Clarendon Children’s Centre shares Excellent pride and sustainability focus

Clarendon Children’s Centre, located in South Melbourne, has the distinction of being the only children’s centre in the City of Port Phillip to achieve an Excellent rating from ACECQA. 

One of the keys to the team’s success and outstanding reputation is their approach to embedding sustainability in their teaching practice and the way they operate, a representative from the City of Port Phillip shared. 

Co-ordinator Linda Davison, who has been at Clarendon Children’s Centre for 31 years, understands the importance of valuing sustainability. 

“When you work with young children you have a sense of responsibility and understanding that they are inheriting something from us and we need to make sure we do our best by them,” she explained.

Sustainability is part of the culture of the service. The cook from the service uses herbs and vegetables grown on site in the children’s daily meals, funds are allocated specifically for sustainability messages, the children tend worms for the garden, and educators incorporate sustainability into the everyday curriculum.

Following the recent installation of solar power, the service has now had its second negative electricity bill, and three rainwater tanks have been installed to boost sustainability. Insulation for the service has been upgraded, and plans are in place to eliminate gas use to operate only on renewable solar electricity.

Clarendon Children’s Centre is part of a group of 26 Early Years services involved in the City of Port Phillip’s ‘Seedlings’ Program. 

Seedlings was established to support Early Years services to embed sustainability education in their pedagogy and to reduce their energy, water and waste impacts.