North Bendigo

Location

Lightning Reef Early Learning Centre (ELC)
74-88 Holmes Rd
North Bendigo VIC 3550

Located in North Bendigo, our centre is a five-minute drive from Eaglehawk train station, the Bendigo Health general hospital and Bendigo city centre.

We're located next door to Lightning Reef Primary School where we also run an Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) service.

Opening hours

Monday – Friday
6:30am – 6:00pm

Phone   Email

Location map image of the Lightning Reef YMCA Early Learning Centre

At our Lightning Reef centre, we specialise in early education and provide a calm, warm and welcoming environment for your child to grow, learn and have fun experiences.

As a community-focused, not-for-profit centre, we enjoy getting to know all our families and pride ourselves on the relationships we develop.

Childcare and kindergarten services

Long day care

We provide childcare and early education for children from six weeks to five years of age.

Integrated kindergarten

We have fully funded, free kindergarten programs integrated into long day care.

Both three-year-old kinder and four-year-old kinder is offered and led by a bachelor-qualified early childhood teacher.

Our facilities

Our rooms include space for a variety of activities including quiet time, arts and craft, and construction. Kindergarten children can even watch meal preparation taking place and learn all about cooking and healthy eating!

Outside, we have three natural outdoor play areas for your child to explore, as well as a kitchen garden and large sandpits. Your child can play on a range of equipment too, from a swing and slide to wooden cubbies. And they can develop their social skills by spending time with others in our Koori meeting space.

They'll also have access to Lightning Reef Primary School's school grounds for bike riding, team sports and activities, which supports their physical wellbeing. There's plenty of space to run around and even a chicken house!

It's really important to us that families feel safe, welcomed and included at our centre. We run a variety of programs for both children and families and work with the local community to offer experiences that support you. This includes programs such as language classes, dental health visits, parent groups and much more.

Meet Catherine Field (Centre Manager)

Every family has the right to access high quality childcare services. Having worked in early childhood education for over 20 years, I'm committed to providing families with this opportunity.

I understand that each individual family is unique and important, and I'm passionate about my engagement with families and children. I ensure that we provide a safe and welcoming environment that is high quality, nurturing, respectful and most of all inclusive.

As a parent of two daughters, both IVF, I know how special being a parent is. Leaving your child with someone is a big deal, but you can feel confident that we'll look after your child and keep them safe.

Our team of educators can speak a range of languages as well as English. These include Auslan, Chinese, Fijian, Hindi, Karen, Malayalam and Punjabi. We'd be delighted to welcome you to our centre!
A profile photo of the	Lightning Reef centre manager Catherine Field

Why choose the Y?

We provide your child with:

A set of 7 icons with labels listing the 'Enrolment Inclusions' you get when your child is enrolled at a Y ELC: 1) Nappies & Change Bag 2) Milks and Alternative Milks 3) Meals and Snacks 4) Toys & Educational Resources 5) Sunscreen 6) Wipes and Bed Linen 7) Air-Conditioned Rooms

Child Care Subsidy

To support our families, we offer both permanent and casual enrolment options. Please see our current daily price for child care (long day care) below.

Our programs qualify for the Federal Government's Child Care Subsidy. The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) helps eligible families access approved and registered child care providers, by partially subsidising the cost of daily fees. Please note, the prices below do not include any child care subsidy you may be entitled to. Visit the Department of Education website to find out more information. We also recommend using this Child Care Subsidy Calculator to generate an estimate of your new subsidy payments. From 7 July 2024 there will be changes to Child Care Subsidy (CCS).

Free Kinder: how does it work?

We're participating in the Victorian Government's Free Kinder program. Free Kinder provides up to 15 hours of free kindergarten for three and four-year-olds, up to a value of $2000 for integrated kindergarten programs.

The Victorian Government provides Free Kinder funding to our ELC, not directly to families. This means that Free Kinder will be credited on your invoice and you won't be out of pocket.

For integrated kindergarten programs (where kinder is a part of long day care), Free Kinder will appear as a weekly credit of $50.00 on your YMCA account statement. We deduct this credit from your fees, so you'll only need to pay for the cost of day care.

How to enrol

1. Talk to us

Talk to our customer service team. We can check child care and kinder availability and explain the next steps. Submit an enquiry form or call us on (03) 8371 0500.

Call   or Enquire


2. Visit us

Meet our centre manager and visit our facilities. Book your tour online, or one of our team members can book you in when we speak with you.

Book a tour

3. Register or sign in

New enrolments, casual enrolments and booking changes are managed through an online system called My Family Lounge. You can register online for a new account or sign in with an existing account.

Register   Sign in

 

4. Enrol

Follow our how to enrol guide and complete your enrolment in My Family Lounge.

Frequently asked questions

Below we've answered some common questions to support new parents when choosing an early learning centre. You can also read more about enrolment and centre processes at the Y on our Early Learning FAQs page.

  • What can I expect from a centre tour?

    When it comes to choosing the right ELC for your child, seeing a centre in person is a really important step. It will give you a feel for what the centre is like and make your decision making a whole lot easier.

    We’d love to show you around our centre so that you can make sure it's right for you and your child.

    During the centre tour, you'll get the opportunity to:

    • meet our educators;
    • see our daily routines;
    • explore our indoor and outdoor spaces;
    • ask any questions you may have.

    Book a centre tour

  • Do I have to be on a wait list?

    When you enquire about joining our centre, we’ll contact you to confirm whether we have a space available for your child. We’ll then help you start the enrolment process.

    During enrolment, you'll be able to submit a booking request for your child’s preferred start date. You will then be put onto a waiting list. We regularly review and maintain our waiting lists so that the process is fair for all families.

    Once you receive your offer via email, you will have three days to accept it. If you have not accepted the offer within three days, it will expire and those requested days will become available to the next family who is on the waiting list.

    You can then resubmit another booking request and follow the same process.

  • How do you ensure that your team understands the needs of my child?

    From the moment you first get in touch with us, we work hard to understand the needs of your child.

    During the orientation process, our educators will work with you to understand how we can best support your child’s wellbeing. We’ll chat with you about your child’s routine, their interests and your learning and development goals.

    We value regular meetings and face to face conversations throughout your time with us. At every drop-off and pick-up, our educators will let you know how your child’s day was. We also encourage you to talk to us about how your child is doing at home.

    This communication will make sure that we complement your child’s development between home and centre. By working together, we can ensure your child reaches their full potential.

  • How do I choose a child care centre?

    Choosing a child care centre for the first time is exciting, but it can stir up feelings of guilt and confusion. With so many things to consider, how do you know where to start?

    The first thing you should do is stop feeling guilty. It's normal to worry if you're putting your child in an ELC for the first time, but you needn't. Early learning education and care is great for your child's development and they'll love spending time at the centre and making new friends.

    To be sure that an ELC is right for you and your child, we recommend considering the following five things:

    1. Quality of education – look for a centre that will provide valuable learning experiences for your child. Does the centre have a range of programs and activities to support their holistic development? Are the rooms well-equipped and stimulating? Will your child get the opportunity to explore and be inspired?

    2. Centre credentials – check that the ELC is licensed and registered to provide child care services. You can also look at the centre's National Quality Standards rating, the qualifications and experience of its educators, and reviews from other families.

    3. Atmosphere – visit the centres you are interested in and take note of how they feel. Is the centre safe, welcoming and comfortable? Do the children seem happy? Are the staff kind and do the educators have a good relationship with the children? Above all, can you see your child enjoying themselves there?

    4. Logistics – what is your ideal location of your child's ELC? This could be somewhere close to home or your workplace. Also think about how many hours of care your child will need and check whether there is availability at the centres you are looking at.

    5. Food menus – take a look at the ELC's approach to food and nutrition. A great centre will provide fresh, healthy food options and all centres should be able to cater to your child's dietary and religious requirements if needed.

    When you consider these things, the process of choosing a child care centre should become a little clearer. If you have any questions about whether our centre will suit you and your child's needs, we would love for you to contact us. We'll be happy to help guide you through the process.

  • What is the Y's childcare and kindergarten curriculum?

    At the Y, we believe in encouraging young minds to grow. Our childcare philosophy is to deliver a play-based curriculum that supports children to explore, experiment, discover new things and let their imagination soar.

    As well incorporating play-based experiences into your child’s day, our curriculum is informed by your child’s interests and curiosity. This enriches your child’s learning and empowers them to enter each stage of their young life with confidence.

    The Australian government's Early Years Learning Framework also guides our curriculum. In line with the framework, we focus on literacy and communication; numeracy and science; and creativity and art. Developing your child's self-confidence and autonomy is another key part of our philosophy, as is fostering an appreciation of the natural world.

    Our passionate and highly experienced educators deliver our childcare and kindergarten curriculum through inspiring, age-appropriate activities. This includes activities involving technology, group time and quiet time, as well as activities that promote social-emotional, cognitive and problem-solving skills.

    During these activities, our educators provide opportunities for your child to express themselves. They focus on the process of the activity rather than emphasising a prescribed outcome. This helps your child to use their initiative, expand their imagination and try new things.

    As a Y Early Learning Centre, we work in partnership with families to set learning goals around each child’s development stage, interests and unique needs.

    We know you want your child to thrive and this approach to learning will give them the best start in life. At our centre, your child will get the chance to grow and learn, make new friends, discover more about their world and be adventurous every single day. 

  • What type of food do you provide and how do you create your menus?

    We provide nutritional food your child will love.

    Our menus consist of healthy and balanced meals. We use fresh, seasonal produce and encourage children to develop a positive attitude towards trying new foods. Your child can get involved in special cooking experiences too.

    When creating our menus, we'll work closely with you to make sure we cater to your child’s needs, including food allergies and other dietary requirements. We can even include your own family recipes, which helps us to serve up varied, multicultural meals.

    To support healthy outcomes for children, we also follow the Victorian government's Healthy Eating Advisory Service guidelines. This ensures that all our meals meet nutritional requirements for children.

The Y are leaders in quality and safety standards. Our program and procedures have been independently reviewed by the Australian Childhood Foundation.

The Y uses the Kinder Tick because we deliver a government approved and funded kindergarten program led by a qualified early childhood teacher.

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