Goodstart Thorneside

Skilled, long-term educators and large yards on Quandamooka Land

Not-for-profit care and education enrolling nursery to kindergarten.

231 Thorneside Road, THORNESIDE, 4158, QLD

6:30am to 6:00pm, Monday to Friday
Open every weekday of the year, except public holidays

Nursery, Toddler, Kindergarten

Quality Childcare and Early Learning in Thorneside

Welcome to Goodstart Thorneside! We're a family-focused early learning centre on Quandamooka Land where children are encouraged to play, learn and grow in a safe and nurturing environment.

Our seven-room double centre caters for children from six weeks to five years, with thoughtfully designed spaces for each age group: nursery to school-ready kindergarten.

Families love our strong sense of community, longstanding educators and the calm, consistent atmosphere we've created.

We're conveniently located just minutes from Thorneside train station near Birkdale, Wellington Point, Ormiston and Cleveland, and not far from Thornlands and Victoria Point.

Book a tour today to meet our dedicated team and explore how we can support your child's early learning journey.

Why families choose Goodstart Thorneside:

Long-serving educators, many with 5–10 years of experience, offering consistency and trusted care
Convenient location – just 2 minutes from Thorneside train station and close to local schools
Spacious outdoor play areas, including separate baby and toddler yards for safe exploration
Nutritious, allergy-aware meals prepared onsite daily, including purees for babies
Inclusive, multicultural community with educators who speak multiple languages
Focus on protective-behaviour learning, helping children feel confident and safe
Strong family connections built through open communication and shared goals

At Goodstart Thorneside, every child is valued as an individual.

Our educators – including two ECTs – build programs around each child's interests, curiosity and developmental stage, guided by the Early Years Learning Framework and Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines.

Through play-based learning, we foster creativity, social-emotional development and confidence, and essential life skills that prepare children for school and beyond.

Families appreciate our open-door approach and commitment to genuine relationships.

Whether it's sharing updates through Storypark, participating in centre events, or chatting at drop-off and pick-up, we work alongside you every step of the way.

Come and experience our vibrant learning spaces, meet our passionate team and see why local families choose us. Take a tour and discover how Goodstart Thorneside can give your child the best possible start.

Learn more about Goodstart Thorneside

At Goodstart Thorneside, our philosophy centres around the belief that every child is a unique individual with their own interests and strengths. We embrace a play-based learning approach that nurtures curiosity and creativity, allowing children to explore their world in meaningful ways. 
We prioritise: 
1. Holistic Development: Supporting cognitive, emotional, social, and physical growth through engaging and developmentally appropriate activities. 
2. Family and Community Engagement: Building strong partnerships with families and the community to create a supportive network for each child. 
3. Inclusive Environment: Celebrating diversity and ensuring that all children feel valued, respected, and included. 
4. Lifelong Learning: Instilling a love of learning by encouraging exploration, problem-solving, and critical thinking. 
Through our philosophy, we aim to create a safe, nurturing environment where children can thrive and become confident, capable learners. 
Children need to feel safe and supported to learn and grow, so we promote key educator relationships between our educators and children. Your child will have at least one educator (their key educator) who takes them under their wing and really gets to know them. 
Our Key Educator relationships help children form secure attachments. Educators work closely with smaller groups and individual children to better understand each child. These relationships lead to improved outcomes for children as we foster more communication between families and educators. 
We inform families regularly about their child's progress and welcome family involvement in our centre events and activities.  
At our Thorneside centre, we're proud to inspire your child's love of learning with the support of our passionate and qualified early childhood experts. Teachers with bachelor's degrees run our three and four-year-old kindergarten program, so children can be well on their way to excellent learning outcomes by the time they start school. 
At Goodstart, we believe all children deserve the best possible start in life, which includes access to high-quality early childhood education and care. We offer:  
- Discounts on multiple days  
- All day sessions  
- Fee assistance programs for families that need support
We work closely with parents to ensure the individual needs, interests and strengths of children are considered, and our learning goals reflect them. Using Storypark, a wonderful communication platform, we stay in close touch with families and ensure you're well informed about your child's development and achievements. 
Click here to book your tour or call our Family Services team to find out more on 1800 222 543.

Enrol now!

When every moment counts, make them Goodstart moments.

Enquire now

Hello! My name is Rachel, and I am the Centre Director at Goodstart Early Learning Thorneside.

I am very passionate about early learning and providing children with the best start in life, by supporting each child to reach their highest potential as they create a sense of being and belonging within our learning environment.

I have been working within Goodstart Early Learning organisation for over 20 years, and here at Goodstart Thorneside for eight years, during this time I had the privilege of working with all the age groups of children in many different roles. I hold a Diploma in Early childhood Education.

Through my personal and professional life, I am passionate for providing an inclusive, inspirational and supportive environment for all children. I believe that we provide the foundation for a child’s journey, that gives them the skills, confidence and curiosity to investigate, learn and succeed.

Here at Goodstart Thorneside, we are fortunate to work alongside a well experienced and highly qualified team, who all have the passion and drive to provide children with the highest quality of care and learning. By role models for children, and being actively engaging during play they learn empathy, compassion and true friendship through being able to confidently relate to others.

I look forward to working with you and your family, please stop by say hello and meet the wonderful team here at Goodstart Thorneside.

Structured Kindergarten Program

At Thorneside, you and your child can enjoy the best of both worlds. Our centre offers a kindergarten program and long day care under the one roof. Our kindergarten teachers are University qualified and provide a play-based learning program that will support your child in learning the skills for school and life.

Fees and inclusions

Nursery & Toddler

Kindergarten

Use our Calculator to see your real out-of-pocket cost

The above fees are effective from 7 July 2025 and are based on a 10 hour session, for attendance between 2 and 4 days per week. 5 day bookings receive a generous discount per day. Note that different combinations of sessions times and number of days can increase or decrease the daily rate.