What to look for?

PLEASE NOTE:
In this website the terms “Preschool” and “Kindergarten” are interchangeable.

What Is Pre-School?
In Victoria, the funded preschool program is a one year program in the year prior to school entry. The Government's commitment is to ensure that all children aged four years in the year prior to school entry have the opportunity to access one year of quality preschool education. Three year old preschool also exists, but these programs are unfunded.

Funded preschool programs operate in a range of settings including purpose built stand alone preschools, community based and private child care centres, community halls and state and independent schools.

Three year old preschool operate in the same facilities as the four year old programs. As previously mentioned these programs are unfunded which results in the fees being higher.

Preschool is important because it provides developmentally appropriate programs that further the social, emotional, cognitive, language and physical development of children. International and Australian research shows that participation in a preschool program helps children establish foundations to assist them for life.

Preschool participation helps to identify children who need extra support for their development, and offers the appropriate links to ensure children receive this assistance as early as possible.

The preschool environment also provides an opportunity for families to develop links within their communities and become more aware of support services.

Why is preschool important?
Research shows that learning in the early years lays the foundation for later learning and sets children on a path for school, work and life.

Your child will greatly benefit from attending a preschool program before they go to school.

In a preschool program, families and staff work together to provide important learning experiences for children.

Why Should I Send My Child To Pre-School?
During the first five years, children develop and learn much faster than at any other age and preschool provides them with an environment in which this development can be encouraged and stimulated. Preschool helps children become more aware of the world around them, and promotes language development, as well as intellectual, physical and emotional skills. Activities in a preschool program cater to individual needs and offers equipment, which is appropriate to the children’s stage of development.

Is My Child Ready For Pre-School?
Most preschools will start accepting children after their 3rd birthday, but that doesn't mean your child is magically ready for preschool when he/she reaches that age. Readiness for preschool has more to do with where your child is developmentally. Is he/she socially, emotionally, physically, and cognitively ready to participate in a daily, structured, educational program with a group of other children?

Though it's tempting to look for a quick answer to this question, to read a list of skills for instance, and say, "Yes my child can do these things, he/she is ready," that method isn't foolproof. The best way to decide is to spend time thinking about your child and to talk to other people who know him/her well, such as your partner, your paediatrician, or your child's caregiver. The following questions will help you think about the most important factors for preschool readiness.

Is your child fairly independent?
Preschool requires children to have certain basic skills; most will want your child to be toilet trained, for instance. Your child should also be able to take care of some other basic needs, like washing his/her hands after painting and eating his/her lunch without assistance.

Has he/she spent time away from you?
If your child has been cared for by a babysitter or a relative, he/she will be better prepared to separate from you when he/she is at preschool. Kids who are used to being apart from their parents often bounce right into preschool with hardly a backward glance. If your child hasn't had many opportunities to be away from you, you might want to schedule some — a weekend with grandma, for instance, or a day with your sister and her kids. But even if you can't work out your separation issues up front, don't worry too much; many children leave Mum or Dad for the first time to go to preschool and they do just fine.

Can he/she work on projects on his/her own?
Preschool usually involves lots of arts and crafts projects that require concentration and the ability to focus on an individual task. If your child likes to draw at home or gets engrossed in puzzles and other activities on his/her own, he/she is a good candidate for preschool. But even if he/she is the kind of child who asks for help with everything, you can start getting him/her ready by setting up playtimes where he/she can entertain him/herself for a half hour or so. While you wash the dishes, encourage him/her to make creatures out of clay, for example. Gradually build up to longer stretches of solo play. Your goal here is to keep yourself moderately preoccupied with an activity so that he/she will get on with his/her own without too much hand-holding from you.

Is he/she ready to participate in group activities?
Many preschool activities, like "group time", require that all the children in a class participate at the same time. These interactions give children a chance to play and learn together, but also require them to sit still, listen to stories, and sing songs. This can be very difficult for 3 year olds who are naturally active explorers and not always developmentally ready to play with other children. If your child isn’t used to group activities, you can start introducing them yourself. Take him/her to story time at your local library, for instance, or sign him/her up for a class such as tumbling to help get him/her used to playing with other children.

Is he/she used to keeping a regular schedule?
Preschools usually follow a predictable routine: group time, indoor time, snack and outdoor time. There’s a good reason for this. Children tend to feel most comfortable and in control when the same things happen at the same time each day. So if your child doesn’t keep to a schedule and each day is different from the last, it can help to standardise his/her days a bit before he/she starts preschool. Start by offering meals on a regular timetable. You could also plan to visit the park each afternoon or set — and stick to — a bedtime ritual (bath, then books, and bed).

Does he/she have the physical stamina for preschool?
Whether it’s a half-day or full-day program, preschool keeps kids busy. There are art projects to do and playgrounds to explore. Does your child thrive on activities like this, or does he/she have trouble moving from one thing to the next without getting cranky? You can work toward building his/her stamina by making sure he/she gets a good night’s sleep.

Why do you want to send him/her to preschool?
Think carefully about what your goals are for sending your child to preschool, if you find that the main reasons you want to send your child to preschool are that he/she seems eager to learn new things and explore, he/she isn’t getting enough stimulation at home, or he/she seems ready to broaden his/her social horizons and interact with other children, chances are it’s the perfect time to start preschool.

What will my child learn?
At preschool your child will do many different things.

Your child will learn:

• social skills, for example, how to play together
  
• emotional skills, for example, how to understand their feelings
  
• play skills, for example, using blocks to build a road and play a game about it
  
• language and literacy skills, such as reading stories, talking together, drawing and making things
  
• gross motor skills, for example, climbing and jumping
• fine motor skills, for example, using scissors
• art and craft, for example, using different paint brushes to make a picture
• dance, music and movement, for example, listening to music and clapping with the music.

These skills will help your child for their whole life.

What Type Of Preschool’s Are Available Under The Management Of The BPA?
BPA preschools offer a variety of programs to cater for the individual needs of the community. All programs are planned and implemented by qualified Early Childhood staff. BPA preschools are purpose built and either Council or Church owned facilities.

Sessional Preschool
Children can attend preschool for sessions lasting approximately 10 hours per week over a number of days, according to the type of program and the number of children enrolled a the preschool.

Do I Have To Pay For Preschool?
Four year old preschool attracts government funding; however, all preschools will charge fees for their service as Government grants do not cover the full operating cost. Fees will vary depending on many different factors such as hours of attendance, the size of groups and other additional costs. Each preschool will have a fees policy that states the parent responsibilities in relation to the payment of fees.

Holders of Health Care cards or Pension cards are entitled to a government rebate for four year old preschool only. This rebate is paid to the B.P.A. and passed onto the parent through a reduction in fees.

Three Year Old Groups
A number of BPA preschools offer a three year old program. The three year old programs are specifically designed for the developmental skills and needs of each child. The programs are delivered by qualified Early Childhood staff, who are dedicated to providing your child with a positive and enjoyable preschool experience.

Our three year old preschools offer either 1 or 2 sessions per week depending on the preschool, with sessions ranging from 2 to 3 hours in duration.

To be eligible for three old preschool, your child must be three years of age by 30th April in the year that you child will attend three year old preschool. Children CANNOT commence preschool before they turn three years of age.

Those children offered a place but turn three after the start of Term 1 (and prior to 30th April), may hold a place for that child by paying the Term 1 fees in full.

Three year old programs do not receive funding from the government and consequently is a fully user pay system and is not subsidised in any way.

Children MUST be toilet trained before commencing three year old preschool.

What Happens In Preschool?
When your child goes to preschool there will be lots of activities, experiences and time to play. Play is the young child’s way of learning. All preschool programs will be different, as they are planned around the individual needs of each child, as well as the group as a whole. Our Early Childhood staff are more than qualified to evaluate each child’s level of development and adjust the program where necessary. We encourage you to discuss any concerns or share any relevant information about your child with our staff.

What Does A Preschool Program Include?
In our preschools, programs offer a variety of open ended activities with carefully planned goals that encourage children to develop skills, as they are ready. Programs run at our preschools are developmentally appropriate programs based on individual as well as group aims and objectives. These aims and objectives are derived from carefully observed records, which form the basis of program development. All areas of development; social, emotional, physical, language and cognitive skills are provided for in the program, which is delivered by trained early childhood professionals.

Indoor Activities
These may include; painting and pasting, clay or dough, puzzles, games, blocks and construction, books and sensory activities. Most preschools also have a dramatic play area, which encourages social contact and role playing. Children are generally invited to select their own activity and work at their own pace and will be helped by staff as necessary.

Outdoor Activities
A successful outdoor playground is often quite simple – a natural landscape, which is full of sensory experiences offering a wide variety of responses and uses. In an outdoor play area you can expect to find a sandpit, a digging patch, a variety of climbing equipment, water play in various forms, swings, carpentry, and aids for dramatic play. Almost any activity offered indoors can also be offered outdoors, weather permitting.

Group Times
The program will include group times, both indoors and outdoors. The groups may include all the children or just a few children and may involve a parent who is participating in the program. The group will include things like; stories and poetry, playing with musical instruments, dancing and singing, dramatisation and acting, and sharing important happenings with others.

Parent Participation
Parents are a very important part of any preschool program and should feel welcome to participate and contribute at all times. Parent participation is more than preparing for “snack time”, it is about sharing in the education of all the children at preschool. The preschool staff will help parents to become actively involved in the day to day program of the preschool.

Parents are also encouraged to be apart of the preschool Committee. The role of the Committee is to work with BPA Children’s Services to assist in decision making and to ensure that the preschool continues to provide the best possible educational program to the children who attend.

The Committees main challenge is to “Fundraise” for our preschools. As you may be aware, fundraising plays a major part in the running of a preschool, the Government funding and fees do not include monies for major equipment upgrades, sand, chip bark or Christmas presents for the children etc. Without the co-operation and support of our parents our preschools would not be able to operate.

Active parent involvement in your child’s preschool years will have a positive benefit for both your child and your family and we are sure you will find it a enjoyable and highly rewarding experience.