The Top 3 Childcare Centres in Altona, VIC (3018)

Altona Early Years Hub at 103B Grieve Parade is operated by Early Childhood Management Services (ECMS), a not-for-profit early childhood provider with over 30 years of experience across Melbourne. The centre sits on the grounds of Altona P-9 College and holds an Exceeding NQS rating assessed in December 2024. Exceeding is the highest rating awarded through standard assessment; the separate Excellent designation is awarded by ACECQA on application and held by fewer than 1% of services.

The hub model reflects ECMS's integrated approach to early childhood education and care, bringing together long day care, kindergarten and family support services under one roof. The Grieve Parade location serves a diverse community and is designed to be welcoming and accessible, with ECMS's broader network providing specialist support in inclusion, family wellbeing and culturally responsive practice. Educators work within a play-based curriculum framework informed by the Early Years Learning Framework, with a strong emphasis on relationships and continuity of care across age groups from birth to six years.

It is operated by a not-for-profit. The centre director Casey Aldridge brings experience across multiple roles in early childhood education and leads a team that prioritises each child's right to a safe, nurturing environment. Families are encouraged to connect with the centre through regular communication, tours and community events throughout the year.

The Hub is first on its rating: it is the only Exceeding service among Altona's four, so the rating level settles its place before fees or fit come into it. It also undercuts both other ranked centres at $184.00 at every age, with eight inclusions listed, and the largest at 175 places. Its last regulatory visit, in April 2025, logged no enforcement actions.

Altona Early Education Centre at 40 Sargood Street is a privately owned, family-run centre operated by the Azzopardi family, a team with deep roots in the Altona community. The centre has operated from this Sargood Street location since 2017 and holds a Meeting NQS rating issued June 2026, following a Meeting rating in June 2023. With 68 approved places across a full birth-to-school-age range, it offers the breadth of a full-service long day care centre with the culture of a small, owner-operated business.

What distinguishes this centre from others in the suburb is its genuinely all-inclusive fee structure: at $192.00 per day up to 35 months and $183.00 from 36 months, families receive all meals (breakfast, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea), nappies, education programs, excursions and incursions, with no additional charges. The City Farm Kinder and Beach Kinder programs connect children with nature-based learning and hands-on community experiences as a core part of the curriculum rather than occasional extras. The preschool program is delivered by qualified early childhood teachers and reflects a curriculum built around the individual interests and developmental stages of each child.

Grace Azzopardi's background as a psychologist and early childhood educator shapes a centre culture that is warm, professional and community-focused. The Sargood Street location sits in a quiet residential pocket of Altona opposite St Mary's Primary School, with a comfortable, home-like environment that appeals to families seeking a more personal alternative to larger chain-operated centres. Free weekly incursions, including music programs, are a feature that families with multiple children across different age groups particularly value.

Altona Early Education Centre takes second on fees. Its June 2026 rating is three months from Goodstart Altona's at the same level, so the date does not separate them, and it is cheaper in every age band, $192.00 against $194.79 to 35 months and $183.00 against $185.80 after, with eight listed inclusions to Goodstart's five. Capacity is level (68 places against 60). Before enrolling, read the four conditions on its approval, which cover emergency staffing and limits for non-ambulant infants.

Goodstart Early Learning Altona is on Upton Street, approved for 60 places and open 6:30am to 6:30pm on weekdays, half an hour longer at each end than the other two ranked centres. Goodstart's Altona page covers nursery, toddler and kindergarten rooms for children from six weeks to five years, with a government-funded kindergarten program.

Its March 2026 assessment returned Meeting, a step down from the Exceeding rating it held from December 2022. Its approval has no conditions attached and no enforcement action is recorded.

The fee is $194.79 a day up to 35 months and $185.80 from 36 months, with five inclusions listed on Starting Blocks. Google shows 4.8 from 45 reviews.

Goodstart takes third from Edu-Play. Their ratings, March 2026 and December 2025, are three months apart at the same level, too close for the date to separate them. Fees cannot be compared in every band, since Edu-Play publishes no rate below 25 months, and capacity decides: 60 places against 30. Note that this is a downgrade from Exceeding, and that it costs more than both centres above it up to 35 months.