4 km from Melbourne CBD in the City of Yarra. 1,044 children under five.
More about Richmond →
Brighton Street Early Learning, Richmond Creche and Kindergarten and Bridge Road Early Learning Centre, all rated Exceeding NQS. Ranked on NQS rating and its date, then program, fees and practical fit, from the Starting Blocks register and the ACECQA national register.
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
Brighton Street Early Learning
68 Brighton Street, Richmond VIC 3121
Exceeding NQS · July 2026★ Google 5.0/5 · 7 reviews
Google reviews, captured 22 October 2026
Children's health and safety: Meeting · Physical environment: Meeting · Staffing arrangements: Meeting · 4 areas Exceeding
Regulatory detail and operational conditions
Exceeding NQS issued July 2026, up from Meeting (April 2022). Four of seven quality areas rated Exceeding.
Regulatory visit June 2026: Three conditions on the approval: routines for periods when outdoor space is not accessible under the planning permit; objects and play equipment placed so children cannot climb barriers, with outdoor equipment meeting the Australian Playground Standards; and natural elements maintained in outdoor spaces. No enforcement actions in the past two years. Source: Starting Blocks service record, retrieved 22 October 2026; approved places from the ACECQA national register.
Daily fee
$214.00
Hours
Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 6:00pm
CCS approved
Yes
Capacity
118 children
Brighton Street Early Learning is a privately run centre at 68 Brighton Street, approved for 118 places and open 7:00am to 6:00pm on weekdays. It lists no website on Starting Blocks, and we could not find a centre page of its own, so its age range and kindergarten program are unconfirmed: ask the centre directly.
Its July 2026 assessment lifted it from Meeting (April 2022) to Exceeding, with educational program, relationships with children, family partnerships and governance above the standard. The regulator visited in June 2026, and no enforcement action has been issued in the past two years.
The rate is $214.00 a day at every age, the dearest of the three here, with nine inclusions named on the register. Three conditions apply to the approval, covering routines when outdoor space is closed under its planning permit, barrier and playground safety, and natural elements outdoors.
Our take
Brighton Street takes first place on the date of its rating. All four Richmond services rated Exceeding were compared, and at the same level a gap of more than 12 months decides the order: its July 2026 result is 13 months newer than Richmond Creche's. Weigh the price, $214.00 a day before the subsidy, and the three conditions on its approval. Its Google figure, 5.0 from 7 reviews, is too thin to read much into, and it did not decide anything here.
Best for: Parents wanting the newest Exceeding rating in Richmond, in a 118-place centre with nine inclusions named against the daily rate.
Exceeding NQS · June 2025★ Google 4.5/5 · 25 reviews
Google reviews, captured 22 October 2026
Children's health and safety: Meeting · Physical environment: Meeting · 5 areas Exceeding
Regulatory detail and operational conditions
Exceeding NQS issued June 2025, up from Meeting (April 2021). Five of seven quality areas rated Exceeding.
Regulatory visit July 2026: Two conditions on the approval: no more than 48 children may be educated and cared for at any one time (against 70 approved places), and the provider must comply with the site's interim soil contamination management plan, with no landscaping without the regulator's approval. No enforcement actions in the past two years. Source: Starting Blocks service record, retrieved 22 October 2026; approved places from the ACECQA national register.
Daily fee
$163.00
Hours
Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 6:00pm
Ages
0 to 5 years
CCS approved
Yes
Capacity
70 children
Richmond Creche and Kindergarten is a not-for-profit centre on Abinger Street, managed by its community of parents, for children from birth to five. Its own site calls it the longest-running early learning centre in Victoria, now in its 135th year. It is open 7:30am to 6:00pm on weekdays.
The register approves 70 places, but a condition caps attendance at 48 children at any one time. A second condition requires it to follow an interim soil contamination management plan for the site. The June 2025 assessment rated it Exceeding, up from Meeting in April 2021, with five quality areas above the standard, and a July 2026 regulatory visit led to no enforcement action.
Starting Blocks lists $163.00 a day up to 35 months and $160.00 from 36 months, with five inclusions. Joining the waitlist costs $40, which is not refunded; the centre says places then follow the government priority-of-access guidelines, then current families, then families living or working in Richmond.
Our take
Richmond Creche is second on the date of its rating: its June 2025 Exceeding result is 13 months behind Brighton Street's and 13 months ahead of Bridge Road's, and at the same level a gap of more than a year sets the order. It is also the least expensive of the three, $163.00 a day up to 35 months. Two things to know before you apply: the $40 waitlist fee is non-refundable, and the cap of 48 children at a time makes it smaller in practice than its 70 approved places suggest.
Best for: Parents drawn to a small, parent-run not-for-profit with a long history in Richmond, at the lowest register rate of the three.
Exceeding NQS · May 2024★ Google 4.4/5 · 49 reviews
Google reviews, captured 22 October 2026
All 7 quality areas: Exceeding
Regulatory detail and operational conditions
Exceeding NQS issued May 2024, all seven quality areas Exceeding; previous rating Exceeding (April 2018). Both were issued before the current operator took over the approval on 13 January 2025.
Regulatory visit May 2026: No conditions on the approval and no enforcement actions in the past two years. Source: Starting Blocks service record, retrieved 22 October 2026; approved places from the ACECQA national register.
Daily fee
$206.70
Hours
Monday to Friday, 6:30am to 6:30pm
Ages
6 weeks to 6 years
CCS approved
Yes
Capacity
60 children
Bridge Road Early Learning Centre is approved for 60 places and open from 6:30am to 6:30pm, the longest day on this page. Its May 2024 assessment rated all seven quality areas Exceeding, as the April 2018 one did overall.
Both of those ratings were issued before the current operator took over the approval in January 2025, so they describe the centre under its previous management. A regulatory visit in May 2026 led to no enforcement action, and there are no conditions on the approval.
Starting Blocks lists $206.70 a day up to 35 months and $204.60 from 36 months, with eight inclusions. The centre has previously described a funded kindergarten program and a Friday bush kinder; confirm both with it, as its website could not be read for this update.
Our take
Bridge Road takes third from Yarraberg, the other Exceeding centre in Richmond. Their ratings are seven months apart, which our method treats as a tie, so the other criteria decide. Fees come out level: Yarraberg is cheaper at $160.71 but lists two fewer inclusions. Practical fit goes to Bridge Road, which opens at 6:30am against Yarraberg's 7:15am. Against it: its ratings predate the January 2025 change of operator, and up to 35 months it costs $43.70 a day more than Richmond Creche.
Best for: Working parents who need a 6:30am start and a 6:30pm finish in a 60-place centre rated Exceeding in every quality area.
Starting Blocks full-day rates, read 22 October 2026. From 36 months Richmond Creche charges $160.00 and Bridge Road $204.60; Brighton Street charges one rate at every age. Average across these three centres: $194.57/day before CCS up to 35 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.
Richmond is a vibrant inner-city suburb in Melbourne's east, located within the City of Yarra and served by postcode 3121. Positioned between the CBD and Hawthorn, Richmond is well connected by tram, train and road, with access to multiple train lines and stations across the suburb. The suburb is known for its mix of heritage terraces, converted warehouses and modern apartment developments, attracting a diverse range of families from young professionals to established households.
We read all 12 long day care services listed for Richmond 3121 on Starting Blocks on 22 October 2026. Four hold an Exceeding rating, and because a higher rating level comes first in our method, the ranking is drawn from those four. Brighton Street and Richmond Creche are each more than a year apart from the next centre, so the date of the rating places them. For third, Bridge Road and Yarraberg sit within a year of each other, and Bridge Road's 6:30am opening, 45 minutes earlier, decides it.
Looking wider? Our Inner Melbourne guide lists every suburb we rank across the area, with each one's top centres.
Richmond sits within the City of Yarra in Melbourne's inner east. Four of its 12 long day care services hold an Exceeding rating, including the council-run Yarraberg on River Street.
Child Care Subsidy (CCS)
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. Eligible families can receive up to 90% subsidy on fees.
Waitlist fees
Richmond Creche and Kindergarten charges $40, not refunded, to join its waitlist. Ask each centre whether it charges to join a waitlist before you apply to several.
Conditions on approval
Brighton Street carries three conditions on its approval and Richmond Creche two, including a cap of 48 children at a time. Bridge Road has none. Conditions are listed on each centre's Starting Blocks page.
Other services in Richmond worth knowing about
Yarraberg Child Care & Community Centre
4 River Street, run by the City of Yarra. Exceeding NQS (October 2023), 54 approved places, $160.71 a day at every age, six inclusions listed, open 7:15am to 6:00pm. Its rating ties Bridge Road's; fees come out level (cheaper, but two fewer listed inclusions), and Bridge Road opens 45 minutes earlier, which decides the pair on practical fit.
Green Leaves Early Learning Richmond
556 Swan Street. Meeting NQS (November 2023), 121 approved places, $188.50 a day at every age. Ranked second on the previous version of this page; it now sits below the four Exceeding-rated services on rating level.
Sparkways Richmond Multicultural Children's Centre
16 Gleadell Street. Meeting NQS (December 2025), 36 approved places, $177.10 a day up to 35 months and $171.40 from 36 months. Ranked third on the previous version of this page; it now sits below the four Exceeding-rated services on rating level.
Bambini Richmond ELC
Meeting NQS (May 2026), $199.50 a day at every age. Below the four Exceeding-rated services on rating level.
Goodstart Early Learning Richmond
319 Church Street. Meeting NQS (February 2025), $183.00 a day up to 35 months and $171.77 from 36 months. Below the four Exceeding-rated services on rating level.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best childcare centre in Richmond VIC?
On our published criteria, Brighton Street Early Learning at 68 Brighton Street ranks first, on an Exceeding rating issued in July 2026, the newest of Richmond's four Exceeding ratings. Richmond Creche and Kindergarten on Abinger Street is second (Exceeding, June 2025) and Bridge Road Early Learning Centre third (Exceeding, May 2024).
How much does childcare cost in Richmond?
As listed on Starting Blocks on 22 October 2026: Brighton Street charges $214.00 a day at every age; Richmond Creche $163.00 up to 35 months and $160.00 from 36 months; Bridge Road $206.70 up to 35 months and $204.60 from 36 months. The Child Care Subsidy can reduce your out-of-pocket costs significantly.
What is the postcode for Richmond childcare?
All three ranked centres are in postcode 3121, within the City of Yarra in Melbourne's inner east.
Are all three centres CCS approved?
Yes. Brighton Street Early Learning, Richmond Creche and Kindergarten and Bridge Road Early Learning Centre are all approved to receive the Australian Government's Child Care Subsidy.
Does Richmond Creche charge to join its waitlist?
Yes. Its enrolment page says there is a $40 non-refundable fee to join the waitlist. It is a fee, not a test: there is no interview or assessment, and the centre says places follow the government priority-of-access guidelines.
Which Richmond centre opens earliest?
Bridge Road Early Learning Centre opens at 6:30am and closes at 6:30pm. Brighton Street opens at 7:00am and Richmond Creche at 7:30am, and both close at 6:00pm.