50 km from Melbourne CBD in the Shire of Cardinia. 1,860 children under five.
More about Officer →
Our Officer order: Greenwood Early Education Officer (Exceeding NQS), My Little Kingdom (Meeting NQS) and Bambini Officer (Meeting NQS), ranked on rating and its date, then program, fees and practical fit.
How we chose: we weigh five things together: NQS rating and how recently it was issued, parent reviews, program and environment, fees and inclusions, and practical fit including hours and Free Kinder access. We do not accept payment from any centre to appear on this list, and we do not rank by who owns a centre. Read how we rank.What an Exceeding NQS rating actually means →
No.1 PICK
Greenwood Early Education Officer
5 Damon Street, Officer VIC 3809
Exceeding NQS · July 2023★ Google 4.7/5 · 84 reviews
Google reviews, captured 22 October 2026
Educational program and practice: Meeting · Children's health and safety: Meeting · Relationships with children: Meeting · 4 areas Exceeding
Regulatory detail and operational conditions
Exceeding NQS issued July 2023, up from Meeting (November 2019), with four of seven quality areas rated Exceeding.
Regulatory visit September 2025: No conditions on the service approval and no enforcement actions at this service in the past two years (Starting Blocks, 22 October 2026). Its record also lists outside school hours care and vacation care, so its 130 approved places are not all long day care.
Daily fee
$177.75
Hours
Monday to Friday, 6:30am to 6:30pm
Ages
6 weeks to 6 years
CCS approved
Yes
Free Kinder
Yes, integrated
Capacity
130 children
Greenwood Early Education Officer on Damon Street holds an Exceeding National Quality Standard rating issued in July 2023, up from Meeting in 2019, with physical environment, staffing, family partnerships and governance rated beyond the standard. It is run by a national group and takes children from six weeks to six years.
The centre describes a sustainability program with a veggie garden and worm farm, sport, music and movement sessions, and a government-approved three and four-year-old kindergarten program led by degree-qualified teachers. Meals are prepared by an in-house chef.
The fee is $177.75 a day at every age, with eight inclusions listed on Starting Blocks, the highest fee on this page.
What parents say
“My daughter just started at Greenwood Officer but already loving it. Team is amazing. They always greet us with a big smile on their face. Management is so kind and helpful. Team is putting their great efforts to make my daughter comfortable and settled in her new environment. Highly recommended Greenwood Officer.”Mandeep Kaur via Google
Our take
Greenwood ranks first on its rating alone: it is the only Exceeding service among the 11 in Officer, so criterion 1 places it above every Meeting centre before fees or practical fit are weighed. It also costs the most of the three, $177.75 a day, and its rating dates from July 2023.
Best for: Parents who want the one Exceeding-rated service in Officer, with meals cooked on site and a funded kindergarten program.
Meeting NQS · January 2026★ Google 4.9/5 · 125 reviews
Google reviews, captured 22 October 2026
All 7 quality areas: Meeting
Regulatory detail and operational conditions
Meeting NQS issued January 2026, its first rating (service approved October 2024), with all seven quality areas at Meeting.
Regulatory visit July 2026: One condition on the service approval: "The approved provider must ensure that any child that is toilet trained, or toilet training, is not educated and cared for in Children's Room 3 (as denoted on the plan).; condition to be amended to refer to Room 2". No enforcement actions in the past two years. Source: Starting Blocks, 22 October 2026; approved places from the ACECQA national register.
Daily fee
$144.50
Hours
Monday to Friday, 6:30am to 6:30pm
Ages
Infants to 5 years (infant, toddler, pre-kinder and kinder rooms)
CCS approved
Yes
Capacity
88 children
My Little Kingdom is on Bayview Road, approved for 88 places and open 6:30am to 6:30pm on weekdays. Its website sets out infant, toddler, pre-kinder and kinder rooms. Its January 2026 assessment, the first since approval in October 2024, rated all seven quality areas Meeting.
The fee is $144.50 a day up to 35 months and $139.00 from 36 months, below both other ranked centres, but the register lists no inclusions against it, so ask what it covers before comparing. One condition, concerning which room toilet-training children use, is attached to the approval.
Our take
My Little Kingdom is second. Its rating ties every Meeting centre assessed in the year to September 2026, and fees decide each pair: against Bambini it wins outright, $144.50 against $166.40, and against the larger centres, where capacity goes the other way, parent reviews settle the split, 4.9 from 125, a far bigger base than any rival. It sits below Greenwood on the rating. This is a first rating, no inclusions are listed, and there is a room condition on its approval.
Best for: Budget-conscious households wanting the lowest fee on this page in every age band, from a centre with a deep base of parent reviews.
Meeting NQS · April 2026★ Google 4.8/5 · 30 reviews
Google reviews, captured 22 October 2026
All 7 quality areas: Meeting
Regulatory detail and operational conditions
Meeting NQS issued April 2026, up from Working Towards (October 2024), with all seven quality areas at Meeting.
Regulatory visit March 2026: No conditions on the service approval and no enforcement actions in the past two years (Starting Blocks, 22 October 2026). Approved places from the ACECQA national register.
Daily fee
$166.40
Hours
Monday to Friday, 6:30am to 6:00pm
Ages
From 3 months
CCS approved
Yes
Capacity
100 children
Bambini Officer is on Bayview Road, approved for 100 places and open 6:30am to 6:00pm on weekdays. The centre says it takes children from three months and describes classrooms built with recycled materials and a custom-designed backyard.
Its April 2026 assessment rated all seven quality areas Meeting, up from Working Towards in October 2024. There are no conditions or enforcement actions on record. The fee is $166.40 a day at every age, with eight inclusions listed on Starting Blocks.
Our take
Bambini takes third. Against Papilio Officer, rated three months later at the same level, fees come out level (Papilio is cheaper but lists one inclusion against eight) and capacity is level (100 against 104), so reviews decide it, 30 against 4. Against Amiga and Expeditions it wins on fees, they win on capacity, and its review base decides again. It closes at 6:00pm, which our method treats as level with 6:30pm. My Little Kingdom beats it on fees.
Best for: Parents after a 100-place centre that takes babies from three months, with eight inclusions named in one daily rate.
Full-day rates up to 35 months, from Starting Blocks on 22 October 2026. My Little Kingdom drops to $139.00 from 36 months; Greenwood and Bambini charge one rate at every age. Average across these three centres: $162.88 a day up to 35 months, $161.05 from 36 months. All three are CCS approved.
Childcare fees vary by age group. The rates shown may reflect different age bands at different centres, so confirm the rate for your child's age directly with each centre.
Officer is a rapidly growing suburb in Melbourne's outer south-east, located approximately 50 kilometres from the CBD within the Shire of Cardinia. Once a small rural township, it has seen heavy residential development over the past decade and now draws many young families to its new estates.
All 11 long day care services in Officer were read from Starting Blocks and the ACECQA register on 22 October 2026, with fees in every age band, approved places and a controlled Google capture.
Greenwood is the only Exceeding service in Officer. Below it, several Meeting centres were assessed within a year of each other, and My Little Kingdom on Bayview Road comes out ahead of all of them on fees, with Bambini, a few doors along, third.
Looking wider? Our South-East Growth Corridor guide lists every suburb we rank across the area, with each one's top centres.
Officer sits within the Shire of Cardinia, approximately 50 km south-east of Melbourne's CBD. Most of its long day care services opened in the past few years and hold first or second ratings.
One Exceeding centre
Greenwood (July 2023) is the only Exceeding service in Officer. Every other rated service is Meeting.
Fees
Greenwood charges $177.75 and Bambini $166.40 at every age; My Little Kingdom charges $144.50 up to 35 months and $139.00 from 36 months, with no inclusions listed (Starting Blocks, 22 October 2026). All three are CCS approved.
Bushfire closures
Several Officer services sit on the state Category 4 bushfire list and must close on days declared Catastrophic. Check with each centre.
On our published criteria, Greenwood Early Education Officer at 5 Damon Street ranks first: it is the only Exceeding service in Officer (July 2023). My Little Kingdom and Bambini Officer, both on Bayview Road, are second and third.
How much does childcare cost in Officer?
From Starting Blocks on 22 October 2026: Greenwood charges $177.75 a day, Bambini Officer $166.40, and My Little Kingdom $144.50 up to 35 months and $139.00 from 36 months. Average across these three centres: $162.88 a day up to 35 months. Fees are before the Child Care Subsidy, which covers up to 90% depending on household income and activity.
Are there any Exceeding NQS childcare centres in Officer?
Yes, one: Greenwood Early Education Officer, rated Exceeding in July 2023 with four of seven quality areas above the standard.
Do any of these centres have conditions on their approval?
My Little Kingdom has one, about which room toilet-training children are cared for in. Greenwood and Bambini Officer have none.
Are all three centres CCS approved?
Yes. Greenwood Early Education Officer, My Little Kingdom and Bambini Officer are all approved for the Australian Government's Child Care Subsidy.
Data sources: ACECQA (NQS ratings and approved places), Starting Blocks (Fees, inclusions, conditions and vacancies), Google Reviews (Ratings). top3elc.com.au does not receive referral fees.