As an aunt, I had the opportunity to pick up my nephew from Journey Early Learning Essendon for almost a month, and I was really impressed by the warm and supportive environment. A special thank you to Nina from admin for always being welcoming, kind, and helpful. The staff were very caring and took the time to communicate his daily routine and experiences at the end of each day, which gave our family a lot of reassurance. It was lovely to see how comfortable and happy my nephew was with the educators and the positive connections they built with him.

Our son attends the Pre-Kindergarten room this year and has settled in so well. We have noticed wonderful progress in his confidence, behaviour, and social skills. The educators are professional, caring, and highly experienced in understanding and supporting children’s individual needs. Overall good experience.

As a father, I couldn’t be happier with the care and support my son receives at Journey Early Learning. He has been attending service from last 2 years. This year l have seen positive change in my child. My son looks forward to attend and has become more confident, social, and independent since then. The learning activities are engaging, creative, and support his development in such a positive way. I also really appreciate that the centre provides halal food options and respects different cultural needs, which makes us feel included and comfortable as a family. The educators have also been very supportive and patient with my son during his toilet training journey, which has made a huge difference for us at home as well. It’s reassuring to know our son is in a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment. Thank you to all the amazing educators and staff for the wonderful work you do every day!

My daughter attended 4 year old kindergarten in 2025. All though she didn't attend for long, the team helped set her up for success. She settled in very quickly and still talks about her favourite educators. She started school and is absolutely thriving.

Our experience with Journey Early Learning was disappointing and concerning overall. While we understand childcare can be a demanding environment, we expect a basic level of care, communication, and warmth. Sadly, our experience did not meet those expectations. One of our main issues was a lack of engagement from staff. Our child was not actively included or encouraged to participate in activities, which was upsetting to observe as parents. Early learning environments should be supportive and inclusive, and we unfortunately did not feel this was consistently provided. We were also very concerned about communication around injuries. There were significant injuries that were not reported to us, which is unacceptable in a childcare setting where transparency and duty of care are essential. As parents, we rely on staff to keep us informed so we can ensure our child’s wellbeing. Additionally, the room staff we interacted with often came across as dismissive and unfriendly. This made communication difficult and left us feeling uncomfortable raising concerns or asking questions.

Journey learning have been so supportive in welcoming our son, they made the transition from his old day care very smooth. They have so many activities they organise each month for the kids and they communicate so well with the parents.

Beautiful center

One of the best childcare centres in Essendon — highly recommended! Laura is a wonderful manager with excellent leadership and organisation. Nina is always so kind and very helpful. I always felt safe and secure leaving my son in their care. All the educators genuinely take great care of the children. The playground is spacious, with plenty of room for the kids to run around — my son absolutely loved it. It’s also very convenient, with easy access to the toilets for the children. The undercover parking is a big plus, especially on rainy days. My son is in Prep now, but he still keeps asking to go back and visit his favourite place and his favourite people.