Welcoming Manningham families
Family-owned Montessori childcare & kindergarten in Templestowe Lower
A purpose-built centre with five light-filled rooms just off Manningham Road, cared for by a local family who take that responsibility personally.
A calm, unhurried tour is the best way to meet us. Choose a time that suits your week.
Tours available this week
A note from our family
The family behind Templestowe Lower
We built Templestowe Lower for families who like to take their time choosing care, because that is exactly how we would choose too. Our family is personally involved in this centre. We know the educators, we walk the rooms, and our name stands behind every day your child spends here. Take a slow tour, ask us anything, and meet everyone.
The Billy-beet family
Stacey Flynn
Centre Manager
Childcare for Templestowe Lower, Doncaster and Bulleen families
Billy-beet Templestowe Lower is a purpose-built childcare centre and kindergarten at 3 Melaleuca Ave, just off Manningham Road. Licensed for 99 children across five light-filled rooms, we offer long day care from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm for children from 6 weeks to 6 years, with Montessori programming, a play-based kinder program and chef-prepared, nut-free meals cooked onsite.
Our location makes us a convenient choice for families searching for childcare around Doncaster, Bulleen, Lower Plenty, Templestowe and Templestowe Village. Most local drop-offs take under ten minutes. Programming follows the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the National Quality Standard (NQS), enriched with Montessori practice, yoga and mindfulness, and our Playground to Plate garden program. Book an unhurried tour and meet every educator by name.
Montessori at Templestowe Lower
What Montessori gives your child
Montessori shapes the whole day here. The rooms are calm and ordered, the materials are real, and our educators guide gently rather than interrupt.
Practical independence
Children pour their own drinks, help prepare food and pack their own bags, then carry that confidence home.
Deep concentration
Uninterrupted learning cycles grow the focus children carry into school.
Calm social skills
Mixed-age rooms teach patience, care for younger children and confidence with older ones.
School readiness
Early literacy and numeracy grow through hands-on materials children can hold and understand.
Our credentials
Member of Montessori Australia
Montessori programming in every room, delivered by qualified ECT, Diploma and Certificate III educators
Programming aligned to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and National Quality Standard (NQS)
ACECQA regulated service, listed on the national registers
Prepared environments you can walk through on your tour
Safety, in practice
How we keep children safe
Safety is the first thing most parents ask about, and it should be. Here is what it looks like in practice at Billy-beet, and we are glad to walk you through any of it at your tour.
Our own educators, never agency staff
We never use agency casuals. Every educator here is part of our own team, screened with a recent police check, a Working with Children Check and two reference checks before they ever meet your child.
4-eyes supervision
Research on child safety points to one simple safeguard above most others: more than one adult present. Our 4-eyes practice staffs rooms with two educators wherever possible, and it is one part of our wider child safety approach.
CCTV in learning spaces
We have had CCTV across our learning spaces from the start, because transparency and accountability are values we hold, not requirements we wait for. If anything is ever in question, we can sit down with you and review exactly what happened, and we support the government's current review into CCTV requirements for early learning.
Windows and open rooms
We use windows and visible, open learning spaces wherever possible, promoting transparency and safety.
Body safety education
Children learn personal boundaries, safe and unsafe feelings, and who they can talk to, in an age-appropriate way, every term.
Our name is on the door
This centre is run by our family, and we take personal responsibility for the care inside it. If you ever want to raise something, you will always reach a real person.
Rooms & programs
Care and learning from babies to kinder
Each room has its own rhythm and the same foundations: safety, connection and Montessori programming that meets your child where they are.
Infants
Slow, gentle settling with responsive care, unhurried routines and daily communication. Grandparents doing drop-off are warmly looked after too.
Waddlers
A room made for new walkers: safe space to move, climb and explore, with steady hands and familiar faces nearby.
Toddlers
Practical life, language and gardening in our Playground to Plate program. It is real work, and toddlers find it deeply satisfying.
3-year-old Kindergarten
A gentle first kinder year: language, early maths and long stretches of concentration through real Montessori materials.
4-year-old Kindergarten
School readiness the Montessori way: independence, early literacy and Bush Kinder excursions in the year before school.
Nut-free chef-prepared meals
Fresh, homemade menus cooked onsite daily.
Playground to Plate
Children grow and harvest food from our gardens.
Bush Kinder
Nature-based excursions for older rooms.
Yoga & mindfulness
Daily calm and self-regulation practices.
Fees & subsidies
Your real daily cost, explained simply
The advertised daily fee is not what most families pay. The Child Care Subsidy comes straight off your fees, and eligible kinder children may receive Free Kinder offsets on top. If anything is unclear, just ask. We are happy to go through it all with you.
$170daily fee before CCS, and most families pay far less
Fee after CCSWhat you actually pay each day
95% CCS (90%*)$17/day
90% CCS (85%*)$25.50/day
80% CCS (75%*)$42.50/day
*Your effective rate after the 5% CCS withholding, which Centrelink pays back to you at the end of the financial year.
Free Kinder OffsetKinder children: free days each week
95% CCS3free days/week
90% CCS2free days/week
80% CCS2free days/week
The Free Kinder Offset applies to every child in our 3 and 4-year-old Kindergarten programs.
Estimates only, based on 2025–26 CCS settings and your Centrelink assessment. We will confirm your exact figures before you enrol.
3-Day Guarantee
From January 2026, eligible families get at least three subsidised days a fortnight, with no activity test to worry about. It makes starting care much simpler.
Free Kinder
Eligible 3 and 4 year old kinder children receive Victorian Free Kinder fee offsets within long day care, worth around $2,000 a year off your fees.
We help you set it up
First time using childcare? We will walk you through the myGov and Centrelink steps so your subsidy is active from day one.
Book a tour
See Templestowe Lower for yourself
A tour takes about thirty minutes. Walk the rooms, meet the educators and get clear answers on fees, CCS and availability. Children are very welcome.
- See every room and the outdoor spaces
- Meet the people who would care for your child
- Get your real out-of-pocket cost explained
You’ll be booking your tour with
Stacey Flynn · Nominated SupervisorStacey will walk you through all five rooms, introduce the educators and answer every question at your pace.
A day at Templestowe Lower
What your child's day looks like
New to childcare? Here is the rhythm of a typical day, so the unknown feels a little more known.
6:30 am
Warm arrivals
A calm welcome, breakfast for early starters and a settled start at each child's pace.
8:30 am
Morning learning cycle
The heart of the Montessori day: children choose real, purposeful activities and build deep concentration.
10:30 am
Outdoor discovery
Gardens, climbing, riding and digging. Big movement and fresh air every day, in almost all weather.
12:00 pm
Lunch together
Fresh meals cooked onsite. Children set tables, serve themselves and help tidy up. It is practical life in action.
1:00 pm
Rest and quiet time
Sleep for those who need it, calm activities for those who don't. Each child rests at their own pace.
3:00 pm
Afternoon exploration
Project work, stories, music and outdoor play as the day winds down gently.
6:30 pm
Unhurried pick-ups
A proper handover from educators who know your child and can tell you how the day went.
Getting started
Three unhurried steps
1. Tour the centre
Thirty minutes with the director. See every room, meet the educators and ask anything you like.
2. Enrol online
About ten minutes. We help you link CCS through myGov so your subsidy applies from day one.
3. Settle in gently
Short stay-and-play visits before the first full day, always at your child's pace.
Good to know
Common questions from families
Are you a franchise?
No. Billy-beet Montessori Templestowe Lower is family owned and operated. The owners are personally involved in the centre, and you are always welcome to speak with us directly.
What does Montessori look like in your rooms?
Our rooms are prepared environments with real Montessori materials, and the programming shows up in outcomes you can see: children who concentrate, do things for themselves and love coming in. The other thing you will notice is us. This centre is run by a family, and we are easy to find whenever you want to talk.
Can grandparents do drop-off and pick-up?
Absolutely. Many of our families share care across generations, so we keep authorised pickup arrangements simple, greet grandparents by name and make handover notes easy to follow.
What is your approach to child safety?
A minimum of two educators wherever children learn and play, active supervision, body-safety and protective-behaviours education, and clear responsibilities for every educator. Ask us anything on your tour.
How do meals and allergies work?
All meals are fresh, homemade and nut-free, cooked onsite daily. We cater for allergies, intolerances and cultural requirements. Tell us your child’s needs and we will plan around them.
What happens at a tour?
A calm walk through all five rooms, time with the director and educators, and honest answers on fees, CCS, availability and settling in. Allow 30 to 40 minutes. Children are very welcome.
How does settling-in work?
Gently, and at your child’s pace. We start with short stay-and-play visits and build up from there. We would rather take an extra week than rush a child’s trust.
Find us
Visit Billy-beet Montessori Templestowe Lower
You will find us on Melaleuca Avenue, just off Manningham Road. It is a familiar drive for families in Templestowe Lower, Templestowe, Bulleen and Doncaster.
3 Melaleuca Ave, Templestowe Lower VIC 3107
6:30 am – 6:30 pm, Monday to Friday
- Bulleen, about 5 minutes
- Doncaster and Westfield, about 7 minutes
- Templestowe Village, about 6 minutes
Free onsite parking for drop-off and pick-up
Come and visit Templestowe Lower
The easiest way to get a feel for us is to spend half an hour here. We would love to meet you.