Book a tour
Tours run every third Tuesday of the month at 10am and run for approximately 30 minutes. Please note bookings are not required, however they are preferred. We look forward to welcoming you to Sunnyside!
Our dedicated, nurturing educators are all highly qualified, collectively holding over four university degrees in Early Childhood Education, and ten diplomas and certificates in Early Childhood Education and Care. Between them, they have over 194 years of amazing teaching experience!
Sunnyside Kindergarten has a long and proud history of nurturing local children. Established in Malvern East since 1950, our kindergarten offers an immersive environment providing children with opportunities to explore, take risks, play and grow.
At Sunnyside Kindergarten, we acknowledge the Boonwurrung people as the Traditional Owners of the land where we learn and play together. We respect and celebrate the traditional landowners. We are committed to providing a child safe environment, where children are safe and feel safe. We are committed to provide and promote the rights of all children to feel safe, and be safe at all times, including:
o promoting the cultural safety of all children, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
o promoting the cultural safety of children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
o promoting the safety of children with a disability
o promoting the (right to) safety of trans and gender diverse children and their families in ECEC settings
o ensuring that LGBTIQ+ children and families feel included
We are inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach that encourages us to see children as capable, confident and co-constructive learners. We are committed to helping each child develop valuable life skills and a passion for learning. We pride ourselves on building strong and trusting relationships with all families and the wider community.
Our philosophy is grounded in the following set of beliefs:
Sunnyside kindergarten is committed to child safety. We support and respect all children, as well as our staff, families, volunteers and community. We are committed to the safety, participation and empowerment of all children. We have zero tolerance of child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently with our policies and procedures. We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety or wellbeing, which we follow thoroughly.
Our kindergarten has vigorous human resources and recruitment practices for all staff and volunteers to ensure all staff and volunteers participating in the programmes at Sunnyside Kindergarten share a strong commitment to child safety. Our kindergarten is committed to regularly training and educating our staff and volunteers on child abuse risks. We want children to be safe, happy and empowered.
We strongly believe in empowering children in matters of body safety and regularly engage in conversations to educate the children. We are committed to the safety of all children, in particular the cultural safety of Aboriginal children; the cultural safety of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds; and to providing a safe environment for children with a disability.
We have specific policies, procedures and training in place that support our committee, staff and volunteers to achieve these commitments. For a full copy of our Child Safety policy please visit the policies section of our website. If you are concerned about a child please call the local child protection unit on 1300 655 795, if after hours, call the After Hours Child Protection Emergency Service: 13 12 78. If you believe a child is at immediate risk of abuse phone 000.
Reporting child abuse - DFFH Services
CCYP | Report a concern or allegation
Online safety | eSafety Commissioner
Sunnyside enjoys a long history and we are fortunate that over the years the kinder has had many generous and dedicated staff document a lot of the journey.
In his preface to Sunnyside’s History from 1945-1968, President LG Stubbings (55-57) writes “A kinder is a transient stage but nevertheless, it is a most important one. At kinder most children learn for the first time that the world is a bigger place than just Mum, Dad and their own backyard. They learn for the first time some of the values of life – the art of sharing, the art of self-discipline and the art of self-reliance. The modern kindergarten is a valuable adjunct to our community life. The childhood shows the adult, as morning shows the day.”
Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to childhood development, our programs and interactions are focused around the belief that children are capable, confident and co-constructive learners.
Our educators come from a diverse range of backgrounds, but share a passion and dedication to bringing the best out of children. Working in small groups, our educators bring different personalities and skills together to provide your children with a fun and enjoyable experience.
