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Every centre was assessed against five criteria: NQS rating independently assessed by the Victorian regulatory authority, fee transparency verified against the Starting Blocks database, parent satisfaction drawn from Google Reviews, program quality including curriculum approach and educator qualifications, and practical value including hours, inclusions and Free Kinder access.
We do not accept payment from any centre to appear on this list. Our rankings are independent.
Suburb average: ~$167/day before CCS. All three centres are CCS approved. Fees current as of February 2026. Confirm directly with each centre.
All 7 quality areas: Meeting
Tucked down a quiet side street off North Road, just a five-minute walk from Ormond train station, Birches Early Learning Centre Ormond has been operating since January 2012. The centre has 60 licensed places and runs an indoor-outdoor program that allows children to move seamlessly between learning environments throughout the day.
The educational program is grounded in the Reggio Emilia approach, developed in accordance with the government's Early Years Learning Framework. The curriculum is emergent in nature, responsive to children's interests and guided by reflective practice. Educators treat children as capable, curious learners from day one.
What parents consistently highlight is the open-door policy. Families are welcome to drop in unannounced at any time, no need to call ahead. This transparency is rare in the sector and speaks to the confidence the team has in their daily practice.
Fresh meals are prepared on-site daily by a chef who accommodates all allergies and dietary requirements. The daily fee of $180.61 includes meals, nappies and educational programs. Flexible session options (9, 10 and 12-hour sessions) allow families to optimise their Child Care Subsidy.
The centre also has resident chickens, Bok Bok and Bailey, who are much loved by the children and provide a sense of connection, empathy and responsibility, a small detail that says a lot about the environment Birches creates.
One distinguishing feature across all Birches Early Learning centres is the monthly incursion program, included at no additional cost to families. Programs rotate by term and centre but consistently include hands-on experiences like the Henny Penny chicken hatching program, butterfly lifecycle (caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly), reptile and native animal incursions, Museum Victoria's outreach program, Little Scientists, dental visits, woodworking workshops, and Aboriginal cultural music and history sessions. The program brings expert-led learning experiences directly to children at the centre rather than requiring families to coordinate external visits.
“Birches is a beautiful centre with lovely staff. There were some tears when Nathan started attending but now he has settled nicely and enjoys it very much, he especially loves the outdoors. The educators have demonstrated great care towards the children, giving us parents the peace of mind. Highly recommended!”
“Great caring staff that my child loves to spend time with. Constantly doing varied activities and learning.”
Birches Ormond is the standout choice in postcode 3204. The combination of a 5.0 Google rating, 4.9/5 parent rating from 41 reviews, Reggio Emilia curriculum, all-inclusive fees and genuine open-door transparency makes it the benchmark for the suburb. Its proximity to Ormond station also makes it one of the most convenient centres for commuting families in Melbourne's inner south-east. The monthly incursion program, included in fees rather than charged extra, brings hands-on learning experiences like chicken hatching, butterfly lifecycle, and Museum Victoria visits directly to children at the centre.
All 7 quality areas: Meeting
Nido Early School Ormond opened in November 2022 and quickly established itself as one of the most premium early learning environments in the suburb. With 84 licensed places across purpose-built rooms, it serves the Tucker Road end of Ormond with a flagship Nido environment.
Part of the national Nido Early School group, which claims 99% of its services are rated Meeting or Exceeding NQS in Educational Program and Practice, the Ormond location brings the group's signature curriculum and high-resource environments to Melbourne's inner south-east. Nido invests heavily in age-specific indoor and outdoor environments, with light-filled interiors designed around natural resources and calming, well-organised spaces.
The curriculum follows a Reggio Emilia-inspired approach, with play-based learning experiences designed to build school readiness progressively from the nursery through to the pre-kinder room. Meals are prepared fresh daily in the centre's cucina by an in-house chef, with menus developed by nutrition specialists and catering for all allergies and dietary requirements.
At $199.00 per day, Nido Ormond sits at the premium end of the suburb's fee range, above the suburb average of $167. The fee reflects the centre's investment in resources, environments and staffing. All meals, nappies and programs are included.
“Your kindness, patience, and the way you engage with the children is so genuine and appreciated. You've created a space that is not only safe and nurturing but also full of joy, creativity, and learning. The entire team at Nido goes above and beyond every day, and it means the world to us knowing our child is surrounded by such a passionate, professional, and caring group of educators.”
“We are extremely happy with Nido Early School Ormond. Our daughter has been attending here for over 2 years and looks forward to her days here. The educators are all great — especially Emma, Linda and Kavee! Very friendly and nice.”
Nido Ormond is the premium option in postcode 3204. It is newer, larger and more expensive than Birches, but the quality of its environments and the consistency of its educator team have earned it consistently strong parent feedback. For families who want a flagship group-operator experience with maximum resources and a strong school readiness focus, Nido is the choice.
All 7 quality areas: Meeting
Ormond Childcare and Preschool on Katandra Road is one of the suburb's most distinctive long day care services. The centre's educational philosophy is grounded in the Montessori method, developed by Dr Maria Montessori, a child-centred approach that emphasises independence, hands-on learning and self-directed activity within a carefully prepared environment. This sets it apart from the Reggio Emilia-influenced centres that dominate the Ormond market.
The centre opens at 7:30am and runs through to 6:30pm. It holds a Meeting NQS rating issued January 2024.
What parents consistently describe is a warm, community feel where all educators across every room know their child by name. The team, led by Mona and including educators Nisha and Nandini, is praised for going above and beyond at drop-off and pick-up, providing personalised daily summaries both in person and through the app.
The centre runs excursions to local destinations including the train station and grocery store, and organises memorable incursions such as fire truck visits, the kind of experiences that children talk about for weeks.
“We have had continuous great experiences with Mona and her team at Ormond Childcare and Preschool. Since our son started attending from around 14 months old, the team there have looked after him so well, and he enjoys every day! From the excursions to the train station and grocery store, to organising a fire truck to come around and visit the kids — we are greatly appreciative for the different experiences that our son has had the chance to take part in.”
“Our 2.5 year old has been attending Ormond Child Care Centre since the start of the year, and we couldn't be happier. It's a lovely, privately owned centre where all the educators, across every room, know who our son is and always do their best to make sure he is happy and comfortable at all times. We particularly appreciate the educators, especially Nisha and Nandini, who always go above and beyond during drop-offs and pick-ups. They provide fantastic, personalised summaries of his day both in person and through the app.”
Ormond Childcare and Preschool is the most distinctive choice in postcode 3204. Its Montessori approach is genuinely different from anything else in the suburb, and the parent reviews consistently describe a centre where children are known as individuals and the team goes well beyond the minimum. For families drawn to the Montessori philosophy, or who simply want a warm, community-rooted centre with strong parent-review scores, this is the standout third choice.
Ormond is a well-established residential suburb in Melbourne's inner south-east, located within the City of Glen Eira and served by postcode 3204. The suburb sits between Bentleigh and McKinnon, with Ormond station on the Frankston line. Families in Ormond benefit from a strong local community feel, tree-lined streets, proximity to quality schools, and easy access to parks and shopping along North Road.
Parents searching for early learning in Ormond have access to a large number of childcare services across the postcode. Fees in Ormond generally sit above the broader Melbourne average. Centres in the area offer a range of educational philosophies, from Reggio Emilia to Montessori, giving families genuine choice in how their children learn and develop during the foundational years.
For this guide, all centres in Ormond 3204 were assessed against ACECQA National Quality Standard ratings sourced from Starting Blocks, verified fee data, and parent reviews aggregated from Google. The top three centres were selected based on consistent quality across these independent measures.
Ormond sits within the City of Glen Eira, one of Melbourne's most sought-after inner south-east suburbs. The suburb's postcode (3204) has approximately 25 childcare services in total, with an average daily fee for long day care of approximately $167, significantly above the Melbourne average.
All three centres on this list are CCS approved. Most Australian families are eligible for CCS, which is means-tested based on combined family income and activity levels.
Victoria's government-funded kindergarten program provides up to 15 hours per week of free kinder for eligible 3 and 4-year-olds. Birches and Nido both offer integrated Free Kinder within their long day care programs. Contact Ormond Childcare and Preschool directly to confirm kinder program availability.
Demand is high in Ormond. Birches in particular has limited availability given its 60-place capacity. Enquire early; many families join waitlists before their child is born.
Information on this page was last verified: March 2026
top3elc.com.au is an independent guide to the best childcare centres in every suburb across Victoria. We do not accept payment or sponsorship from any centre to appear in our rankings. All NQS ratings are sourced from ACECQA via the Starting Blocks government database. Fees are verified at time of publication. Always confirm directly with the centre. Last updated: February 2026.
top3elc.com.au is operated by the team behind Birches Early Learning. Birches appears in this suburb based on its NQS rating, verified fees and parent reviews, the same criteria applied to every other centre on this site. All other rankings are completely independent. We do not accept payment from any centre to influence rankings.
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