Kids Academy Bulleen

Kids Academy has been a wonderful experience for my granddaughter and myself.

I’m fortunate enough to be able to do the drop-offs and pick-ups for my granddaughter and I have developed a wonderful relationship with the educators in her room and centre manager, Nola. The new direction the centre has gone under Nola’s management has created a happy, fun, educational environment for my granddaughter.

My granddaughter has been very lucky to have had wonderful educators from the nursery rooms through to her current room and I would love to recognise Sherine, Simone, Kavi, Marlo and Sally for their love and care with my granddaughter – she truly loves going to Kids Academy. I would highly recommend this centre to anyone who is looking for an exceptional educational and care centre for their child.

Thank you to Nola and her wonderful team for taking care of my granddaughter.

With the recent changes of management following the change of business, I feel the centre is heading in the right direction with Nola on board. She is prompt with communication and the staff seem much happier and my son loves coming here.
The changes made with the security gate was a welcome sight. I felt it was odd at the start how there wasn't one to begin with, as the kids could easily move through the hall way to the reception/lift entrance. Kept thinking the kids could slip out to the carport down stairs before the gate was installed.
My only feedback would be having to pay full cost on a public holiday is not fair, I would think a reduced fee should be applied.

The changes within Kids Academy is evident from the moment you walk in the front door. Nola is a breath of fresh air and is so welcoming and friendly. My daughter loves giving Nola a high-five on her way to her room.

My daughter has developed a wonderful bond with her educators (Sherine, Sarah, Simone and Kavi) and still loves to pop in and say hello to Marlo and Sally on her way out at the end of the day. My daughter is happy to go into her room and she’s happy to come home again and has the best stories about her day with her friends and her educators. I really appreciate the time the educators take to talk with me about my daughter’s day and what she has been up to. I especially appreciate that education is at the forefront of all the experiences that the kids have here at Kids Academy.

The food is cooked on the premises at Kids Academy and Lorenzo is doing a fantastic job cooking different meals for the kids. I know my daughter devours her morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea which is always a good sign with little ones!
Since Nola has stepped into the centre, you can feel the change in how happy the team are and that happiness is without a doubt passed onto the children in their care.

Thank you so very much to you Nola and your wonderful team of educators for providing my daughter with a happy and safe place to learn and have fun!

Since the recent change in ownership, Kids Academy Bulleen has undergone a positive transformation. While the transition had some initial bumps, I have noticed significant improvements.

Communication has become more transparent and the Team members dedication to the children's well being is commendable. Daily routines and activities have become more organised, creating a happier and more engaging environment.

Despite the initial challenges, the current state of the centre reflects a commitment to continuous improvement. I am optimistic about the positive direction the centre is heading under its new ownership.

Since starting at Kids Academy, my children have never been happier. The educators are always sending photos throughout the day which is so comforting to see that my children are happily engaged. The rooms are very nice and inviting. The educators are great. Management is absolutely lovely and very helpful.

The highlight of our experience at Kids Academy was finally taking my children out. Although initially resembling a Dr. Seuss playland, the center's acquisition in March 2023 transformed it into a youth detention facility. Witnessing my youngest pretend to be in jail by grabbing indoor bars was disheartening. The lack of engaging activities and learning opportunities made me sympathise with the children there. My kids thrived elsewhere, showcasing artwork and improved well-being. The concerning policy of withholding food unless the children sat at an adult-sized table which did not seat all the children at one time, further contributed to our decision to leave. It's essential to thoroughly inquire about any childcare facility before making a decision.

Before and after photos attached.

My daughter absolutely loves her days at this center, she has been going for 1 year now and has learnt sooo much. A few company changes in the the flow of things, but think things are leading towards greatness and amazing things yet to come. Carers are great and take great part in the kids learning. Thank you to all.

Generally, the centre was a lovely one before it (KidsClub Bulleen) got took over by the new group.
My son couldn't get enough care in the centre. The centre couldn't provide enough updates on what is the child doing daily, very little communication between parents and teachers. Partially, it is because the centre is short of permanent staff, which reflects the poor management. The centre often tells us that looking after children is their top priority so they don't have enough time to give children's update in the app, however, the reality is that we keep losing clothes and socks, which I don't feel the kids were under good care.
I wish the centre will be better under the new management team, but unfortunately, it is not the best time for my son's growing age.

We
didn't have a good time here. My son dislikes it here, and every time I sent him there, he cried.beause of the Some older kids, (no supervising children.

This center's teacher is extremely irresponsible. My child had a 10-centimeter bleeding wound on their face, and the teacher didn't even know what happened. When I went to pick up my child, I saw them crying in the room after hitting a table corner, and not a single teacher came forward to comfort them. They didn't even inform me when my child was sick!

My child often tells me, 'I am scared. ' At first, I thought it was just a new sentence they learned, but I never imagined that they were genuinely afraid of this place and the teacher! The manager of this kindergarten even shows racial discrimination, treating white children differently from others. I can't believe what kind of kindergarten is being run under the leadership of such a manager.

When my neighbor's child had a fever, the teacher didn't even inform them. He was only 8 months baby! This childcare shamelessly raised its fees. Just look at the cars their teachers are driving! Audi! This kind of childcare should be shut down! It's unbelievable that some parents still send their children there despite knowing how the kindergarten treats the kids. I deeply regret sending my child there; just thinking about it hurts my heart.

I advise all parents, if you are fortunate enough to see this review, please do not send your children there. It's for the sake of your children and yourselves. I sincerely hope this childcare closes soon and stops harming children.

I will put 0 star if there is.

As a mum reading a lot of the negative reviews here… and knowing the back story behind a couple of disgruntled people, recruiting their friends to leave bad reviews to try slander the director because of their own PERSONAL vendetta makes me so sad.

There are so many incredible educators at the centre that I feel lucky to have my kids under their care. So if you guys see this, us mums still here, see you and appreciate you <3

My kids have been at kids club for over a year now, the transition from kids club to kids academy was a bit nerve racking, HOWEVER the original staff my kids and self have bonded with remained and have made it a lot less stressful.

Nicole - the manager is amazing. She’s thoughtful and has made a point to be a direct contact for our family during any struggles we had.

Honestly disregard a lot of the melodramatic reviews left here… a lot of it is based on a personal vendetta and not a legitimate one.

This is a fantastic centre and the staff are always friendly and polite and the kids love attending this centre. Well done Team and keep doing what you do best. There are some negative posts in here, but clearly seem to be a fake profiles and also one parent mentions that the centre was not suited to them as their child did not get along with another child, wow you are going to need some lessons in life as not everyone gets along with each other.

My son has been going to this childcare centre close to when it started as Kids Club Bulleen. He is always excited to see the educators, assistant manager and always gives the centre manager a big cuddle. This speaks volumes for me, knowing that he’s completely comfortable with them all and at the same time I know that he is very well looked after. I know that they have his and the other kids best interest at heart, the kids are always happy and having fun.
If he was treated otherwise we would know about it.
The centre manager has been doing an amazing job with the kids.
Unfortunately in life we all know that you are not going to please everyone and that’s ok but I do have to say that I have met many families over this time and those who ‘are’ happy with the centre manager, assistant centre manager and staff very much outweigh the negative few.
Ladies, you are doing an AMAZING job at looking after our kids, We support you 100%, keep up the good work:)

My child attended this centre for about 6 months. Initially, prior to the centre being transitioned to it's new corporate lords (and changing names) things seemed ok. Since then, essentially all the full time educators that started off the year with my child resigned and continuity of care is gone. The staff who have remained in the nursery (new or casual), seem absolutely overwhelmed every time during pick up and drop off and just have too many children to care for, given the number of staff in the room. Management seems very defensive about feedback provided regarding changes associated with the new ownership takeover, and unfortunately, in my view, I can't see things changing for the better soon.

From day one, my daughter was and is safe and secure at Kids Academy. The educators and staff provide lots of entertainment and education to the children. I really appreciate the team for how hard working they truly are. My daughter is thriving. The environment is vibrant and spacious for those babies who require the space to move around. Highly recommend Kids Academy. Thank you to Nicole and Belinda who are exceptional leaders!

I do not recommend this childcare centre.

My daughter was under their care for 6 months. We were lucky to have had two permanent educators (Ling and Neda) looking after our child when she first joined. However, things started going downhill after they left and the centre decided to use predominately agency educators in the nursery room. The agency educators had no interest in getting to know the children. My daughter had her own nappies, wipes and nappy cream because she’s prone to nappy rash. On her last day, the educators still weren’t aware she had her own nappies and where her nappies were when I asked. They were still trying to feed puree to my daughter and told me repeatedly she refused puree when she has been having finger food for months (she is now 11 months old). Her name was misspelled in the farewell email sent by the centre director.

It was chaos every time I walked into the nursery. Children (including my daughter) were in the room under minimal or no supervision and often crying hysterically. My daughter often came home wearing soiled clothes and occasionally her bottom would still have some dried faeces. I was once told by an educator in her room that they had to reuse one of her bottle without sterilising it because they couldn’t find her other bottles (she then found the other extra bottles right behind the formula can right in front of me). My daughter used to get sick every week and would come home with diarrhoea almost daily. It has been two weeks since she last attended Kids Club (now Kids Academy) and finally she is no longer having diarrhoea. I was told she had a good day all the time when I picked her up but all I could see were tears and dried snot on her face. The educators always looked so stressed and overwhelmed when I went there. I just don’t think anyone would be able to provide good care to the children while working under those conditions.

Management blamed the staffing issues on national shortage on childcare workers and claimed that they are doing their best to recruit. I also work in an industry suffering from a global staff shortage. From my personal experience, a good company would always be able to attract competent staff if it offers pleasant working conditions and a positive work culture.

I was hesitant to change childcare centre initially because my daughter was very bonded to one of the educators there and I was told all childcare centres are pretty much the same. I realised I was wrong when I found my daughter’s current centre. This new centre is always overstaffed. Food is much higher quality. They have the capacity to go on regular excursions because of the staffing level and their educators are all extremely qualified.

Some parents might think the level of care Kids Club provides is adequate or it’s okay to give these people a chance to improve and make things better. Unfortunately I have to disagree. They have had enough time to sort these issues out but very little has been done. Children this age are helpless. They can’t express themselves and can’t defend themselves. They rely on us to advocate for them and protect them. So I’m going to put my child’s interest first and I hope you all do the same for your children.

Lastly, management of Kids Club, please treat your staff with kindness and respect.

Our child has been attending Kids Academy Bulleen since it has first opened as Kids Club. We could not be happier with the attention to detail we have received over the time our son has been attending this childcare centre. The team are always happy and the food is of high standards and the educators and managers are always helpful. To all the team at Kids Academy Bulleen keep on doing what you do best. You always make sure our kids are well looked after and have their best interests first. Awesome work and keep up the friendly environment.

My child has been at Kids Academy (formerly Kids Club) for 1.5 years and he has learnt and grown so much from the lovely educators there. The amount of care they provide is so great,
My child loves it here and I highly recommend this childcare.

Our time at this childcare center was far from pleasant. The meals provided for the children were of poor quality, and my child encountered numerous issues during their stay. It is evident that the childcare's mismanagement has caused numerous problems for both the facility and the children in their care. Honestly, I cannot recommend this childcare under its current directorship.

The center's current director has exhibited extremely poor leadership and demonstrated a lack of professionalism. Due to our negative experience and the director's unpolite behavior, we cannot recommend this center while she remains in charge.