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Goodstart Varsity Lakes

Early learning with highly qualified, long-term educators.

Long daycare centre and kindergarten in the CBD.

246 Bond University Ring Road (Off University Drive), Varsity Lakes, 4227, QLD
6:30am to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday
Open every weekday of the year, except public holidays
Nursery, Toddler, Kindergarten

Welcome to Goodstart Varsity Lakes! 

We're your local early learning and long daycare centre, built on Kombumerri land. 

We provide care and education across our rooms, including our nurturing nursery, toddler space, and kindergarten classrooms. Our highly qualified and experienced educators lead programs and are passionate about forming bonds with families. 

You'll find us based in Varsity Lakes CBD, close to Bond University and Central Park. Why not book a tour and let us show you around? 

What makes our early learning centre special:

  • Focus on communication and forming strong bonds with families and children
  • Nurturing relationships, education and development in our littlest learners
  • Longstanding educators with up to 20 years of service at Goodstart
  • Four qualified early childhood teachers, one of whom has her master's
  • Inclusion focus, ensuring every child can come to our centre

Families love the consistency of our long-term, highly educated team; many have worked at the centre for over a decade. They also appreciate how we stay in touch, including face-to-face, through daily program books and the community noticeboard. 

We have English, Mandarin, Thai, French, Cantonese, and Neapolis speakers among our staff. They help our bilingual families feel at home, and the multiple languages provide a rich experience for all our children. 

Your child can join all our incursions and excursions when you enrol with us. We have weekly aged care visits and take nature walks around Bond University. 

Our kindergarten teacher works closely with the Varsity Primary School to nurture children's skills for starting Prep.  

Most of our children enrol with us long-term – when they start with us, they stay with us. Find out why families love our centre during your tour. We can't wait to meet you. 

Enrol now!

When every moment counts, make them Goodstart moments.

Enquire now

Learn more about Goodstart Varsity Lakes

  • At Goodstart Varsity Lakes, 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 Varsity Lakes 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 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  
    • Discounted shorter 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.  

Shaylea Farrell

Centre Director
Hello! My name is Shay, and I am the Centre Director at Goodstart Early Learning Varsity Lakes.

I bring over 13 years of experience in early childhood education to our centre and I’m currently studying for my Bachelor of Early Childhood Education. My passion is supporting children’s learning and development in a nurturing, inclusive environment.

Outside of work, I live an active lifestyle and love spending my free time outdoors, usually at the beach or enjoying quality moments with family.
My teaching philosophy is influenced by Lev Vygotsky, who emphasized that children’s cognitive development is deeply shaped by social interactions. I believe in creating a learning environment where children are supported through meaningful connections and scaffolding, helping them develop new skills through guided experiences with adults and peers.
Children’s safety is my top priority and I am committed to ensuring that every child feels secure, respected, and heard. I strongly believe in honouring children’s voices and choices, fostering their confidence and sense of agency in their learning journey.

The highlight of my role is building strong, trusting relationships and partnerships with families. Together, we create a community where every child feels valued, supported and inspired to learn.

I’m excited to welcome you and your family to our centre.

Structured Kindergarten Program

At Varsity Lakes, 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.

Structured Kindergarten Program

At Varsity Lakes, 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.

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