful excursions that help children feel a strong sense of belonging.

Whether you're a working parent or simply seeking a warm and secure place for your child to thrive, our centre provides quality care and strong community connections from nursery to kindergarten.

Why not take a tour? We'd love to show you our holistic, play-based approach to early learning in action.

Why families choose us:

Exceeding the NQS – so you know we’re above the standard
A warm, welcoming environment where every child feels safe
Low staff turnover – many educators with 10-23 years of service!
Small centre with a warm and genuine home-from-home feel
Bush Kindy, wildlife park visits and regular local excursions
Weekly soccer and fun incursions: African drumming, pet education
Funded kindergarten program led by experienced bachelor's and master's degree-qualified teachers
Convenient location with off-street parking near schools and medical services

Our renovated centre has three spacious learning rooms with purposefully curated resources where our passionate team delivers hands-on, imaginative experiences supporting children's learning and wellbeing.

Outdoors, little learners enjoy exploring our fairy garden, mud pit, veggie patch, worm farm and shaded play spaces – all designed to promote sustainability and creativity.

We’re a convenient and trusted choice for Ballarat families near medical centres, local schools, family services, with a spacious off-street car park.

With strong links to the local community, our excursions and events foster children’s sense of belonging and real-world learning. We keep families closely informed through Storypark, regular newsletters and open conversations.

Whether you're after a nurturing nursery, engaging toddler care, or a school-ready kindergarten program, we'd love to welcome you in.

Book a tour today or contact us to find a time that works for you. We look forward to supporting your child's learning journey.

Learn more about Goodstart Wendouree

At Goodstart Wendouree, our philosophy centres around the belief that every child is a unique individual with their own interests and strengths. We embrace a play-based learning approach that nurtures curiosity and creativity, allowing children to explore their world in meaningful ways. 
We prioritise: 
1. Holistic Development: Supporting cognitive, emotional, social, and physical growth through engaging and developmentally appropriate activities. 
2. Family and Community Engagement: Building strong partnerships with families and the community to create a supportive network for each child. 
3. Inclusive Environment: Celebrating diversity and ensuring that all children feel valued, respected, and included. 
4. Lifelong Learning: Instilling a love of learning by encouraging exploration, problem-solving, and critical thinking. 
Through our philosophy, we aim to create a safe, nurturing environment where children can thrive and become confident, capable learners. 
Children need to feel safe and supported to learn and grow, so we promote key educator relationships between our educators and children. Your child will have at least one educator (their key educator) who takes them under their wing and really gets to know them. 
Our Key Educator relationships help children form secure attachments. Educators work closely with smaller groups and individual children to better understand each child. These relationships lead to improved outcomes for children as we foster more communication between families and educators. 
We inform families regularly about their child's progress and welcome family involvement in our centre events and activities.  
At our Wendouree centre, we're proud to inspire your child's love of learning with the support of our passionate and qualified early childhood experts. Teachers with bachelor's degrees run our three and four-year-old kindergarten program, so children can be well on their way to excellent learning outcomes by the time they start school. 
At Goodstart, we believe all children deserve the best possible start in life, which includes access to high-quality early childhood education and care. We offer:  
- Discounts on multiple days  
- All day sessions  
- Discounted shorter sessions  
- Fee assistance programs for families that need support
We work closely with parents to ensure the individual needs, interests and strengths of children are considered, and our learning goals reflect them. Using Storypark, a wonderful communication platform, we stay in close touch with families and ensure you're well informed about your child's development and achievements. 
Click here to book your tour or call our Family Services team to find out more on 1800 222 543.

Enrol now!

When every moment counts, make them Goodstart moments.

Enquire now

My name is Sharna Edwards and I have just taken over the role as Centre Director here at GoodStart Wendouree.

I have extensive experience in the Child Care industry, I started my journey in early years from 2018 as an educator, senior educator, educational leader and assistant director until I was given the opportunity to now lead the team as a Centre Director.

I strive to create a safe place for families that embraces and respects their cultures and diverse needs. I have a strong commitment that children have different learning styles and that every child is a unique individual. I believe that families are children's first teachers and recognize the importance of collaboration with families to support children's learning development.

I look forward to meeting you all, book a tour today!

Government Funded Kindergarten Program

At Wendouree, you and your child can enjoy the best of both worlds. Our early learning centre offers a Government-funded kindergarten program and long day care under the one roof. Our kindergarten teachers are University qualified and provide a play-based learning program that will support your child in learning the skills for school and life.