The Top 3 Childcare Centres in Berwick, VIC (3806)

Hippity Hop Early Learning Berwick

Hippity Hop Early Learning Berwick at 56a Harkaway Road is the only long day care centre in Berwick 3806 holding an Exceeding NQS rating — the highest possible rating under the National Quality Framework, issued October 2023 by Starting Blocks (ACECQA). The centre is family owned and operated with over 20 years of early childhood experience across the Hippity Hop group, which operates four centres across Melbourne.

With 74 licensed places, Hippity Hop Berwick is an intentionally mid-sized centre — large enough to offer a rich community environment, small enough to ensure every child is genuinely known. The centre is set on Harkaway Road in one of Berwick's most established residential pockets, with generous indoor and outdoor spaces designed around the Reggio Emilia approach.

The Reggio Emilia philosophy underpins everything at Hippity Hop — a child-centred approach that treats the environment as the third teacher, encouraging curiosity, exploration and respect. Indoor spaces are designed to be welcoming and familiar, with open-ended resources that inspire children to follow their interests. Outdoor areas provide room for physical development, imaginative play and connection with the natural world.

Fresh meals are prepared on-site daily, with all food intolerances and allergies carefully accommodated. The daily fee of $170.00 includes afternoon tea, breakfast, education programs, excursions and incursions, lunch, morning tea and nappies, confirmed by Starting Blocks. The centre website also states sunscreen, milk and individual linens are provided — confirm the full inclusions directly with the centre. Families stay connected through regular updates and the centre's communication channels.

The 3 and 4-year-old kindergarten program is integrated within long day care hours, with qualified educators delivering a play-based program focused on school readiness, social development and early literacy and numeracy. The July 2024 regulatory visit found zero conditions and zero enforcement actions.

Hippity Hop Early Learning Berwick is the clear first choice in postcode 3806. The only Exceeding NQS long day care centre in Berwick, confirmed by Starting Blocks in October 2023, with a 5.0/5 CareForKids rating, zero enforcement actions, a July 2024 regulatory clearance, and a Reggio Emilia curriculum from a family-owned operator with 20+ years of experience. Contact the centre directly to confirm current vacancy status.

Goodstart Early Learning Berwick

Goodstart Early Learning Berwick at 1-5 Cheviot Avenue is part of Australia's largest not-for-profit early learning provider, operating 676 services nationally. The centre holds a confirmed Meeting NQS rating across all quality areas per the ACECQA national register, and holds a 4.0/5 Google rating confirmed by Toddle.

The centre is led by Skye-Lee Dexter, Centre Director, who has spent her entire 14-year early childhood career at Goodstart. Skye-Lee holds a Diploma in Children's Services and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Early Childhood Education. She has worked across every level of the centre — Lead Educator, Educational Leader and Assistant Director — before becoming Centre Director.

The outdoor environment features multiple play spaces with a balance of natural and manmade surfaces — a sandpit, herb and veggie garden, mud kitchen and dry creek bed, plus ample shade. Nursery children go on regular community walks using the centre's prams. Indoor rooms are light-filled and spacious, designed around the developmental needs of each age group. Activities and resources include art, music, sensory play and regular community walks.

Programs are built around the Early Years Learning Framework, with University-qualified teachers delivering the Victorian Government-funded kindergarten program for eligible 3 and 4-year-olds, integrated within long day care hours. Meals, nappies and bottles are supplied. Families stay connected through Storypark, regular family nights and emailed newsletters. As a not-for-profit, Goodstart reinvests any surplus directly into programs and environments.

Goodstart Early Learning Berwick is the second-choice recommendation for postcode 3806. A confirmed Meeting NQS, a 4.0/5 Google rating, a Centre Director with 14 years of unbroken Goodstart experience, University-qualified kinder teachers, a rich outdoor environment with veggie garden and mud kitchen, and the backing of Australia's largest not-for-profit provider make it a well-rounded, dependable choice. Contact the centre directly via 1800 222 543 to confirm the current fee and availability.

Berwick Twinkle Star Early Learning Centre

Berwick Twinkle Star Early Learning Centre at 10-12 Warrawong Drive has been serving the Berwick community since July 2015 — over a decade of long day care in postcode 3806. It holds a Meeting NQS rating issued June 2023, confirmed by Starting Blocks, and was visited by the regulatory authority in March 2025 with zero conditions — the most recent compliance clearance of any centre on this list.

The centre's educational philosophy is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach — celebrating what the centre describes as "the hundred languages of children" by providing an environment that fosters exploration, creativity and discovery through art, science, play and nature. Programs empower children to express themselves and develop a lifelong love of learning.

With 60 licensed places, Berwick Twinkle Star is a smaller centre by Berwick standards, where educators have the capacity to know every child and family individually. The centre offers 3 and 4-year-old kinder programs with government funding, delivered by experienced kinder teachers focused on curiosity, creativity and school readiness.

The daily fee of $160.00 includes the most comprehensive Starting Blocks-confirmed inclusions package of any centre on this list — afternoon tea, breakfast, education programs, excursions and incursions, lunch, morning tea, nappies, other meals and transport. At $160.00 per day it sits just above the suburb average of $157, while offering transport as an included service — a genuine practical advantage. Current vacancies are confirmed by Starting Blocks.

Berwick Twinkle Star Early Learning Centre is the third-choice recommendation for postcode 3806. A Meeting NQS issued June 2023, the most recent regulatory clearance of any centre on this list (March 2025, zero conditions), the most comprehensive Starting Blocks-confirmed inclusions package including transport, a Reggio Emilia-inspired curriculum, a 4.5/5 KindiCare rating from 34 reviews, a 5.0/5 CareForKids rating and current vacancies make it a solid, accessible choice.