Programs

Wimble St Co-operative is a long day care centre, rated 'Exceeding' by the ACECQA (Australian Children's Education & Care Authority). Wimble offers a daycare program for children aged 6 months – 3 years and a kinder program for 3 – 5 years.

We believe that early childhood is a unique and valuable stage of life where a significant amount of learning and development occurs. The rights of each child are paramount and we believe that children are capable and confident learners. We are committed to the care and education of every child and respect each child as an individual. We embrace the cultural background and diversity of all families, children, staff and the wider community including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. We value the role of the family and we work in partnership with each other to support children’s learning, contribute to the program and the overall running and decision making of the centre.

The program is play-based and educators tailor it to the current interests of the children and their abilities. We use a variety of natural materials and set up aesthetically pleasing environments that allow the children the freedom to explore, use choice and participate with no time restrictions. We are guided by the National Quality Framework – Being, Becoming, Belonging.

Cooking is a major part of our program as it provides the children with a great sensory experience. The children have the opportunity to taste, mix, stir and pour a variety of ingredients. Cooking is also extremely effective in extending the children’s language and social development.

We are dedicated to creating a warm, safe, stimulating and relaxing home away from home, allowing our children the freedom to play, learn and grow in a loving and nurturing environment. We allow the children to develop as a whole. We believe that children learn through play and the program is based on the children’s current interests and abilities as guided by the Early Years Learning Framework. At Wimble Street Childcare Co-operative we aim to educate our children about the importance of respecting and valuing our environment by creating an awareness of conservation and incorporate this into our Centre plan.

In addition to the program provided by our Wimble educators, Wimble also organises weekly dance class incursions and periodic excursions. These may be spontaneous outings to the local parks, annual events such as the Footy Day excursion to the park or longer distance outings, such as to the Zoo, Victoria Market or Koori Heritage Trust.

Wimble Street offers a wonderful play-based kindergarten program for 3-5 years. Our qualified kindergarten teacher provides a kinder program 5 days a week from 9am until 4.30pm. Children participate in the long daycare program outside of these hours, allowing parents the opportunity to work a full day.

At Wimble Street our educators use a holistic approach and value individual-based learning. School readiness is a focus of our kinder program & Wimble Street is proud to be recognised within the local school community as having some of the most ‘school ready’ kinder graduates!

Part of your child’s enrolment in the kinder program is our amazing Bush Kinder program!

Bush Kinder runs weekly on alternate days; Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00am to 11:30am.

The program is a valuable and essential facet of a Wimble Street child’s kindergarten experience. It recognises the place that the bush has in Australian folklore and the significance of land in Aboriginal culture. At Wimble Street, we recognise the importance of a child’s unstructured time in nature, a view underpinned by early years research.

The bush kinder program is held on Wurundjeri land at Royal Park in partnership with the City of Melbourne. The bush kinder site is located within Royal Park, off Gatehouse Street and behind the Nature Park playground in Parkville (approximately 500m from Wimble Street Co-operative)

The full Kindergarten program can be found in the Parent Handbook on the Parents Resources page.

Story Park

This is a program where educators document all your child’s learning and progress. You will get an invitation to join Story Park so you can see all your child’s learning and moments throughout the day. An invitation will be sent to you to download the app. You can access Story Park using a mobile device or computer.

Meals at Wimble

All meals at Wimble are freshly prepared on-site. Our menu of tasty, nutritious food is designed to meet the daily dietary requirements of all attending children and is rotated on a monthly basis. 

Weekly menu
Monthly menu 

Please ensure that you inform us of any special diets, food allergies or religious requirements your child may have so that we can cater accordingly.