Goodstart Delacombe

Vacancies available!

Where inclusion, learning and community thrive.

904 Corner Glenelg Highway and Sutton Street, DELACOMBE, 3356, VIC

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

Nursery, Toddler, Kindergarten

Welcome to Goodstart Delacombe!

At our early learning centre, we create a supportive, inclusive and enriching early learning environment where every child can thrive.

Our service is built on Wadawurrung Country, located near Delacombe town centre, Phoenix College, and Delacombe Primary School – just off Glenelg Highway in Ballarat.

With large, newly refurbished outdoor play areas and strong educator-family relationships, our centre offers children a rich experience and feels like an extension of your home.

Our team of highly qualified and passionate educators delivers play-based learning programs tailored to each child's needs and interests.

We support every stage of development from six weeks to five years, including early milestones in nursery through to school readiness in kindergarten.

Take a tour and see for yourself - we'd love to show you around.

Why families choose us:

Six teachers with bachelor's degrees and an ECT with a master's degree
Passionate, dedicated, and highly qualified educators who are continually upskilling
Dedicated allied health access for kindergarten children, including speech, psychology and occupational therapy
Expansive outdoor play areas for learning in nature
Inclusive culture with strong support for all children, including those with additional needs
We speak English, Punjabi, Hindi, Arabic, Filipino, Tamil, Urdu, Nepalese, Telugu and Tagalog
Rich incursion program included: Happy Feet, Kelly Sports, Body Safety, and many more!
Welcoming library space for families to borrow books and promote a love of reading

Our centre features six learning rooms, including two dedicated kindergarten and two nursery rooms, plus a flexible family grouping space used during mornings, evenings, and incursions.

We've designed our environments to inspire imagination, confidence, and independence. Our large yards allow children to explore freely, no matter the season.

We work closely with families through daily conversations and Storypark updates to ensure we can support every child's learning journey at home and at the centre.

Whether you're looking for quality nursery care, a welcoming toddler space, or a strong kindergarten program, we're here to help.

Come see what makes us special - book a tour today, meet our warm and experienced team, and experience the heart of Goodstart Delacombe. We can't wait to welcome your family.

Enrol now!

When every moment counts, make them Goodstart moments.

Enquire now

Learn more about Goodstart Delacombe

At Goodstart Delacombe, 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 Delacombe 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.

Hello! My name is Julie Lyall, and I am the new Centre Director here at Goodstart Delacombe.

Dear Families and Community,

My name is Julie and I am thrilled and honoured to introduce myself as the new Centre Director at Goodstart Delacombe from August 2026. My journey in early childhood education and leadership spans over 27 years, and I am excited to bring my passion for nurturing young minds to this wonderful community. I hold a Diploma of Community Services and bring my knowledge from various roles over the years (Room Leader, Educational Leader and Assistant Director) to continue to support and guide your children while they develop, grow and learn, while partnering with families to ensure we offer the best start. We deliver a safe, play-based and inclusive environment that builds strong foundation that your child needs to thrive. It is my privilege to be part of your child’s journey. We are an inclusive and diverse Centre, and I strongly believe in being able to support those of all backgrounds and needs, while putting children’s safety and wellbeing first.

I grew up in a small country town that showed me how much community matters and the importance of looking out for each other. I bring this with me to Delacombe. I believe it takes a community to care, support and protect each other, ensuring our children are growing and learning in a safe environment. I have been at Goodstart Delacombe since 2011 (over 15 wonderful years) and have two children of my own and two beautiful grandchildren, that also attended the service.

Here at Goodstart Delacombe, we are fortunate to have a well experienced, highly qualified team and nurturing team, who are committed to keeping children safe and protecting them from harm. Our team is driven by the passion to provide children with the highest quality of care and learning.

Please don’t hesitate to stop by, say hello and meet the wonderful team here at Delacombe.
My door is always open; I look forward to meeting you and your family and welcoming you into our Centre community!

Government Funded Kindergarten Program

At Delacombe, you and your child can enjoy the best of both worlds. Our early learning centre offers a Government-funded 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

Out-of-pocket cost with With CCS subsidy:

$79.57 $65.14 $50.71 $36.28 /day out-of-pocket*

Out-of-pocket cost with With CCS subsidy:

$71.71 $57.28 $42.85 $28.42 /day out-of-pocket*

Calculate your CCS subsidy

With multi-child discounts and government funded Kindergarten/Preschool in some states, out-of-pocket costs could be even less than you think!

The above fees are effective from 6 July 2026 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.

* Estimates are calculated based on CCS rates as of January 2026, for an activity level of 72 activity hours on a 10hr session and a 3 day booking.

Nappies
Storypark
Food provided
Qualified and dedicated early childhood carers and educators

Age appropriate toys, books and reading materials
Extra curricular activities
Age appropriate shaded playgrounds
Quiet, tranquil sleeping room in Nursery
Parking available
Breast feeding area
Sunscreen
Debit payment options
Parent lounge
Reduced rate for multiple days per child per week
On site parking

Contact this centre

Government Funded Kindergarten Program

Testimonial

The centre has been amazing with my two year old transitioning into daycare. All the educators are friendly, approachable and easy to get along with. I have alot of confidence with this centre. My two year old is very happy.

Amber Davern-Jeffries

Testimonial

My son has been attending Goodstart Early Learning for 2 years, and we absolutely love it! The staff go above and beyond for him and we are so appreciative of the positive role they play for his development!

Rebekah Tucker

Testimonial

My son and daughter transitioned from another Goodstart Centre to Delacombe at the beginning of 2025. My daughter has just celebrated her graduation recently. Honestly, writing a five star review for Goodstart Delacombe does not feel like enough to describe how much it has been a privilege sending my children here. There is a real sense of structure and organisation about this place which I think is a reflection of the experience of the management staff. All staff are happy, passionate, caring and really engage with you and your children. I have to commend the fact that they cater for a lot of children with special needs. My son gets quite bad eczema and we have never had an issue with them forgetting to apply cream or anything like that. If you live in the area and have young children, there is no better place to care for your children while you are working.

Steven Pratt