Raleigh St Community Children's Centre 28 Raleigh Street, Thornbury, Victoria 3071

Welcome to Raleigh Street Community Children’s Centre (Raleigh St), located in Thornbury, Australia. Established in 1985, Raleigh St is a nurturing and inclusive space dedicated to providing high-quality education and care for 37 children per day, ranging from 6 months to preschool years.

At Raleigh St, we offer Early Childhood Education and 3 and 4-year-old Kindergarten Programs that are thoughtfully developed by our experienced educators and kinder teachers. Our programs align with the Early Learning Years Framework and the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework, ensuring a comprehensive and holistic approach to early childhood education.

We believe in creating an inclusive environment where educators and families work hand in hand, fostering a genuine partnership focused on creating an open learning environment. Our goal is to ensure that every child reaches their full potential, regardless of their cultural background, gender, ability, or family structure.

We take pride in celebrating our multicultural roots, recognizing the wealth of knowledge and diversity that our community brings. At Raleigh St, we value and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, identities, and connections to community and Country. We are committed to creating a culturally safe environment for Aboriginal children and families, actively embedding Aboriginal voices into our everyday practices.

As a mark of respect, we acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nations as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we operate. We pay our respects to the Elders, both past and present.

Please note that our centre is fully booked for 2023. However, you can add your child's name to the Darebin Centralised waitlist for care starting in January 2024. For more information on the waitlist and how it works, please visit our website.

If you would like to experience our centre firsthand, we invite you to schedule a tour at your convenience using the booking link provided.

At Raleigh St, we believe that diversity is our strength. By valuing and celebrating diversity, we overcome stereotypes, promote inclusion, build cultural awareness, and encourage unity. Our aim is to empower children to feel confident and proud of their uniqueness.

We also prioritize the empowerment of our staff, ensuring they have the knowledge, confidence, means, and ability to make decisions that foster professional growth and continuous improvement. Through critical reflection and collaboration, we constantly challenge ourselves to do better.

Community connections are vital to us. We foster relationships within our wider community, based on mutual benefit, to provide children with a sense of place. Indigenous perspectives are deeply embedded in our everyday practices, offering children a cultural context specific to our local area.

We believe in holistic learning, preparing children for successful transitions within our service and later to school. Learning is a lifelong process, where new experiences build upon previous ones. Our approach to early childhood education and care is holistic, nurturing individual growth beyond mere academic learning.

Sustainability is a core value at Raleigh St. We recognize the climate emergency that has been declared and commit to sustainable practices. We empower our children to take positive steps for future generations by teaching them about their impact on the environment and how they can reduce it through everyday actions.

But don't just take our word for it. Here's what one of our parents had to say: "We couldn't be happier with the care provided. The educators make the centre a warm and welcoming environment with outstanding educational opportunities."

Once again, we acknowledge the Wurundjeri people as the traditional owners and custodians of this land and pay respect to their Elders, both past and present.