Now enrolling for 2026
Where little minds grow, explore and thrive
A play-based early learning centre in Northcote for children aged 6 weeks to 5 years. Small groups, qualified educators, and a garden built for muddy hands.
| Ages | 6 weeks – 5 years |
|---|---|
| Rooms | 4 |
| Ratio | 1 educator to 4 babies |
| Hours | 7:00am – 6:00pm |
| Location | Northcote VIC |
| Established | 2009 |
An early childhood educator sitting on the playroom floor, showing a colourful picture block to a small group of toddlers
Everything a parent actually worries about
Safe by design
Secure keypad entry, daily safety checks and educators trained in paediatric first aid.
Qualified educators
Every room is led by a degree-qualified early childhood teacher who stays with your child all year.
Play-based learning
An emergent curriculum built on the Early Years Learning Framework and your child’s own curiosity.
Fresh meals daily
Three cooked meals and two snacks prepared on site, with every allergy individually managed.
About the centre
A second home, ten minutes from yours
Little Steps began in 2009 when two early childhood teachers converted a Northcote weatherboard into the kind of centre they wanted for their own children: small, unhurried, and full of light.
Sixteen years later we still cap our rooms well below the regulated maximum. Fewer children in a room means an educator who knows what your child did at the weekend, which book they ask for at rest time, and exactly how they like their sandwich cut.
Our garden classroom runs in every season. Children dig, plant, climb and cook with what they grow — because the most important early learning rarely happens sitting down.
Amara OkaforCentre Director & Early Childhood Teacher
Three young friends sitting close together on a step, laughing
- Years in Northcote
- 16
- Educator to child ratio
- 1:4
- Families who refer a friend
- 94%
- National Quality Standard
- Exceeding
Programs
A room for every stage
Four age groups, each with its own rhythm, space and team. Children move up together when they are ready — never on a fixed date.
Nursery
6 weeks – 18 months
A calm, softly lit room with a dedicated sleep space and a primary educator assigned to each baby. We follow your routine rather than a timetable, and share every sleep, bottle and milestone to your phone as it happens.
- Ratio
- 1 educator to 4 babies
- Hours
- 7:00am – 6:00pm
- Includes
- Primary educator per baby; Your routine, not ours; Daily updates to your phone
Toddlers
18 months – 3 years
Toddlers need room to move and permission to make a mess. This room opens straight onto the garden, with sensory trays, climbing frames and a sandpit that is in use by 7:30 most mornings.
- Ratio
- 1 educator to 5 toddlers
- Hours
- 7:00am – 6:00pm
- Includes
- Direct garden access; Daily sensory play; Gentle toilet-learning support
Preschool
3 – 4 years
Children work on investigations that can run for weeks — a bridge, a bird hide, a shop with real prices. Literacy and numeracy live inside that work rather than beside it, and every child has a documented learning journal.
- Ratio
- 1 educator to 8 children
- Hours
- 7:00am – 6:00pm
- Includes
- Project-based investigations; Bush kinder every Thursday; Individual learning journals
Pre-Kindergarten
4 – 5 years
Our 15-hour funded kindergarten program is delivered by a degree-qualified teacher. Alongside early literacy and numeracy we practise the things school actually asks of a five-year-old: asking for help, packing a bag, waiting a turn.
- Ratio
- 1 educator to 11 children
- Hours
- 7:00am – 6:00pm
- Includes
- Funded 15-hour kinder program; School transition statements; Visits to local primary schools
Our learning approach
Play is the curriculum
We follow the Early Years Learning Framework through an emergent, Reggio-inspired program. In practice that means the children’s questions set the direction and our teachers build the learning around them.
Follow the child
Educators observe, document and then plan. A fortnight spent on worms is a fortnight well spent.
Learn outdoors
The garden is a classroom with its own program — planting, cooking, building and weather watching.
Talk, read, sing
Rich language all day: shared reading, songs in the home languages of our families, and real conversation.
Make things
Open-ended materials, real tools and the time to finish what you started — including the messy parts.
Why families choose us
The details that decide it
Most centres will tell you they are caring and safe. These are the specific things parents tell us made the difference.
Ratios below the minimum
We staff every room above the legal requirement, all day — not just at peak times.
The same faces all year
Educator turnover sits under 8%. Your child’s teacher in February is still there in December.
Three hours outdoors, daily
A 400sqm garden with fruit trees, a mud kitchen and a creek bed, used in all weather.
A cook, not a caterer
Meals are cooked on site each morning. Menus rotate seasonally and are published a fortnight ahead.
You see the whole day
Photos, meals, sleeps and learning notes arrive in the parent app as they happen, not at 6pm.
Days that fit real work
Two-, three- and five-day places, casual bookings, and a 7am open for early shifts.
A day at Little Steps
What a Tuesday looks like
Predictable enough that children feel secure, loose enough that a good idea can take over the morning.
| Time | Session | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00 | Doors open | A quiet welcome, books and puzzles while the room fills. |
| 8:00 | Breakfast | Porridge, fruit and toast, served together at the table. |
| 9:00 | Morning circle | Songs, the weather, and deciding what today will hold. |
| 9:30 | Garden & investigation | Three hours of outdoor play and project work. |
| 12:00 | Lunch | A hot meal cooked on site, served family-style. |
| 1:00 | Rest & quiet play | Sleep for those who need it, stories for those who don’t. |
| 3:00 | Afternoon tea | Baking, fruit and something from the garden. |
| 3:30 | Studio & free play | Art, music, construction and water play. |
| 6:00 | Doors close | A handover with the educator who was with your child all day. |
Inside the centre
Ordinary days, exactly as they are
No styling, no stock photos — these are real mornings at Northcote, shared with family permission.
Parent reviews
What families say
We toured six centres. Little Steps was the only one where the educators spoke about our daughter as a person rather than a place in a ratio. Two years on, nothing has changed.
Priya R.Parent of Anaya, 3 Our son has a serious nut allergy and I used to feel sick dropping him off anywhere. The cook here talked me through every menu herself. He has never had an incident.
Tom H.Parent of Louis, 4 The photos land during the day and I can see he is genuinely happy, not performing for a camera. As a shift worker the 7am open is the reason I can hold my job.
Dani M.Parent of Kai, 2 She started school in February reading and, more importantly, sure of herself. Her kinder teacher wrote a transition statement so detailed the school rang to say thank you.
Marcus & Ellie W.Parents of Nina, 5
Good questions
Before you enquire
What does a place cost?
Daily fees are $142 before the Child Care Subsidy. Most families at Little Steps pay between $30 and $70 a day after subsidy. We will estimate your actual out-of-pocket cost during your tour.
How long is the waitlist?
It varies by room. Nursery places usually open within three months; preschool and kinder places are typically available for the following year. Joining the waitlist is free and does not commit you.
Can I visit before enrolling?
Please do. We run small-group tours on Tuesday and Thursday mornings while the rooms are in full swing, because a centre at 10am tells you far more than a centre at 5pm.
What do we need to pack?
A spare set of clothes, a hat and a bottle. Nappies, wipes, sunscreen, bedding and all meals are included in the daily fee.
How do you settle a new child?
Two free orientation visits with you in the room, then a short first day. We move at your child’s pace and stay in touch by phone as often as you need on day one.
Enquire
Come and see a real morning
Tours run Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30am, while the garden is full and the paint is still wet. Book a time and meet the educators who would care for your child.
| Phone | (03) 9482 0176 |
|---|---|
| hello@littlestepsearlylearning.com.au | |
| Address | 48 Separation Street, Northcote VIC 3070 (opens in a new tab) |
| Monday – Friday | 7:00am – 6:00pm |
| Saturday – Sunday | Closed |
| Public holidays | Closed |