Child Safety is our #1 priority at the Y.
John Henry Primary School
Location
141 Henry Road
Pakenham
VIC 3810
Programs offered
Before School Care opening hours
Monday to Friday
6:30am – 8:55am
After School Care opening hours
Monday to Friday
3:15pm – 6:30pm
School Holiday Program opening hours
Monday to Friday
6:30am – 6:30pm
Contact us in centre
John Henry Primary
Before and After School Care
Every school day should start and end with a smile! That's why we support busy Pakenham families with high quality care before and after school hours.
Our programs are suitable for children between five and 12 years old, so your child will be able to socialise with children of different ages and make new friends. We also offer a range of fun activities to support their learning. So whether your child enjoys arts and crafts or sport and ball games – they'll have a great time at our programs.
We'll even provide a nutritious breakfast to set your child up for the day ahead, as well as healthy and delicious afternoon snacks.
We also offer additional programs including Early finish Wednesday and Pupil Free Day activities, depending on booking numbers.
Pakenham
School Holiday Program
Our Pakenham holiday program provides an opportunity for your child to learn from new experiences through a fun mix of activities, while making new 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 getting creating yummy smoothies, learning gymnastics, or laughing yourselves silly at a comedy show! We've even taken children on exciting adventures to A Maze N Things and Village Cinemas Fountain Gate.
Keep an eye out for our upcoming program – we'll share the schedule on this page about four weeks before the school holidays start.
Splash into Summer Holiday Program
Bookings are now open for our Summer 2025-2026 School Holiday Program! The program runs on weekdays from the end of term 4 to Tuesday 23 December and 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 (incursion activities 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.
December program
Date |
Activity Details |
| Week 1 | |
| Friday 19 December (Pupil Free Day) |
Sweet Celebrations Get ready to sprinkle some sweetness into the season with a day inspired by our favourite holiday treats, minus the sugar crash! Decorate your own gingerbread cookies and compete in games inspired by sugar cookies, gingerbread and candy canes. Enjoy a hot chocolate station and craft adorable Christmas pudding ornaments to take home. Category: Inhouse Cost: $96.00 |
| Monday 22 December |
Festive Footprints Let’s take a trip around the globe to celebrate the holiday season! Craft magical broomsticks inspired by La Befana of Italy, create mini piñatas in the spirit of Las Posadas, Mexico, and art inspired by Russia’s Ded Moroz. Play a game of Yule Goat Tag from Scandinavian folklore, before playing in DIY kinetic sand to honour a sun-soaked Kiwi Christmas across the ditch! Category: Inhouse Cost: $92.00 |
| Tuesday 23 December |
Christmas Rewind Today is all about bringing your favourite Christmas movies to life! Craft your very own Buddy the Elf hat, Compete in our Home Alone group game, and create a grouchy-green Grinch inspired masterpiece! Take on adventure with a magical Polar Express train craft. It’s a cinematic celebration of laughter, friendship, and Christmas magic. Category: Inhouse Cost: $92.00 |
January program
Date |
Activity Details |
| Week 1 | |
| Monday 05 January |
Y2K New Years Bash Flashback to the iconic 2000s for a party full of sparkle and fun! Create kaleidoscope sponge paintings, and bedazzle art with rhinestones. Craft your own disco mirror ball, play a butterfly-themed group game, and get grooving with a DIY lava lamp STEM experiment. Top it off with building your own cardboard video game for the ultimate throwback celebration! Category: Inhouse Cost: $92.00 |
| Tuesday 06 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: $92.00 |
| Wednesday 07 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: $103.00 |
| Thursday 08 January |
Virtual Reality DreamCity are bringing their VR incursion to us! Immersive virtual reality education blends fun and learning by providing an engaging and interactive virtual world where you can experience new ways of seeing the world around you. Juniors explore and colour the world with a changing soundscape tied to actions, and seniors learn all new skills in high-tech VR gaming experiences. Category: Incursion Cost: $113.00 |
| Friday 09 January |
3D Lab Today, Seesaw STEAM are bringing their 3D printing Lab to us! Imagine a world where ideas leap off the page and into your hands, where you become a 3D inventor, bringing your wildest creations to life one layer at a time! Enhance your understanding of technology with an introduction to how 3D printers work and hands-on experience with 3D printing pens. Category: Incursion Cost: $113.00 |
| Week 2 | |
| Monday 12 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: $92.00 |
| Tuesday 13 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: $129.00 |
| Wednesday 14 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: $113.00 |
| Thursday 15 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: $129.00 |
| 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: $92.00 |
| Week 3 | |
| Monday 19 January |
Puffing Billy Join us for a journey through Melbourne's Dandenong Ranges with Puffing Billy Railway. Breath in the fresh air through open carriages as we travel on board a century old steam train. Glasses are recommended to avoid any soot from the coal fuel used to get the locomotive moving. Category: Excursion Cost: $129.00 |
| Tuesday 20 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: $113.00 |
| Wednesday 21 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: $92.00 |
| Thursday 22 January |
Archery Attack Let's go play Arrow Tag! A fast paced hybrid experience that takes inspiration from archery and dodgeball to create one epic game! With foam tipped arrows and coloured bows, a thrilling team battle awaits! Category: Excursion Cost: $129.00 |
| Friday 23 January |
Aussie Animals Adventure Hop, crawl, and roar through a day with Australia’s iconic creatures! Play “Who Am I?” with your favourite Aussie animals, craft a 3D koala from newspaper, and bounce through a kangaroo STEM challenge. Stretch out with animal yoga, make Aboriginal-inspired animal track art, and dive into sensory play with platypus water foam. Explore emu art and play a thrilling shark group game. Category: Inhouse Cost: $92.00 |
| Week 4 | |
| Monday 26 January |
Public Holiday We are closed today for the Public Holiday. We can't wait to continue on the Splash into Summer Holiday fun tomorrow! |
| Tuesday 27 January (Pupil Free Day) |
Magic & Mystery Quest Unlock Magic and Mystery today. Brew fizzing wizard potions, write spells in your very own spell book, and craft magical wands from sticks. Mix up potions in jars, solve secret codes, and face the mystery box challenge to test your detective skills. Magic awaits those brave enough to take the quest! Category: Inhouse Cost: $96.00 |
| Wednesday 28 January (Pupil Free Day) |
Rainbow Ruckus Get ready to splash, squish, and swirl in a day full of colourful chaos! Paint with fluffy shaving cream, stretch and squelch with slime, and create walking rainbows with science experiments. Join group games that celebrate colour and mess, and let your imagination run wild in this sensory explosion of creativity! Category: Inhouse Cost: $96.00 |
| Thursday 29 January |
No program See you at OSHC for some Term 1 fun! |
| Friday 30 January |
No program See you at OSHC for some Term 1 fun! |
Prices
To support our families, we offer permanent and casual booking options. Casual bookings do incur an additional cost.
Please contact your local centre for advice on any questions you have regarding pricing.
|
Program |
Fee |
| Before School Care (permanent booking) | $30.20 |
| Before School Care (casual booking) | $35.70 |
| After School Care (permanent booking) | $37.50 |
| After School Care (casual booking) | $43.00 |
| Early finish Wednesday | $48.70 |
| Pupil Free Day (dependent on numbers) | $96.00 |
Child Care Subsidy (CCS)
|
Our 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 above 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 fee 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 Outside School Hours Care programs through My Family Lounge (our online booking system). Read our 'How to enrol' guide to make sure you've got everything you need to book. You can also read our FAQs about Before and After School Care and School Holiday Programs. Returning families: Sign in New families: Register Got a question? Feel free to submit an enquiry and we'll be in touch. Holiday Program: Enquire Before and After School Care: Enquire |
Take part in awesome art and craft activities – we encourage all children to express their creativity.
Let your imagination run wild and try something new with the support of our Educators.
Try out a range of exciting sport and ball games and learn new skills along the way.
Find out how to build new things, create experiments, and test your inventions!
Play outdoors and enjoy a range of physical activities suitable for all abilities.
Discover the magic of science during cool experiments and other STEM activities.
Develop your artistic skills through drawing, colouring, painting and more.
Relax and unwind with quiet time activities – perfect for reflecting on a busy day or recharging for activities to come.
Challenge your friends and work together as a team! Our sport activities are designed to be inclusive and lots of fun.
Play quietly or with friends – our toys, board games and puzzles will engage your child and provide opportunities to socialise.