Eltham Child Care

Children learn through play. We believe in providing opportunities for children to explore and make discoveries through play and encourage autonomy, initiative, independence and cooperation. We recognize the need for an active exchange of information between families and educators and the Parent Management Committee, both informally and formally.

Our staff are extremely dedicated and committed to caring for and educating the children within our Centre. We have up to 20 staff members on duty each day and on occasion may have students participating in practical placements throughout the year. We have both long serving staff who bring a depth of life experience, as well more recent additions to the Centre who further enhance the learning environment for children.

The Eltham Child Care Cooperative (ECCC) program and planning has arisen from research into contemporary best practices in early childhood education; borrowing elements from a wide range of curricula theories and adjusted to fit into the particular cultural environment of Eltham.

Our programming and planning has also been formulated to meet recommendations from the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) and the Australian Early Years Learning Framework 'Belonging, Being and Becoming'.We have also developed a philosophy which encompasses and informs all aspects of our pedagogy.

The Eltham Child Care Cooperative (ECCC) building is owned by Nillumbik Shire Council and the childcare centre operates as a co-operative, with parent involvement actively encouraged. Children love the huge natural outdoor playground at ECCC. We acknowledge the traditional custodians, past and present, of the land that the ECCC is on - the Wurundjeri clan.

At ECCC we pride ourselves on providing our children with healthy nutritional meals. We have a seasonal rotating menu that we provide the children with different textures, flavours and cuisine. We are fortunate at ECCC to be able to use organic meat from Cherry Tree Organics, fruit and vegetables from Organic Origins when possible who are local suppliers.