FAQ

MACSEYE (Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Early Years Education) is a subsidiary corporation recently established by MACS (Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools). MACSEYE operates a growing number of sessional kindergartens around the Archdiocese of Melbourne, as well as after school care associated with Catholic Schools. The majority of the kindergartens which are currently being built or have recently been opened by MACSEYE are being funded by a new Victorian Government Building Blocks funding partnership which offers integrated learning in growing population corridors around Melbourne. These sites offer sessional kindergarten, consulting rooms and out of hours care and are co-located at large Catholic Primary and Secondary campuses. MACSEYE also operates a limited number of established kindergartens at or near Catholic Primary Schools. For some parishes and schools around the Archdiocese, MACSEYE is the ideal strategic partner who can deliver their Early Years Education needs.

However, it is up to each parish to discern which operator and which model best supports the Early Learning needs for their local community as well as the long term strategic needs of each parish. After a time of careful consideration and following discussions with our stakeholders St Thomas More Parish has chosen to engage an independent operator at the Woodlands site from next year.

The parish’s land and buildings have been purchased and developed thanks to the generosity and sacrifice of many Catholic families who have financially supported the parish since it was established in 1978. For any Catholic parish considering a significant decision such as the usage of parish owned land and buildings or the signing of leases, there is an established process of consultation and discussion before significant decisions can be made, to ensure that any planned usage of parish land and buildings continues to serve the broader mission of the Church and falls within all relevant church and civil laws.

In making this decision, the Parish has received the advice of the Parish Finance Committee which has responsibility for the sustainability, stewardship and care of the goods which serve the parish’s mission. In addition, the parish consulted extensively with the Parish Pastoral Leadership Team who have responsibility to promote and support the evangelising mission of the Parish and to foster the spiritual and pastoral life of all the Christian faithful. There have been a series of meetings and discussions over several months with and between MACS, MACSEYE and the Archdiocese of Melbourne Property and Infrastructure team as well as its other teams and professionals. In recent weeks we have consulted with the Victorian Education Department and the Mornington Shire Council. Parish representatives have also met and engaged with representatives of current and prospective Woodlands families.

All funded kindergartens as well as all sessional kindergartens operating in Victoria must meet Victorian Government requirements for service delivery. These requirements are set out in the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) and the National Quality Standard (NQS). These standards ensure that the curriculum delivered, the quality of care, levels of supervision, safety, access to care and enrolment criteria across all funded kindergarten facilities in Victoria are consistent and meet the same high standards. While the Sanctuary of Early Learning would not be aligned with the Church nor be identified as being part of the Church, the centre would operate with respect towards Catholic beliefs and religious sensitivities.

Please see the operator’s comments:

We understand that many of you are seeking reassurance about the daily timetable, how the program will run, and whether your child will have access to a sessional kindergarten place or a kindergarten place within a long day care setting.

 Our vision is to provide families with the very best of both worlds:

• A high-quality, funded kindergarten program that meets all Victorian Government requirements for sessional kindergarten. Each child will receive their 15 hours of teacher-led learning per week with a qualified Bachelor-trained Early Childhood Teacher, supported by two additional qualified educators. This ensures your child’s program is fully compliant with the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) and the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).

• The flexibility of long day care hours to support working families. The proposed hours of operation will be 7:00am – 7:00pm, giving families the option to access care before and after their child’s kindergarten program. This ensures your child receives the full benefit of an extended kindergarten program, while still allowing wrap-around care for those who need it.

Listening to the feedback from families affected by MACSEYE’s withdrawal from Woodlands, the parish has worked with the operator to offer free kinder at the current Woodlands in 2026.

Please see the operator’s comments:

For families who have already been allocated their 15 hours of kindergarten at this service in 2026, please be assured that the Victorian Government kindergarten offset will be honoured, and you will not be charged for these 15 hours of kindergarten. These hours will be delivered across two 7.5-hour sessions with your child’s teacher (proposed time: 8:00am – 4:00pm). As we transition from a sessional kindergarten to a long day care kindergarten model, any kindergarten required outside of these 15 government-funded hours will incur a fee. Families who require extended kindergarten before or after the 15 hours, or additional days beyond the allocated hours, will have the flexibility to access this within our proposed business hours of 7:00am – 7:00pm

The new operator is planning to offer both long daycare and kinder at the centre next year. As further details are finalized these will be confirmed by them. The expanded range of services and hours of operation and will offer more convenience and choice to Mount Eliza families. These services will be available to all families subject to the operator’s usual terms and conditions. Please also see the operator’s comments:

Our vision is to provide families with the very best of both worlds. The proposed structure allows families who need longer hours of care to access them, while ensuring that every child participates in a recognised funded kindergarten program. Families are eligible for the Victorian Government’s Best Start, Best Life initiative, which provides a rebate (currently $2,050 per child in 2025) for all children completing their 15 hours of kindergarten with a qualified teacher.

The Parish is mindful of the uncertainty caused by MACSEYE’s withdrawal and has been working closely with Mornington Council to provide as much information and concrete options as we are able to. Mornington Council has been in touch with all families impacted by MACSEYE’s withdrawal from their sessional kinder programme advertised for 2026 and the council has offered those families the opportunity to participate in the third round of placements at other sessional kinders within Mornington Peninsula Shire. The latest advice we have received from them is that limited spaces have been made available for families at other sessional kinders.

As at the beginning of September, these are the options that are available:

1.       If you wish to be placed at another local sessional kindergarten please get in touch with Mornington Council to discuss what other sessional kinder options are available.

2.       There may be other local long daycare centres who have availability for 3 & 4 year old kindergarten next year.

3.       If you are interested or may be interested in receiving free kinder at Woodlands, the new operator has confirmed that the 46 families who were pre-booked for a place at Woodlands in 2026 would be offered free kinder at the centre next year. There will be a limited window of time for families to take up this offer, so families who are interested in booking into Woodlands for 2026 are encouraged to contact Mornington Council to give permission for their contact details to be passed on to the new operator once these arrangements are finalised. On receipt of your details the new operator would then get in touch to process your application for Woodlands. The new operators, Christine and Jodie, are planning to offer an information session for anyone interested in hearing about how the future Woodlands site would operate. You can express interest by following the links on our page. Please note, the contract with the new operator is not yet complete and is subject to final approval.

The Sanctuary of Early Learning is planned to be developed into an attractive and vibrant long daycare and kindergarten service at the site which will offer care and education for many years to come. Christie and Jodie would be happy to share their plans with at the information session and also upon request.

While there are no guarantees, the parish and the new operator are working closely to finalise the contracts as soon as possible so that we can provide certainty for our families and community. We have now reached a level of confidence and certainty that we can release the name of the operator and share their exciting vision and plans for the future. The current operator CKP is operating the site unchanged until the end of this year, December 2025. We will continue updating the community regularly and are committed to handing over the site from CKP to the new operator to commence in January 2026.