Yarra Ranges Kindergartens

10/09/2025

The team at YRK would like to acknowledge RU OK Day? Which takes place today 11th September. While today serves as a reminder, every day is an opportunity to check in and offer support to those who may be struggling.

Take a moment to check in with your family, friends, colleagues, or anyone who might need a reminder that they are not alone. You do not need to know all the answers – sometimes, just being there will make all the difference. And start the conversation with these 4 simple steps. See image.

10/09/2025

🌸 Spring has finally arrived! ☀️
The sun is shining, the air is crisp, and the birds are singing — it's the perfect time to get outside and enjoy everything our beautiful region has to offer.
At Yarra Ranges Kindergartens we're thrilled to support Cherry Hill Orchards in Wandin East and Coldstream as they kick off their spectacular blossom season events! 🌺
From family-friendly fun to unforgettable photo ops, there's something for everyone:
🍃 Bloom & Graze – Picnic among the blossoms
🌸 Blossoms by Night – A magical after-dark experience
🍒 And don’t miss cherry picking later in Spring and throughout Summer!
Children go FREE for their Bloom & Graze event, as well as free through the week for their Blossom Festival (running during the school holidays).
It’s the season to explore, connect, and celebrate nature. See you under the blossoms! 🌼✨
www.cherryhill.com.au/events

03/09/2025

Today is the day Wednesday, 3rd September—Australia celebrates Early Childhood Educators’ Day!

It’s the perfect opportunity to show appreciation for the incredible work these dedicated professionals do every day. Let’s come together to recognise and thank our amazing early childhood educators!

Discover how you can get involved and make a difference at www.EarlyChildhoodEducatorsDay.org.au.

07/08/2025

A Big Thank You to all of our supporters!

We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who made our recent Bunnings fundraiser such a huge success!

🙏 A special shoutout to
Pellegrino's Fresh Fruits for their generous donation of onions, and to ALDI Carnegie for their contribution of sausages and bread as well as our Local Daniela De Martino MP for her donation towards the sausages — your support helped keep the BBQ sizzling!

🙌 Huge thanks to Bunnings Bayswater for hosting us, providing the BBQ setup, and of course, the steady stream of hungry customers! We truly appreciate the opportunity.

👏 To our amazing Parent Group — thank you for coming together and contributing in so many different ways. Your teamwork and dedication were truly the backbone of the event.

Community spirit like this is what makes our kinder so special ❤️

01/08/2025

This Children's Day on Monday 4th August Yarra Ranges Kindergarten proudly celebrates the strengths, stories and culture of our children and communities.

This year’s National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day theme is Little Footsteps, Big Future. This theme honours the journeys our children take as they grow - each step guided by culture, community and connection to Country.

We invite you to join us in recognising the importance of nurturing children’s voices and dreams. Together, we can support a future where every child walks strong in their identity and is empowered to shape their own path.

Happy Children's Day from all of us at Yarra Ranges Kindergarten

13/07/2025

Throughout term 2 we took a slow and thoughtful journey through the fascinating world of nests.

The children explored feathers from different birds, noticing colours, textures, and patterns, sparking lots of curiosity and discussion.

We looked closely at real nests, wondering how birds manage to weave such intricate homes. Together, we brainstormed what materials birds might use and how we could create our own.

With teamwork, creativity, and care, we built a special nest for our class Bunjil.

As we worked, we acknowledged the wisdom and stories shared by the First Peoples of this land and deepened our understanding of the importance of caring for Country.

13/07/2025

Inspired by the artist Wassily Kandinsky, the children at Sassafras preschool have been creating their own circle artworks using vibrant colours and shapes.
Kandinsky believed that colours and shapes could express feelings, so each piece is as unique as the child who made it!

As part of the experience, the children also explored colour mixing using water and droppers, creating beautiful transient art and observing how colours blend and change.

Through this creative process, the children explored concepts of pattern, repetition, and contrast, while also developing fine motor skills, focus, and artistic expression.

11/07/2025

🌿✨ Celebrating NAIDOC Week 2025 | 6–13 July at YRK ✨🌿

This NAIDOC Week, Yarra Ranges Kindergartens proudly celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We’re especially excited NAIDOC Week is celebrating 50 Years! This year’s theme, “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy,” is all about celebrating the amazing stories, knowledge, and culture being passed down to children — our future leaders. 🌟

We honour the strength, wisdom and connection to Country of our First Nations communities. At YRK, we are committed to respectful learning, inclusion and partnership — not just during NAIDOC Week, but all year round.

🖤💛❤️ Happy NAIDOC Week from all of us at Yarra Ranges Kindergarten!

26/06/2025

A bit of rain this morning didn’t stop us from heading outside.
The children noticed a drip and got to work—building a stand out of blocks to hold bamboo ramps and a bucket to catch the water.
We love watching the children create their own learning through play, in all areas and all weather.
As they say there’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes!

25/06/2025

MECEC is home to two beautiful outdoor yards, designed for play, exploration and learning.

All groups share both spaces throughout the year, which include sandpits, swings, covered decking, and climbing equipment.

🌿 The 3-year-old yard features a cubby house, slide, basketball ring and bike track.
🌱 The 4-year-old and mixed-age yard includes monkey bars, a pirate ship and a veggie patch.

Families are welcome to book a tour and see what makes this space so special.https://loom.ly/r46whzU

22/06/2025

Every day is an opportunity to play, learn, and grow together. 💛

19/06/2025

🦕 Dino fun at Montrose!

The children have loved exploring Dinosaur Land, building small worlds, telling stories, and learning through play.

Songs, puppets and stories helped bring the theme to life and extend their literacy learning.

17/06/2025

⭐️What a great start to the year at Joy Avenue Kindergarten!

Their first working bee was a huge success, and the yard looks amazing with fresh tanbark and new sand.
Huge thanks to the families who came along to help. It’s looking fantastic out there! 👏👏

16/06/2025

The children at Sassafras have been busy building non stop with our magna-tiles…

As they build, the children are learning about sides, edges, and corners, experimenting with balance and symmetry, and using mathematical language like tall, wide, triangle and square.

It’s amazing to see so much rich learning happening through play!

Check out these cool shapes.

10/06/2025

Some days are just made for heart-shaped sunnies and big energy!
Let’s go, kinder crew! 💜✨

08/06/2025

What’s your child’s favourite thing to do at kinder?

We love hearing from families, pop it in the comments below! 👇

📸 This snap’s from Mount Evelyn Memorial, where painting is always a favourite 🎨

05/06/2025

⭐️Thank you to everyone who joined us at our recent Kinder Open Days!

We’re thrilled to welcome your little learners as they embark on their school journey.

If you couldn’t make it, don’t worry, we’d still love to show you around.
👉Find your nearest location and get in touch here: https://www.yrkinders.com/find-a-kinder

Yarra Ranges Kinders | Situated in Melbourne’s Yarra Valley, Yarra Ranges Kinders is an Early Years Manager for kindergartens in the Yarra Ranges Council area.

05/04/2025

For our last session of term one we rolled up our sleeves and got busy in the kitchen, mixing, weighing, and kneading our very own hot cross buns!

It was a hands-on way to explore maths concepts like measurement and quantity, while also strengthening our fine motor skills through all that stirring and shaping.

We love learning through real-life experiences – and this one was as tasty as it was educational!

28/03/2025

This week, we embarked on our first community walk to Sassafras Primary School.
The children loved exploring the new playground and experiencing a different play environment.

These walks help us build connections with our local community and strengthen our sense of belonging.

07/03/2025

A huge thank you to The Philanthropic Collective for sponsoring us to purchase a new blower for Sassafras Preschool.

With the big, iconic oak beginning to change as autumn arrives, we need all the help we can get—and we’re so grateful for your generosity.

Your ongoing support of our preschool and the wider community makes such a difference, and we truly appreciate it. Thank you.

26/02/2025

Our chrysalis from the Butterfly Lady has finally emerged, and we were lucky enough to witness the incredible transformation into beautiful monarch butterflies!
The children were amazed to see them up close before we released them into the garden. Such a wonderful learning experience about life cycles and nature! 🦋✨

09/02/2025

A big thank you to Yvonne, ‘The Butterfly Lady,’ for her generous donation- Caterpillars and Chrysalis’!

Thanks to her, the children at Sassafras Kinder will be able to watch and observe the incredible life cycle of a butterfly. We can’t wait to see the transformation!🐛🦋

07/02/2025

Thank You to the The Philanthropic Collective!

Sassafras Preschool is incredibly grateful to the Philanthropic Collective for their generous support through their Free Food program. Their donations help us provide nutritious snacks for our children, fostering a sense of community and care.

We truly appreciate this wonderful initiative and the difference it makes for our preschool families. Thank you! 💛

30/01/2025

From this… to this!

A big week of organising, cleaning, and setting up—ready to welcome our 2025 cohort with a fresh and inviting space!