ECEC Provider in Focus: Little St Margaret’s Kindergarten

Established in 1929, Little St Margaret’s Kindergarten has a proud history of providing education and care for more than 90 years. 

Still operating as one of Victoria’s only independent, non-denominational not-for-profit kinders, Little St Margaret’s offers a specialised early learning curriculum in a family-friendly environment with uniquely small class sizes and is rated as Exceeding the National Quality Standard. 

What is the history of Little St Margaret’s Kindergarten?

Little St Margaret’s Kindergarten was first established in 1929 as the kindergarten of St Margaret’s School, now in Berwick. 

After a year in the Toorak Presbyterian Church Manse, the kindergarten transferred to the bluestone building at 19 Mayfield Avenue, Malvern. In 1940, when St Margaret’s School had transferred wholly to Berwick, Misses Margaret Paton and Maisie Cooper entered a partnership agreement to manage Little St Margaret’s Kindergarten.

The kindergarten moved once more, this time to its current site at 29 Mayfield Avenue, Malvern. 

Misses Paton and Cooper ran the kinder successfully for the next thirty years until their retirement in 1970, at which point a meeting was held to decide the future of the kinder. The outcome of the meeting was to keep the kinder going and establish a council of parent representatives – the structure still in use today. 

In 2024 the kindergarten community celebrated the 85th Anniversary of Little St Margaret’s with many people who began their formal learning journey with the kindergarten in attendance. 

Many children who access education and care at Little St Margaret’s today have had grandparents, great-aunts and uncles, parents, aunties and uncles who have previously attended.

What is the Little St Margaret’s vision and approach to learning? 

Children attending Little St Margaret’s are offered a daily routine that provides them with a sense of security.  Each day involves planned indoor and outdoor learning, group times to facilitate intentional teaching, and communal mealtimes. 

Flexibility and extended periods of uninterrupted play are seen as being imperative to children’s continuity of learning.

Each group has their own physical learning environment, so experiences and projects can be left overnight and revisited the following day. 

Are there any unique aspects to the Little St Margaret’s offer? 

Little St. Margaret’s Kindergarten partners with The Resilience Project, an organisation that delivers emotionally engaging programs to early learning centres, schools, sports clubs, and businesses, providing practical, evidence-based mental health strategies to build resilience and happiness. 

Little St. Margaret’s delivers a 21-Week Early Years Program to children, developed by The Resilience Project, focusing on the key pillars of Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy. 

The Resilience Project Early Years Program supports Little St. Margaret’s Kindergarten to implement a whole-of-centre approach to wellbeing, and supports children, parents, educators, and the wider community to together build resilience and positive mental health. 

What is the Little St Margaret’s approach to educator identity and professional development? 

Little St Margaret’s educators are described as being dedicated, experienced and highly qualified educators. 

“With a clear passion for enriching education and healthy child development, our educators go above and beyond to implement a carefully considered play-based curriculum centred on the unique needs and interests of the children in our care,” information on the kindergarten website notes. 

“Our educators are committed to helping every child thrive and flourish, ensuring that their first foray into education sets them up as confident and capable lifelong learners. Furthermore, Little St Margaret’s has an excellent staff retention rate with very little turnover – a testament to the kindergarten’s reputation as an employer of choice and our ability to attract exceptional staff.”

Learn more about Little St Margaret’s Kindergarten here.