Growing a more connected community at Green Leaves Rosebud

There’s something special about seeing a child discover something for the first time and then proudly take that new knowledge home to share with their family. And at Green Leaves Early Learning Rosebud, these moments happen every day. From learning about nutritious food and sustainability, to exploring the local foreshore through Beach Kinder, connecting with older members of the community and discovering new ways to care for one another, our Rosebud Centre is passionate about creating learning experiences that extend beyond the classroom.

That commitment was recently recognised when they successfully completed the 2026 Best Bites assessment and became officially part of the Best Bites program. Best Bites is a Victorian early childhood program focused on helping early childhood services provide healthy, nutritious and sustainable food experiences for children.

For Rosebud, the award is an opportunity to celebrate the Centre’s approach to nutrition, mealtimes, food education and healthy eating, rather than simply saying they serve good food. And for Rosebud’s Centre Director, Zara, the experience was about more than receiving recognition. It was an opportunity to showcase the Centre’s approach to food safety, sustainability, and support for the local community.

‘The auditor came in quite serious and left excited,’ she says. ‘It was so great to see the transformation and to be able to talk through everything we’re doing around sustainability and food safety.’ The recognition also reflects Rosebud’s desire to play an active role in building a more sustainable local community.

Nutrition is an important part of children’s everyday experience at any Green Leaves Centre. And at Rosebud, the Centre offers a well-rounded menu, with allergy awareness at the forefront. The Centre’s chef uses an allergy matrix across every menu item to ensure children’s individual dietary requirements are carefully considered and catered for. But mealtimes are about more than making sure children receive the nutrition they need. Educators use the opportunity to sit alongside children, talk about what is on their plates and enjoy meals together.

‘It’s a time to connect. You’re sitting down with the children and eating together. It creates that real sense of community…’ Zara explains. Educators also encourage children to explore new foods through conversation and group experiences. Asking questions like ‘what’s in your bowl?’ can turn an everyday meal into an opportunity for curiosity and discovery.

Rosebud’s commitment to community extends beyond its learning experiences. The Centre has established a community pantry, working closely with the local chemist and families to provide useful items to those who may need additional support. Families can contribute items, while the pantry provides access to essentials such as formula, nappies and food.

The Centre also makes everyday moments a little more welcoming for families, with barista-made coffee, treats and snacks available for parents, as well as fruit that siblings can enjoy. For the team, it’s about creating a place where families feel supported and connected. ‘We’re a small community, so everyone knows everyone,’ Zara says. ‘It’s about having genuine conversations with families.’

One of the most special parts of the Green Leaves Rosebud experience is Beach Kinder. Introduced when the Centre first opened, Beach Kinder gives Kindergarten children regular opportunities to learn and play along the local foreshore. The experience is guided by connections to Aboriginal culture and the local environment, with the Centre working with Aboriginal community members to help Educators and children understand the Country around them.

During one guided experience, children learned how Aboriginal people have traditionally used natural resources, including local plants, and the importance of caring for the natural environment rather than taking more than is needed.

These lessons continue through play and investigation. Children use natural loose parts and materials, explore the beach environment and develop an understanding of water safety, including through visits and talks from Life Saving Victoria.

Beach Kinder takes place every week at Rosebud, and perhaps the most meaningful part is what happens when the children return home. They have stories to tell. One child became particularly fascinated by sea snail eggs and developed a passion for carefully returning them to the water after learning about them during Beach Kinder. ‘All of the children have so many stories for their parents,’ Zara shared. ‘They’re bringing that information home to their families and into the community.’

In this way, Beach Kinder becomes much more than an experience. It becomes a way for children to develop a relationship with their local environment and share what they discover with the people around them.

Every fortnight, the Rosebud children take part in the Centre’s intergenerational program. For many, it has become a regular highlight. The program brings children together with older members of the local community for experiences like reading, art and creative projects.

The activities are intentionally varied, with children and their older friends creating things together and often making keepsakes they can take away. During one drawing experience, the older participants were asked to draw the children, while the children created drawings of them. When one older friend admitted she didn’t remember how to draw, one of the toddlers responded with a simple solution:

‘I’ll teach you.’

It’s moments like this that capture what the program is all about. For some children, intergenerational relationships provide an opportunity to connect with older people they may not otherwise have in their lives. At the same time, the older participants have the chance to spend time with children, share their experiences and simply enjoy being part of a different community setting.

The Centre’s commitment to sustainability also appears in some unexpected places. The Centre created a community weaving project, inviting families, children and Educators to contribute messages onto strips of reused fabric before turning them into a permanent display in the stairwell. It’s another example of the way Rosebud approaches sustainability: looking at what is already available and asking how it can be reused, repurposed and given a new life.

For families visiting Green Leaves Rosebud, there are plenty of things the team would love to show them. From food and sustainability to Beach Kinder, intergenerational relationships and family support, Rosebud is creating learning experiences that reach beyond the walls of the Centre.

Because when children learn to care for their environment, understand their community, connect with different generations and support one another, those lessons don’t stop at pick-up time. They go home. And from there, they have the potential to ripple through the wider community.

We invite you to tour Rosebud, or your nearest Centre, to discover the Green Leaves difference. Click below to find your nearest Centre and learn more.