The Women's Childcare and Early Learning Services
The Women's Childcare Services and Early Learning Centre is a workplace-based facility that provides early childhood education and care and an integrated funded kindergarten program in the heart of the Parkville health precinct.
We provide care and education to children aged six weeks to six years whose parents work at the Women's, Frances Perry House, The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
Staff are kindly invited to join the waitlist here:
Occasional places are available for children whose parents are patients at the Women’s. Advanced bookings are preferred, however, we try our best to accommodate last-minute and emergency bookings.
The aim of our onsite education and care service is to offer patients peace of mind as they attend their clinical appointments. This care is available between 9am and 5pm. If you are a patient and you require extended hours of care for your child, please speak with the Manager Childcare Services.
You will need to provide your child’s Immunisation History Statement to enrol. To obtain your child’s Immunisation History Statement, please visit Services Australia.
Please Note: If your child has a diagnosed Anaphylaxis, Allergy, Asthma, Eczema or other medical condition, the appropriate management plan and medication must be brought in with your child. Please speak with the Manager of Childcare Services to discuss which plan you are required to have.
The Women's Childcare and Early Learning Centre provides childcare and kindergarten at the hospital’s Parkville site for employees of the Women’s, Frances Perry House, The Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
We are a not-for-profit and wholly owned and operated by the Women’s and registered to educate and care for children from six weeks to six years of age.
Employees can access casual and ongoing enrolments and our hours of operation are 6:45am to 5:45pm, Monday to Friday. Casual enrolments are by availability only.
Priority is offered to employees of the Women’s with remaining available enrolments offered to our precinct hospital employees.
Employees can join our waitlist and will be contacted with further information once applications are received.
You will need to provide your child’s Immunisation History Statement to enrol. To obtain your child’s Immunisation History Statement, please visit Services Australia.
Please Note: If your child has a diagnosed Anaphylaxis, Allergy, Asthma, Eczema or other medical condition, the appropriate management plan and medication must be brought in with your child. Please speak with the Manager of Childcare Services to discuss which plan you are required to have.
If there are any court orders present for your child, please ensure a copy of the court order is provided to the Manager Childcare Services as part of the enrolment.
For more information, please visit the Women’s staff Intranet or contact the Manager Childcare Services.
The Women’s is proud to display the Kinder Tick, delivering a Victorian Government approved Kindergarten Program, led by a qualified Early Childhood Teacher.
The centre offers a funded three and four-year-old Kindergarten program, available for children who turn three or four years of age by April 30, the year your children will attend a Kindergarten program.
Kindergarten fees are being offset by the Free Kindergarten Initiative – please speak with us to discuss the benefits available to you.
Please speak with the Manager of Childcare Services to confirm your child’s eligibility to attend a funded Kindergarten program at the Women’s.
The Women’s Childcare and Early Learning Centre is assessed and rated against the National Quality Standards for Early Childhood Education and Care Services.
The Women’s is currently rated as Exceeding the National Quality Standard.
Our team of early childhood educators and teachers bring a wealth of personal and professional experience to the Women’s. We are proud to be part of your child's learning journey and look forward to supporting the meaningful experiences they will engage in during their time with us.
Our team is made up of a diverse group of qualified industry professionals, each with different interests, values and philosophies which combined, drive our holistic and tailored programs. We embody the Women's values every day and strive to instil courage, passion, discovery and respect in our team and the children who are in our care.
The National Quality Framework (NQF) and the Education and Care Services National Regulations sets out the minimum qualification and educator-to-child ratio requirements for children’s education and care services.
Our centre works within the following ratios at all times:
- Birth to 24 months – 1:4
- Over 24 months and less than 36 months – 1:4
- 36 months up to and including pre-school age – 1:11
- Over pre-school age – 1:11
Employee care fees:
- Daily (1-4 days): $150.00 per day
- Weekly (5 days): $145.00 per day
Please note:
- Fees are quoted before Child Care Subsidy (CCS)
- Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is available if families are eligible and have been approved by Services Australia. To apply for Child Care Subsidy (CCS), please click here.
- Fees are payable via our direct debit payment system – Childcare EasyPay. Cash payments and salary deductions are not available for employee childcare.
Casual and Patient care fees:
- 1-4 hours: $25.00 per hour
- 5+ hours: $150.00 (8-11 hour day)
- Child Care Subsidy (CCS) may be available pending eligibility. Ask us for more information.
- Bookings are 2 hours minimum (fees non-refundable if you don’t utilise your whole session)
- Fees are payable via credit and debit card only, charged via our direct debit payment system, Childcare EasyPay
- Cash payments are accepted and payments can be made via the Cashiers office located on Ground Floor.
Please note:
- Fees must be settled prior to the child’s physical attendance
- If paying in cash, the receipt from the Cashiers Office must be provided to the centre as proof of payment
Patient care meals:
If your booking is made in advance, we will supply all food and meals for your child, catering to any individual dietary requirement.
For any single session/day booking not organised in advance, families will be required to provide the main lunch meal (see below).
The centre provides breakfast, morning tea and afternoon tea for all casual education and care bookings.
If you are required to provide your child’s main lunch meal, please provide a plain sandwich.
Approved fillings are:
- Butter/Nuttelex
- Ham
- Cheese
- Vegemite
Parents/guardians must label their child’s lunch with the following:
- Name
- DOB
- Ingredients
If you forget to bring in a meal for your child, you will be asked to purchase a sandwich with approved fillings from Zouki Café located on the Ground Floor of the Women’s.
Employee care meals:
The centre provides breakfast, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea as part of your child’s enrolment. Individual allergies and food-related medical requirements are catered for and our friendly team will discuss this with you during enrolment.
Please ensure all belongings from home are labelled. The Women’s does not take responsibility for lost items.
Please bring the following items with you for your child’s stay with us:
- Broad-brimmed sun hat
- Appropriate footwear (no thongs/crocs)
- Sun smart clothing (no exposed shoulders)
- A warm jacket/jumper to wear (important in winter)
- A cool top/shorts/dress with sleeves (important in summer)
- Drink bottle, formula/breastmilk (if needed)
- Lunch (as described in the Meals and Nutrition information section above – Patient care only)
- A change of clothes (in case of toileting/food accidents and in the event of water play)
- Nappy/Barrier Cream (if required)
- One comfort item which may help your child to settle into their day
Nappies are provided for both patient and employee care.
Prams/strollers can be stored for you.