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Child Safe Organisation logo featuring colourful hands forming a star shape, symbolizing support and protection for children in early childhood education.
Child Safe Organisation logo featuring colourful hands forming a star shape, symbolizing support and protection for children in early childhood education.
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AGES 6 WEEKS TO 5 YEARS

Starfish Childcare & Early Learning Centre Blackburn South

Starfish Childcare & Early Learning Centre Blackburn South provides play-based childcare and funded kindergarten for children from six weeks to five years.
Starfish Early Learning Centre rated Exceeding National Quality Standard childcare logo.
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Starfish Early Learning Centre rated Exceeding National Quality Standard childcare logo.Starfish ELC approved kindergarten program recognised by the Victorian Government
Google rating badge showing 4.5 stars from 80+ reviews for Starfish Early Learning Centre childcare.
4.6
29+ reviews
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Blackburn South

Why Starfish Blackburn South?

  • Original Starfish location, established in 2009.
  • Five unique rooms, thoughtfully designed for every stage of early childhood.
  • Established vegetable garden for hands-on environmental learning.
  • Regular nature excursions to nearby local reserves.
  • Serving Blackburn South, Box Hill, Forest Hill, and surrounding suburbs.
  • Funded 3 and 4 year-old kindergarten programs supporting children's learning, development and school readiness.
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Fees

Starfish ELC Blackburn South · 168 Canterbury Rd · Six weeks to five years

Child Care Subsidy
Daily Fee
Six weeks to five years
$191.00/day
Estimated out-of-pocket cost $69.48/day*
* Estimate only. Your actual out-of-pocket cost may vary based on your Child Care Subsidy (CCS) entitlement and individual circumstances.
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What's included in your daily fee

Baby diaper
Nappies and sunscreen
Chef hat
Nutritious, high-quality meals freshly prepared by our qualified chef
Healthy balanced meal
Lunch
Children's backpack
Tailored educational programs to children's evolving interests
Open book
Engaging, age-appropriate toys, books and learning resources
Colourful children's building blocks
Two one-hour orientation sessions
Red apple
Breakfast
Healthy banana and cracker snack
Afternoon tea
Colourful paint palette
Rotating educational curriculum
Children's sand bucket and shovel
Safe, shaded playgrounds designed for every age group
Thumbs up
CCS-approved centre
Cup of tea
Morning tea
Children's playground slide
Play-based learning
Pencil and writing paper
Extra-curricular activities
Broccoli
Kitchen garden program and veggie patch
TRUSTED STANDARDS

Our Foundation

Starfish Early Learning Centre logo featuring an orange starfish and playful text, representing early childhood education and care services.
Since 2009
Child Safe Organisation logo featuring colourful hands forming a star shape, symbolizing support and protection for children in early childhood education.
Child Safe Organisation
Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program logo
Kitchen Garden
DAILY ROUTINE

A Typical Day

Discover how we balance structured learning, free play, and essential rest throughout your child's day.

Drop Off

A gentle transition. Share overnight updates with your educators and help your child settle into their room's morning rhythm.

Learning & Play

Child-led exploration through Reggio Emilia-inspired provocations, building cognitive and social skills.

Morning Tea

Fresh morning tea prepared by our chef.

Indoor & Outdoor Experiences

Flexible flow between our classrooms, the established vegetable garden, and outdoor play spaces.

Lunch

Nutritious lunch prepared daily by our centre chef

Rest & Sleep

Quiet time or sleep tailored to your child's individual routine to recharge for the afternoon.

Afternoon Learning Activities

Continued sensory play, art and group experiences, with a healthy afternoon tea.

Daily updates from our educators

A comprehensive wrap-up of your child's day from our educators, supported by their Daily Learning Journal.

CENTRE LEADERSHIP

Meet Your Director

I’m Cathy Kimbel, Centre Director at Starfish Blackburn South. I warmly invite you to book a tour to walk through our rooms, meet our educators, and ask any questions you have about your child's early learning journey.

Meet the Team

Portrait of Tonii Tran, Managing Director of Starfish Early Learning Centre.
Tonii Tran
Managing Director
Portrait of Kera Degenhardt, General Manager at Starfish Early Learning Centre.
Kera Degenhardt
General Manager
Cathy Kimbel, Centre Director at Starfish Blackburn South
View Staff Bio
I've been part of the early childhood education and care sector for more than 30 years, since graduating with an Associate Diploma of Social Science in Childcare in 1992, and have proudly served as Director of Starfish ELC Blackburn South for over 12 years. What I love most is sharing in the joy of children's learning and growth—their curiosity, wonder and wonderfully unpredictable perspectives on the world. I also cherish the relationships built with educators and families, creating a community where everyone feels connected, valued and supported. Outside of work, you'll find me baking, planning my next travel adventure, tackling a home project, gathering loved ones for good food, reading, or spending time with family, friends and my furbaby, Lexi.
Cathy Kimbel
Blackburn South Centre Director

Portrait of Britney, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Britney
Portrait of Devinder, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Devinder
Portrait of Ellie, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Ellie
Portrait of Judy, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Judy
Portrait of Kunjan, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Kunjan
Portrait of Linda, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Linda
Portrait of Linna, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Linna
Portrait of Mary, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Mary
Portrait of Misa, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Misa
Portrait of Olivia, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Olivia
Portrait of Parul, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Parul
Portrait of Pixie, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Pixie
Portrait of Saba, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Saba
Portrait of Santina, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Santina
Portrait of Sherrly, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Sherrly
Portrait of Shikha, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Shikha
Portrait of Shirely, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Shirely
Portrait of Suzi, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Suzzi
Portrait of Vivian, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Vivian
Portrait of Yafen, educator at Starfish ELC Blackburn South
Yafen

Our centre respects and values all families, educators, and children, with a focus on fostering an environment of Belonging, Being, and Becoming.

The Original Starfish Centre

Opened in 2009, this centre boasts experienced educators and a rich history, with multiple generations of families having contributed to our culture.

Veggie Patch Virtues

Children at our Blackburn South centre work alongside the educators to maintain its thriving veggie patch, teaching them responsibility and to care for the environment.

Surrounded By Nature

Our centre is located amidst many beautiful nature reserves, which the children are taken to visit on their regular walking excursions.

Programmes by Age

Baby exploring sensory toy in a play based childcare early learning environment.
6 weeks - 18 months
Babies
  • Safe & Well-designed Learning Spaces
  • Dedicated calm sleep spaces
  • Sensory play
  • Daily routine updates for feeds & sleeps
  • Extracurricular Experiences
About the 0–3 program
Child using a magnifying glass during a hands-on learning activity at Starfish ELC
18 MONTHS - 3 YEARS
Toddlers
  • Play-based learning
  • Building independence & confidence
  • Toilet training support
  • Indoor and outdoor exploration
  • Kitchen garden program
About the toddler program
Young child exploring the vegetable garden outdoors at Starfish ELC
3 - 5 YEARS
Kindergarten
  • Government-funded program
  • Bachelor-qualified Teachers
  • School readiness focus
  • Kitchen garden program
About funded kindergarten
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Ready for your child to join the Blackburn South Starfish Centre?

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our location

Starfish Early Learning Centre Blackburn South

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Family Reviews

Trusted by Families

I went here 12 - 11 years ago and all of my childhood memories come from having fun here and learning me earliest skills. Here came my love of socializing, my confidence, and my love of animals. This is the best place to have your child with the best educators, the best education, and the best memories. I miss this place but I love it more than anything. I recommend this place to anyone looking for a place for their child/children and if they want the best education and memories this is the place to be. Love best: Ally and ashton
A
Adam Kliska
This centre is fantastic. Both our children attend here with our eldest wrapping up at the end of the year and our youngest still with a few more years before he also starts school. We've never had the need to look elsewhere and loved the care and sense of community from the first day we started. The educators are all lovely and so caring and our children love them so much. The centre is run well, we highly recommend!!
M
Marian Rafael
Everyone are so amazing here. My daughter is in Starfish Blackburn since she was two and a half years old. We are very satisfactory with all the things they provided to us. It's a safe and nurturing place for children to grow and learn. Thank you so much to all the educators and lovely staff in Starfish. I really appreciate everything you have done for me and my kid. I have no regret to send my daughter here. Starfish Blackburn is definitely one of the best kinders in town.
W
WS
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Common Questions

Our Blackburn South centre is located at 168 Canterbury Rd, Blackburn South.

The Victorian Government provides funding to support children to access a kindergarten program in the year before they start school. The funding is a contribution towards meeting the cost of the kindergarten program and is based on the number of children enrolled in the program at Starfish Early Learning Centre. Each child is eligible to attend only one funded kindergarten for a single year.

Our Blackburn Centre is open five days a week, Monday to Friday, from 7am to 6pm.

Our Blackburn South Centre is nearby the following suburbs: Box Hill, Blackburn, Forest Hill, Nunawading, Burwood, Burwood East, and Vermont South. Families living in these areas often find our centre conveniently located for daily drop-off and pick-up.

Our Blackburn South Centre consists of five rooms: one nursery, two toddler areas, and one area each for three and four-year-olds.

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