Contact us
Get in touch with our friendly team, we can’t wait to hear you and your child’s story!
Address
32 Chapel Rd, Keysborough VIC 3173
Call Us
03 9125 8098
Mail Us
info@bilbieselc.com.au
Operating Hours
Monday - Friday
7:00am - 6.30pm
Contact Details
- 32 Chapel Rd, Keysborough VIC 3173
- 03 9125 8098
- info@bilbieselc.com.au
Book a Tour /
Enrolment Enquiry
Enter your details here and our Centre Manager will contact you.
Getting Started
We are here to Support your family’s early childhood education and care needs. We understand every family is unique, with their own specific requirements. To cater for this, we endeavour to provide education and care for the days that work best for your family.
Starting with Bilbies
We want to get to know you and your child; the things that are important for your child and family are also important to us. You and your child will attend an initial orientation session before their first day, more than one as required.
We want to:
- Make sure your child feels safe & happy
- Understand the unique needs of your child including medication, allergies, cultural needs and preferences
- Enable you to learn the rhythm of the day; from welcoming you in the morning to waving goodbye
- Give you parking and security information
During the first few days, both you and your child will have lots of questions and you may feel anxious. We will ensure that all your questions are answered and do our utmost to ensure your child enjoys all their new experiences – from trying new food, meeting lots of new adults, to playing with new friends. We also know that leaving your child may take a while to get used to. As a team we focus on building relationships with all our children to make them feel safe and secure.
We will send you a link to our Parent Handbook which is full of great information.
Things to remember to send with your child include:
- Spare set of clothes
- Hat
- Medication, which should be passed to one of the team upon arrival
- A water bottle
- Please make sure everything is clearly labelled with your child’s name!
- It is important your child wears clothing that will allow them to access the toilet quickly and comfortably. Elastic waisted pants are most suitable, whilst jeans and pants with buttons are not recommended.
Kinder Years
Bilbies ELC & Kinder is Victorian Government approved funded Kindergarten, providing an inclusive Montessori Kindergarten program for children between the ages of 3 to 6 years of age where all children who are enrolled can have the opportunity to explore their interests and curiosity to matters around them, experiment with range of materials and experiences.
Our Kindergarten program will run for 5 hours each day and is led by qualified Kindergarten and Montessori Trained teachers.
Our Kindergarten program is fully equipped with the high-quality Montessori materials to provide our children the opportunity to explore the five Montessori curriculum areas that are purposefully designed for children’s developmental needs. Research clearly indicates that Montessori children are well-equipped to deal with every aspect of life and are successful academically, socially, and emotionally. Montessori children are often shown to have better skills such as completing work or tasks, longer attention spans, showing responsibility, good at problem solving skills, asking questions, being open to learning new skills and helpful.
Developing social skills is extremely important for overall development and Montessori children are in environments where they are treated with respect, shown to be courteous and polite. Children grow up to be considerate members of their community with good social skills.
Child Care Subsidy
Frequently asked questions
FAQ's
- You are required to pay one-week fees in advance
- Payments are made by direct debit for convenience and security
- If you wish to cancel or change your booking, we need two weeks’ notice in writing
- We require a 2 week bond to secure your child’s place
We have a clear policy and procedure for accidents and there is at least one first aid qualified staff member available at all times. If an incident, injury, trauma or illness occurs:
- Parents will be informed immediately or at collection, depending on the incident
- Staff will complete a detailed incident, injury, trauma or illness form
- Parents will be asked to sign the form
- Dr Maria Montessori (1870-1952) is best known as the founder of the Montessori Method of Education, she was a physician, anthropologist and teacher. She developed her unique method of educating children over a professional career that spanned over fifty years.
- She discovered that children pass through a number of distinct developmental stages, and that at each stage, children have similar interests, preferred activities and approaches to learning.
- The Montessori philosophy was developed through passionate scientific observation of children from many ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds from birth to maturity. It is based upon a deep understanding of children and their development
We follow the Sun Smart program all year round and nothing is left to chance. Families are asked to provide a labelled sunhat that is kept at Bilbies. Clothing covering shoulders is required, as is a water bottle. Sunscreen is applied before going outdoors and staff monitor the UV levels daily.
All families are asked to bring:
- A bag that is easily accessible by your child
- Spare sets of clothes
- Hat
- Medication (as required)
- Water bottle
Victoria Educator to Child Ratios
- Nursery & Toddlers Ages 0-3: Ratio of 1 Educator per 4 Children (1:4)
- Kindergarten Ages 3-6: Ratio of 1 Educator per 11 Children (1:11)