Child Safety is our #1 priority at the Y.
Ashburton Pool and Recreation Centre
Location
8 Warner Avenue
Ashburton
VIC 3147
Program offered
School Holiday Program opening hours
Monday to Friday
7:30am – 6:00pm
Contact us in centre
Ashburton Pool and Recreation Centre
School Holiday Program
Our Ashburton holiday program provides an opportunity for your child to learn from new experiences through a fun mix of activities, while making friends along the way.
We offer a wide variety of interest-based in-house activities, themed incursions and exciting excursions. Our holiday programs are run by experienced Educators who help your child become more confident and independent.
Activities could include anything from drumming workshops to silent discos. We do regular excursions too (such as to Boroondara Sports Complex to learn gymnastics). We've even had a comedy show visit us!
Your child can also get lunch at our café when you submit an order through School Lunch Online. Simply create an account, select 'YMCA Ashburton' as the school you're ordering from, and follow the steps to place your order.
Keep an eye out for our upcoming program – we'll share the schedule on this page about four weeks before the school holidays start.
If you're looking for care for a short amount of time, we also run a Creche program from 9:00am-10:30am and 10:30am-12:00pm. The program is suitable for children from six weeks old and provides a space to socialise and play.
Splash into Summer Holiday Program
Bookings are now open for our Summer 2026 School Holiday Program! The program runs on weekdays from Monday 5 January to term 1 2026 (excluding public holidays).
We've planned a bumper program of school holiday activities that will interest your child over the holidays.
Activity days can include:
- In-house (activities run by our Educator team)
- Incursion (activities run by visitors to our service)
- Excursion (activities run at an off-site location)
- Self-guided incursion (incursions run by our Educator team)
What to bring
- Lunch and snack (nutritious and nut free)
- SunSmart hat and sunscreen
- Water bottle
- Weather appropriate clothing and shoes
- Swimwear, towel and change of clothes as required (if an activity involves water)
You can also read our School Holiday Program FAQs.
The prices listed in the table below are the full fee for each day. If you're entitled to Child Care Subsidy, what you actually pay could be significantly reduced.
Date |
Activity Details |
| Week 1 | |
| Monday 05 January |
Summer Sports Showdown Get your game face on with a day packed full of action and fun! Jump into classic games like elastics, skipping rope challenges, foursquare, gaga ball, and hopscotch. Express your creativity with chalk shadow drawing, and get ready for a friendly backyard cricket match. Cap it off by designing your own team uniform and building your very own DIY board game. Category: Inhouse Cost: $86.00 |
| Tuesday 06 January |
Space Jam Blast off on an epic space adventure! Explore our solar system, compare planet sizes, and experience the thrill of launching rockets. Dock at the International Space Station, create expanding universe slime, and witness a mind-blowing chemical reaction that simulates the expanding universe. It will be an out-of-this-world experience! Category: Incursion Cost: $91.15 |
| Wednesday 07 January |
Suds n Scents Dive into a world of suds, scents, and sensational creations with DIY Soaps where every bubble tells a tale and every scent sparks an adventure! With easy-to-follow instructions and all the tools you need included, you get to become a bubbly scientist today and create your own soaps to take home and enjoy. Category: Self-guided incursion Cost: $95.00 |
| Thursday 08 January |
Slime Masters Earn your Slime Maestro's Badge today! Seesaw STEAM are bringing their slime masters workshop to us. Unlock secret recipes, create colourful, squishy slime, and explore duel-slime sensations! Armed with a mixing bowl and handful of glitter, get ready for the best day ever. Category: Incursion Cost: $91.15 |
| Friday 09 January |
Earth Heroes Become an Earth Hero by turning waste into wonder! Create a miniature compost stew in a jar, paint with string that wriggles like worms, and create awesome art from recycled treasures. Take the stage with DIY puppets where your team writes and performs a skit all about saving the planet. It’s a day packed with hands-on learning and eco-friendly magic! Category: Inhouse Cost: $86.00 |
| Week 2 | |
| Monday 12 January |
Seaside Explorers Dive into waves of fun with a Seaside adventure! Create kinetic sand and slime clean-up sensory stations, sculpt sea creatures from recycled materials, dodge the sharks and seaweed in our group game, and play under-the-sea charades. Explore water science with a salt vs fresh water float experiment and build a coral reef mural that reveals messages about caring for our oceans. Category: Inhouse Cost: $86.00 |
| Tuesday 13 January |
Splashtastic Fun Cool down with super fun water games today! Get ready to be splashed, soaked and sprinkled with water as we play partner battles, team challenges, races and more group games to beat the heat. Please remember to bring a towel and change of clothes. Category: Incursion Cost: $91.15 |
| Wednesday 14 January |
Ninja Nation We're off to Ninja Nation - Australia’s most comprehensive obstacle facility for Ninja training. Incorporating obstacle acrobatics, stunt training and the best equipment, get ready for a day full of fun and action! Category: Excursion Cost: $105.50 |
| Thursday 15 January |
Gymnastics Enhance your flexibility and coordination while learning essential movement skills in a fun and active 90 minute gymnastics session. Discover how to jump, land, and fall safely, improve your balance, and build confidence through engaging physical challenges. Enjoy group games and colourful crafts throughout the day for unlimited fun! Category: Excursion Cost: $105.50 |
| Friday 16 January |
Fire & Water Safety Squad Step into the world of firefighters and lifeguards today and learn how to stay safe! Dodge jellyfish in a fast-paced tag game, experiment with colours to design the perfect bathing suit, and get moving with a Stop, Drop, and Roll dance party. Test your speed and reaction times in an obstacle course and smoke alarm game. Create fiery red playdough to complete your training! Category: Inhouse Cost: $86.00 |
| Week 3 | |
| Monday 19 January |
Bubble Ball Battles Get ready to run, laugh, roll and bounce with your friends for endless fun today. Jump into one of the inflatable Bubble Balls and battle it out! We have a bunch of group games planned where you can buddy up in partners or larger teams to take home the victory. Category: Incursion Cost: $91.15 |
| Tuesday 20 January |
Wheels in Motion Get ready to roll, race, and rev up your engines! Bring your wheels and helmet for obstacle courses and relay races that test your skills and speed. Design your very own licence plate and team up to build wind-powered cars from recycled materials. Brush up on road safety with a quiz that keeps everyone safe on the go. Let’s put those wheels in motion and race into fun! Category: Inhouse Cost: $86.00 |
| Wednesday 21 January |
Gymnastics Enhance your flexibility and coordination while learning essential movement skills in a fun and active 90 minute gymnastics session. Discover how to jump, land, and fall safely, improve your balance, and build confidence through engaging physical challenges. Enjoy group games and colourful crafts throughout the day for unlimited fun! Category: Excursion Cost: $105.50 |
| Thursday 22 January |
The Pout Pout Fish We're off to the cinemas today to watch The Pout Pout Fish. When catastrophe strikes Mr Fish a prickly recluse and Pip a hyperactive sea dragon embark together on a daunting undersea quest in search of a fabled mythical fish to grant their wish to save their homes. Come along and enjoy a tasty popcorn treat. Category: Excursion Cost: $105.50 |
| Friday 23 January |
Colour Splash Money Box Create a Colour Splash Dinosaur Money Box and unleash your creativity and build great saving habits! Watch as vibrant paints flow down your Dino, creating mesmerising, one-of-a-kind patterns. Explore colour combinations and bring this prehistoric pal to life in your own unique way. Once dry you can use it as a money box at home - saving will feel like an adventure through time! Category: Self-guided incursion Cost: $95.00 |
Child Care Subsidy (CCS)
|
Our holiday programs qualify for the Federal Government's Child Care Subsidy (CCS). CCS helps eligible families access approved and registered child care providers by partially subsidising the cost of daily fees. The 'Fee' price listed in the table on this page is the full permanent or casual daily fee for each program without any CCS entitlements. *The 'You pay as little as' price is an example of the out of pocket fees paid by families who qualify for the maximum CCS percentage (90%). The fees above are calculated at 85% subsidy to allow for the 5% withheld by Services Australia to reduce the chances of an overpayment. When our holiday programs are open for bookings, you'll be able to see the prices for each activity on this page. These prices are the daily price and do not include any CCS you may be entitled to, which could significantly reduce your out of pocket expense. Refer to the Government website for more information about CCS funding and your eligibility. We also recommend using this CCS calculator to estimate your new subsidy payments. Our customer service and onsite teams are happy to assist you with any queries you have regarding this funding and to help you navigate the system. |
Book your place
|
You can book into our School Holiday Program through My Family Lounge (our online booking system). Read our 'How to enrol' guide and FAQs to make sure you've got everything you need to book. Returning families: Sign in New families: Register Got a question? Enquire |
Curious about chemistry? Bonkers about biology? We often run science-themed activities where your child can take part in fun research and crazy experiments.
Get active outdoors! Our Educators make outdoor play fun with opportunities to sing, dance and get moving.
Go on exciting excursions to local places such as trampoline parks and indoor playgrounds.
Enjoy a range of awesome in-house activities! Your child will get the chance to use their imagination, discover new things and have fun with friends.
Escape into the world of movies during an excursion to the local cinema. We’ll watch the latest release and experience the magic of the big screen.
Learn new art and craft skills with the support of our friendly Educators. Practise drawing, colouring, sticking and more.
Express your creativity during art-themed activities. Your child could get involved in anything from painting to pottery!
Make amazing memories with our expert team of Educators – we’ll help your child feel safe, supported and happy.
Attend thrilling excursions such as skateboarding workshops. Learn to roll, turn and perform tricks under the guidance of the Y’s specialist coaches.
Celebrate the holidays, make new friends and be your best self at the Y. Together, we’ll make the school holiday one to remember!