Nido Early School Essendon
Welcome to Nido Essendon childcare and preschool. Situated in a family-friendly neighbourhood near Windy Hill, our early school provides a calm and nurturing environment for families seeking trusted early learning and childcare in Essendon.
- For children from 6 weeks to school age
- Quality early education guided by the Reggio Emilia philosophy
- Intentionally designed indoor & outdoor learning areas for each age group
- Unique art atelier workshops
- Experienced leadership team and caring qualified educators
- Government approved Childcare Subsidies available
Get 2 weeks FREE when you enrol at Nido Essendon before 11 June 2026. Enquire today. T&Cs apply.
Art atelier
Nido car and outdoor play areas
Reception
Kinder room
Sandpit and Terrace
Outdoor play area and terrace
Outdoor learning areas
Babies and toddlers area
Nido nook and toddlers room
Cucina
Nido Early School Essendon
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37 Raleigh Street, Essendon, VIC 3040
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Mon – Fri 6:30am - 6:30pm -
(03) 9039 1913
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essendon@nido.edu.au
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Nido Early School Essendon Fees
Our daily fee includes everything your child needs throughout the day, with no extra charges.
The fee includes:
- Huggies nappies, water wipes and sunscreen
- Premium educational and learning resources for art, science, gardening, cooking, sports and wellbeing programs
- Our unique Kindergarten Curriculum
- Regular incursions and excursions, at no additional cost
- Wholefood meals freshly cooked on-site daily, including snacks
- Option to swap public holidays
Nido Early School also offer 50% off on holidays, see full fees T&Cs.
Since Nido Early School is a government approved childcare provider, if you're eligible for the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) you can receive a government contribution towards reducing your out-of-pocket fees.
The following examples outline indicative out-of-pocket costs for families with varying Child Care Subsidy levels. Further details are available at https://nido.edu.au/fees/
Our fees, before CCS subsidies, are as follows:
| Child Age | Daily fee with 80% CCS | Daily fee with 70% CCS | Daily fee with 60% CCS | Daily Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 - 3 years | $54.15 | $71.71 | $89.26 | $194.60 |
| Over 3 years | $31.52 | $47.28 | $63.04 | $157.60 |
Meet the team at Nido Essendon
What’s most important to our team is building genuine relationships with children and ensuring they feel heard, seen, and valued.
Our team is highly qualified, with approximately 95% of educators holding a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care. This ensures a consistent, high-quality approach to children’s learning, development, and wellbeing across the service.
We have a diverse team representing a range of cultural backgrounds, enriching our service and supporting families to feel welcomed, understood, and connected.
Continuity of care is a key strength within our service, with all educators working consistently across 3–5 days per week. This provides children with stable, familiar relationships and supports a secure and predictable learning environment.
Together, our team’s qualifications, experience, and consistency contribute to a nurturing, responsive, and high-quality learning environment where children feel safe, supported, and confident to explore and learn.
Why families choose Nido Essendon
Every Day Matters at Nido Essendon
At Nido Essendon, we view our service as a boat navigating the journey of early childhood education and care together. Our practice is grounded by a strong anchor of respect, safety, inclusion and meaningful relationships, ensuring every child, family and educator feels a sense of belonging and security.
We are driven forward by the wind of curiosity, growth and reciprocal relationships, where children’s learning is valued and educators are inspired by observing their development, achievements and emerging independence. As we navigate this journey, we remain mindful of the rocks, including miscommunication, wellbeing challenges and the evolving nature of our profession and we work collaboratively to respond with reflection, care and intention.
We believe children are capable, curious and active participants in their learning. Guided by play-based experiences, we support children’s development through inquiry, exploration and meaningful engagement with their environment. We prioritise safety and wellbeing, while fostering inclusion and respect for diversity. Our program reflects family input, incorporating opportunities for creative expression, outdoor play, social-emotional development and life skills that support children’s growing independence and confidence.
We can’t wait to share our journey with you.
Quality Resources
At Nido we provide premium resources, facilities, learning and opportunities, every day.
- Sunscreen
- Nutrition
- Qualified Educators
- Reggio Emilia
- Parking
- Outdoor Play
- Sustainability
- Bedding
- Cultural celebrations
- Cooking
- Gardening
- School Readiness
- Huggies Nappies
- Nido Curriculum
- Atelier
- Music
- Piazza
- Dental
- Road safety
- Water safety
- Pram room
- Excursions
- Specialised sport
- Special visitors
- Community library
- Community pantry
- Nursery sleep room
Child-led Learning
- Engaging learning programs are child-led, inspired by the Reggio-Emilia philosophy and facilitated by a dedicated Curriculum Leader.
- Our teams are made up of passionate, sector leading degree qualified teachers, with all Educators diploma-qualified or holding a Cert III.
- Our unique curriculum is co-designed with families, experts and educators and builds upon the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) to balance literacy, numeracy, creativity, health and confidence.
- For social and emotional development, we implement the Kimochi’s program, which supports children in building emotional awareness, regulation skills, and positive relationships with others.
- STEM and environmental learning runs through our daily program offering hands-on, inquiry-based experiences such as exploring natural materials.
Additional activities at Nido Essendon
At Nido Essendon we undertake regular incursions and excursions to support children’s interests and development. These include:
- We love regularly heading out on walks in the community and to visit Arcare.
- To support physical development and confidence, we partner with external providers such as Little Sport Heroes, where children engage in movement experiences that promote teamwork, coordination, and resilience.
- We also offer Musical Minds, which supports creativity, language development, and self-expression through music and movement.
Safety Every Day
At Nido, safety is part of every day. We follow national child-safe standards with strong leadership, rigorous recruitment, and ongoing training for everyone in our early schools. Our spaces are designed for clear supervision, and our policies are regularly reviewed to maintain the highest standards. Nothing matters more than creating safe and secure environments where children feel confident, and families place their full trust in our care.
Our Community
Community is at the heart of Nido. Every day, we nurture strong connections between families, educators, children and the wider community. Through inclusive events, regular updates and hands-on experiences – from community gardens to visits from special guests, every child feels confident, included and inspired to learn.
At Nido Essendon we have strong local partnerships with Arcare and Windy Hill.
FAQs
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Nearby early schools
Changes to the Child Care Subsidy
The 3 Day Guarantee. What does it mean for your family enrolling in 2026?From 5 January 2026, the Australian Government is updating the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) to guarantee at least 3 days of subsidised early childhood education and care per week. This means that all CCS-eligible families will receive at least 72 hours per fortnight (3 days/week) of subsidised childcare regardless of their work, study, or volunteering status.
Since Nido Early School is a government approved childcare provider, if you are eligible for CCS you will be entitled to the new 3 Day Child Care Subsidy Guarantee on your fees.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land, waters, and skies where we work and live across Australia. We pay our respect to Elders past and present. We celebrate the stories, culture, and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders of all communities, who work and live on this land.