A home away from home, where love and learning grow.
Ryan's Family Daycare is a home-based service in Melbourne for children from one year old to school age. Small numbers mean your child is known properly — not managed in a crowd.
Taking enrolments now — a few days still open this term.
What family daycare actually means
Your child spends the day in a home, not a centre. There is a backyard they can be in all afternoon, familiar rooms instead of a corridor of classrooms, and the same familiar adult greeting them every morning for years.
Because the group is capped at seven children, the day bends around the children in it. A toddler who needs a longer sleep gets one. A four-year-old deep in a drawing doesn't get moved on because a bell went.
Ryan operates under Right Choice Family Daycare (service approval number 40001395), an approved family daycare scheme, running an educational program based on the Early Years Learning Framework — the same national framework long daycare centres follow. You get the framework, at kitchen-table scale.
See who we care for
Who we care for
Mixed ages in one small group, which is how siblings learn at home. Each child still has their own plan.
Little ones
Your routine, kept. Sleeps and feeds to your schedule, with a daily written record and photos. Please pack meals and nappies from home.
Toddlers
Messy play, first words and toilet training, supported gently and at the child's pace.
Preschool
Letters, numbers, scissors, sharing and sitting still — the quiet groundwork for a smooth first year of school.
Before & after school
Pick-ups from nearby schools, homework at the table, and full days through the holidays.
What the children have been making
Real work from real weeks here. Nothing on this page is a stock photo.
Our home
You are welcome to come and see all of it before you decide. Visits are by appointment so the children's day isn't interrupted.
“We tried two big centres before this. Here she comes home with paint on her sleeves, a story about the garden, and something she made herself. That's the whole difference.”A parent at Ryan's, second year with us
Fees and availability
Most families pay a fraction of the listed fee once the Child Care Subsidy is applied. We can help you work out what yours would be.
- Charged per hour, minimum six hours a day
- Please pack a meal and drink bottle from home each day
- Please pack nappies and wipes from home too
- All program materials and activities included
- Child Care Subsidy reduces this for most families
- No enrolment or waitlist fee
- Every day, Monday to Saturday — 5:00am to 7:00pm
- Saturday runs on the same hours and rules as every other day
"We've had a wonderful experience with the daycare. Nidhi Tandon is warm, attentive, and truly cares about the children. Our son is always happy and excited to go, which gives us great peace of mind."
"Nidhi is great with kids and very attentive. My kids loved going to her daycare and I sometimes used the occasional weekend care too for my kids."
"Nidhi is an exceptional caregiver! She is not only very professional but also incredibly kind. My two kids attended her daycare, and she treated them like family."
"We couldn't be happier with our experience at Ryan Family Day Care. Ms. Nidhi created a warm, nurturing environment where our child felt safe, loved and engaged. Her thoughtful activities promoted learning and social skills."
"Nidhi looked after my son for the last 5 years — very flexible and caring, a real home environment. She celebrates every festival with the children and always goes the extra mile."
Enquire about a place
Tell us a little about your child and we'll come back to you within one business day — usually the same afternoon.
Email dhawannd1@gmail.com
Melbourne, Victoria — exact address shared once a visit is booked.
Open Monday to Saturday, 5:00am – 7:00pm.
Visits are welcome. Come and meet us, see the rooms and the backyard, and ask anything you like.