Goodstart Flora Hill

Join Our Community In The Heart of Bendigo!

Womin-Dji-Ka! 

Goodstart Early Learning Flora is located in Central Bendigo and caters for children aged six weeks to six years. We are a 70-place service that offers high-quality care and education for all children through a welcoming and inclusive environment, carefully planned learning environments and a child-centred curriculum. We pride ourselves on a low-staff turnover and a commitment to helping children reach their potential.

At Goodstart Flora Hill we employ the Key Educator approach which allows us to build strong relationships with the children and families enrolled in our service. This approach has proven to foster a sense of belonging within our little community and makes the transition into care easier for the children and their families.

Community is important to us. The Bendigo community is resilient and proud of its past and these are the values we look to instil in the children. We acknowledge and respect the traditional custodians of the land, the Dja Dja Wurrung peope, and continue to work on embedding the culture and values of the Djaara people into our curriculum and environment.

Our rooms are named using the traditional language of the Dja Dja Wurrung People of animals that can be locally. Our centre has 4 rooms:

• Banya (Ring-Tailed Possum): 6 weeks to 18 months old
• Barramul (Emu): 18 months to 3 years
• Garuk (Boobook Owl): 2 ½ to 4 years
• Wurrumuk (Freshwater Turtle): Funded 3- & 4-year-old Kinder programs and wrap around care.

Your out-of-pocket costs may be reduced if you’re eligible for the Child Care Subsidy.

We invite you to  book a tour  to meet our team and learn more about our commitment to your child’s early learning journey.

Learning

The educational program and practices in all our rooms are designed in line with the Victorian Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Standards. Our Kindergarten program has the Victorian State Government ‘Kinder Tick’.

At Goodstart Flora Hill we value play-based learning and are environments are set up to facilitate this. We offer an indoor and outdoor learning program year-round so that the children can explore all areas of our environment as they need and want. Each room is structured and designed based on the childrens interests, abilities and development as well as with valued input from our families. This ensures that we offer each child the highest level of early education while supporting and promoting their individual needs, interests and strengths.

We encourage all children to develop an appreciation for the natural world and the environment around them by providing resources that reflect the local eco-system, and by giving them to explore, wonder and learn at their own pace.

The Team

At Goodstart Flora Hill we have many long-standing educators and some of them have been with us for over a decade.

As we are a small centre the team is a close-knit group of educators who enjoy working together and this resonates in the care and education that we provide for the children.

Our team is passionate, caring, qualifies and often participate in professional development programs to ensure that we are always engaging in best practice.

We strive to create an early learning environment that is welcoming, nurturing and inclusive to all members of our community both past, present and future.

Extras!

At Goodstart Flora Hill we use Storypark or send you stories, photos, videos and updates while your child is at the Centre. This helps us to share special moments with you and keep you updated on all the learning that your child is doing when they are with us.  

In our Wurrumuk room we have a pet turtle called Franklin, she is a valued member of our community and the children love to help us to take care of her each day!

In our 4 year old funded kinder we run a bush kinder program. The children travel by bus to Crusoe Number 7 Reservoir to spend the morning exploring the local bushland with their peers. We also have Kelly Sports that come in once a week for the children to participate in if they choose to.

To foster our relationship with our local community, we participate in community events, local celebrations and connect with local businesses. Bendigo Food Share drops off food each week (that would otherwise get thrown out) for all of our families to access and take home with them if they need or want to.

Once enrolled at Goodstart Flora Hill your child will receive a hat, t-shirt and welcome pack with some little goodies inside. All your child’s meals and snacks are provided to them here and we modify meals to suit any allergies, anaphylaxis or family requests. We also supply nappies and wipes for any child who needs them!

The best way to see our Centre, meet our amazing team and explore how we can support your child’s early learning journey is to book a tour!