Starfish Early Learning Centre (Essendon)
1 Melfort Ave, Essendon VIC 3040
Starfish Early Learning Centre (Essendon) is a long day care centre in Essendon VIC 3040, run by STARFISH ESSENDON PTY LTD ATF The Trustee for Starfish Essendon Trust. It is approved for 124 children. It opens 7:00am to 6:00pm on weekdays. It is rated Meeting the National Quality Standard, last assessed December 2025. It is one of 21 services in Essendon; 5 of them are rated Exceeding the National Quality Standard or Excellent.
Quick facts
- Approved places
- 124
- Service type
- Long day care
- Approved since
- 21/05/2024
- Last assessed
- December 2025
Services offered
- Long day care
Contact & location
- 1 Melfort Ave, Essendon VIC 3040
- 03 9289 3700
- starfishelc.com.au
Opening hours
- Monday
- 7:00am to 6:00pm
- Tuesday
- 7:00am to 6:00pm
- Wednesday
- 7:00am to 6:00pm
- Thursday
- 7:00am to 6:00pm
- Friday
- 7:00am to 6:00pm
- Saturday
- Closed
- Sunday
- Closed
Fees and vacancies
Starfish Early Learning Centre (Essendon) sets its own fees, and kid.com.au does not hold them. Long day care in Victoria averaged $14.65 an hour in the June quarter 2026, before the Child Care Subsidy. Services report their current fees and vacancies on StartingBlocks.gov.au, or you can call and ask.
Quality area ratings
| QA1Educational program & practice | Meeting |
|---|---|
| QA2Children's health & safety | Meeting |
| QA3Physical environment | Meeting |
| QA4Staffing arrangements | Meeting |
| QA5Relationships with children | Meeting |
| QA6Partnerships with families & communities | Meeting |
| QA7Governance & leadership | Meeting |
Nearby in Essendon
- Beaver Street Kindergarten 31 places Preschool / kindergarten
- Camp Australia - Essendon Primary School OSHC 79 places Outside school hours care
- Casa Bambini Children's Centre - Essendon 90 places Long day care
- Community Children - Essendon 93 places Long day care
- Essendon Kindergarten 66 places Preschool / kindergarten
- Explorers Early Learning - Essendon 140 places Long day care
Service details, ratings and hours: ACECQA National Registers, export of 29 October 2026. Average fees: Department of Education, Child Care Subsidy data report, June quarter 2026. Locations are suburb centres. Confirm fees, hours and vacancies with the service. About this data.
About Essendon
ABS Census 2021 data
- Population
- 21,240
- Median age
- 39
- Household income /wk
- $2,132
- Median rent /wk
- $380
- Avg household size
- 2.4