Diamond Creek Memorial Kindergarten - Coniston Street

Diamond Creek Memorial Kindergarten is a community-run, not-for-profit kindergarten established in 1965 when it began offering early childhood education to children prior to primary school.

More than 55 years on, our belief is still that all children should be able to access community kindergarten for both 3 year old and preschool years. In addition, we offer aftercare for families of preschool children at all 3 campuses. As advocates of community kindergarten, we have taken on two extra campuses in Coniston Street, Diamond Creek in 2021 (previously Diamond Creek East Preschool which had been closed) and most recently Panton Hill Preschool in 2023 (due to close at the end of 2022) in addition to the original campus at 11 Collins Street, Diamond Creek.

We believe that children are motivated to learn from birth and develop best when they feel safe and secure. We know positive interaction and sensitive, nurturing relationships are fundamental elements for all children to thrive and develop during their early years. We hold the broad vision that high quality early childhood education supports a child’s opportunities to have future successes in education, health, and wellbeing. The important development of a child’s brain architecture is constructed in these valuable first five years of life.

We intend for every child and their family to feel a sense of belonging, and wellbeing through rewarding relationships and an acceptance of others. We are connected to community life and promote this connectedness through engagement in and with local community. We recognise children as active community citizens and therefore seek and value their thoughts and opinions. Emphasis is placed on embracing all people with respect.

We have a very experienced educating team with over 250 years of experience across the 3 campuses where we work to support each other in our role of putting children first. We may be three campuses, but we are one educating team and one committee of management.

The learning environments at our Diamond Creek kindergartens has been transformed over the past few years and with plans for Panton Hill, so we hope we can welcome you on a visit soon or check our website for timetables, events and curriculum.

We value our place in the community as a kindergarten with a rich history and passion for early childhood education.

Coniston Street Campus has both a beautiful indoor and outdoor learning environment. Since its reopening in 2021, you can see the traces of play transforming the outdoor space where children have added a woven tunnel, a slide through bushes and a chicken coop hand raising and caring for our beautiful chicken friends.

Coniston Street has one dedicated kinder room with break out areas including art studio spaces, biodiversity gardens, project spaces and a covered veranda.

Large nature inspired outdoor learning environments at all campuses which the children often refer to as ‘the garden’ is part of the all-weather curriculum. Children work with educators and family members to adapt and care for this 'children's garden'. Children work on community spaces such as wicking garden beds, digging patches and outdoor kitchens and will plant, transplant and harvest from the mainly edible garden. The natural elements support children to build resilience through appropriate risk benefit and engagement with respect with the natural world understanding their place in ecology.

We also take every opportunity to visit the local Diamond Creek Community, be it visiting our art pieces in a local gallery, visiting primary schools, flying kites on the ovals, touring Edendale Farm or enjoying the natural surroundings that beautiful the area of Nillumbik has on offer all year around.

We also have a local bush learning setting which is part of curriculum in terms 2 and 3.

Virtual tour of Coniston Street