Goodstart Early Learning is one of Australia’s leading providers of early education and care, with a focus on creating safe, inclusive and high-quality learning environments for children, families and educators.
At Forest Hill, Goodstart set out to create a new purpose-built centre that could support children from nursery through to kindergarten, while giving educators a practical, well considered place to work.
Cyclo was engaged to design and construct the new centre on Canterbury Road, delivering a complete early learning environment shaped around Goodstart’s operational needs, regulatory requirements and long-term use.
The project required a careful balance of warmth, function and technical coordination. Early learning centres need to work hard every day: arrivals and departures must feel simple, circulation must be secure, rooms need to support supervision and age-appropriate learning, and finishes must be durable, safe and easy to maintain. The site also required a considered response to access, parking, external works, landscaping, retaining elements and signage.
Cyclo’s solution was a purpose-built centre that brings these requirements together in a clear and cohesive way. Learning spaces were designed to support play, development and routine across different age groups, while practical support areas, amenities and back-of-house spaces were planned to help the centre operate smoothly.
The result is a warm, capable and highly functional early learning centre now supporting families in Melbourne’s outer east. With capacity for 106 children, Goodstart Forest Hill is a strong example of how thoughtful design and construction can create spaces that work for children, educators and communities.
