What do I need to provide for my child?

Meals are provided to meet the individual needs of the babies. Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea are offered with parents only needing to provide formula or expressed breast milk. All special diets, allergies and educational diets are catered for. Staff will only include foods that they know have already been safely introduced to the children.

Families are asked to provide their own disposable nappies for use while your child is in care, as many parents have specific preferences for their own nappies. You can leave a nappy bag at the centre, or bring in approx. 5 fresh nappies each day. Parents can also bring in cloth nappies for their child. Parent usually leave a ‘wet bag’ for staff to put the used nappies in and parents then take these home at the end of each day.

Provide your child with a complete change of clothes – including underwear and socks. A hat and a winter coat is also a good idea during Winter. Please label these items

Linen is provided for your child.

What will my child be doing all day in the Younger Learners?

As these rooms cater for the very young to the near-toddler, the structure of the room is adjusted to reflect this. Younger children are provided with lots of visually stimulating experiences such as mobiles and ribbons, cushions and comfort toys. The older children can play with more sophisticated toys, such as blocks and puzzles. In addition, the room is structured around activities to allow older children the opportunity to build concentration yet allow the younger children freedom to explore.

As with all rooms, staff maintain detailed individual records on every child's skills and developmental stages, to use as reference points when developing their weekly plans. A wide range of art experience is offered including play doh, painting, crayons as well as messy play; sand, water, dirt, bubbles and goop.

The Younger Learners also provides lots of music and movement for all ages, stories, group time, songs, nursery rhymes and action rhymes to ensure that the children are stimulated in a variety of ways. An outdoor play area is provided, and shared with other children under three.

The Younger Learners also runs an “indoor-outdoor” program which means that anything that is outside can be brought inside and anything that is inside can be brought outside. This facilitates outside type activities being played in rainy weather to continually improve gross motor skill development.

What are the main differences between the Younger Learners and the Early Learners Rooms?

There are the same amount of children in both the YL and the EL Rooms Under three years of age the adult to child ration is 1:4. Over three, that staff to child ratio is 1:11

There are no sipper cups, cots or highchairs in the Early Learners Room.

Children have access to drinking water at all times throughout the day in all rooms. Families are asked to provide an open cup labelled with your child’s name.

Children have access to their lockers at all times – in the Younger Learners the lockers are located away from the children’s play areas. Focus on self help skills: In the older rooms, children are encouraged to help serve themselves meals using tongs, and encouraged to pour their own drinks. They will often assist staff in making their beds ready for sleep time.

In the Younger Learners, staff follow children’s individual routines. In the Early Learners Room, the children all follow similar routines. During rest time, all children are encouraged to have a quiet time, even if they are not sleeping. Books and quiet activities are provided to those who are not sleeping after a short period.

Focus on self help skills: In the Early Learners Room, children are encouraged to help serve themselves all their meals using tongs, and encouraged to pour their own drinks. They will often assist staff in making their beds ready for sleep time.

In the Early Learners Room, there are still many children who need to sleep throughout the day. For this reason, mattresses are provided for all children (even those known not to sleep). We have found that even children who refuse to sleep are happy to have a quiet period early in the afternoon, provided there is no sheet on the mattress (and therefore no expectation for them to actually ‘sleep’). After about 40 minutes, those children who are not asleep are provided with quiet table activities. This allows an opportunity for those children who do need to sleep, to do so.

The centre provides cups for access to drinking at all times throughout the day.

Bigger focus on independence – getting their own coats and hats for outside, applying sunscreen themselves; taking themselves to the bathroom with less supervision.

What are the main differences between the Early Learners and the Pre Kinder Room?

There are 22 children in the Pre Kinder Room aged between 3 and 5 years. In the Early Learners Room there are only 12 children attending each day.

Focus on self help skills: In the Pre Kinder Room, children are encouraged to help serve themselves all their meals using tongs, and encouraged to pour their own drinks. They will often assist Educators in making their beds ready for sleep time. They start learning to apply sunscreen themselves and taking themselves to the bathroom with less supervision.

Sleep requirements for children in the Pre Kinder Room are based on family requests. Many families want their children to sleep for a short period only, if at all. In the Pre Kinder Room, there are still many children who need to sleep throughout the day. For this reason, mattresses are provided for all children (even those known not to sleep).

We have found that even children who refuse to sleep are happy to have a quiet period early in the afternoon, provided there is no sheet on the mattress (and therefore no expectation for them to actually ‘sleep’). After about 30-40 minutes, those children who are not asleep are provided with quiet table activities. This allows an opportunity for those children who do need to sleep, to do so. The centre provides cups for access to drinking at all times throughout the day.

In the Early Learners Room, Educators follow children’s individual routines. In the Pre Kinder Room, the children all follow similar routines (although we are very flexible and able to accommodate individual needs). During rest time, all children are encouraged to have a quiet time, even if they are not sleeping. Books and quiet activities are provided to those who are not sleeping after a short period.

Morning meetings are scheduled every morning where the children have a greater input into the activities they will participate in during the day.

The Pre Kinder Room have a routine list of jobs each day, which are allocated to the children to undertake. For example setting the tables for lunch; assisting with preparation of beds for rest time; watering plants etc.

Children in the Pre Kinder Room have an opportunity to sign themselves in each day. These attempts are then filed in the child’s portfolio in order to show progress.

Children in the Pre Kinder Room are encouraged to try to write their own name on their work.

What is Kindergarten and is my child eligible?

In Victoria, kindergarten has traditionally been the education and care program offered to young children in the year prior to school entry. It is often considered the first step into a more formal learning environment.

Over recent years kindergarten has included one year of funded kindergarten (the year prior to school entry) and an unfunded year (often referred to as three-year-old kindergarten).

It is not compulsory for children to attend a kindergarten program, however there are many benefits for children who attend at least one year of a quality kindergarten program. In recognition of this, the Victorian Government provides funding to enable all children to access one year of kindergarten prior to formal schooling.

A child who is four years of age by the 30th of April in the year they will attend is eligible to attend a funded kindergarten program. It is common for children who are born between December and April to wait until the year after they turn four before starting kindergarten

A second year of funded kindergarten may be available to a child who has been assessed by the kindergarten teacher as meeting the required criteria including delays in key outcomes areas of learning and development.

A second year will only be considered if it is deemed that kindergarten will be the most appropriate environment to address the child’s delays in development and that they will achieve better outcomes at kindergarten than if they go to school.

What will Kinder @ Greythorn cost?

The kinder program will be the same price as childcare. The funding the centre receives as a subsidy only covers the additional costs incurred by employing a Bachelor trained teacher and implementing the program. Families remain entitled to Child Care Benefit and the Child Care Rebate – not applicable at stand-alone kinders.

Should we delay starting school?

Legally, children must be a minimum of five years old by 30 April of the year they are commencing school. They may commence school in the year they turn six. Readiness for kindergarten or school does not reflect on parenting styles or the intelligence of the child.

Do you start your child at four and a half years or do you wait until they’re going on six? Will they be bored with another year shared between home and preschool/kinder or will they struggle if sent to school too early? Are they emotionally mature enough? Will they be able to keep up academically falls into that uncertain area are often in a quandary as to which year to send them to school. Sometimes parents know that their child is not ready for learning but cannot afford to keep their child in childcare so they send them to school in the hope that they will manage the transition.

Given the difficulty in having two years of funded Kindergarten in Victoria, families are being encouraged to plan ahead in determining when they would like their child to commence school. Obviously, we cannot know at the age of 1 or 2 years if a child will be ready, but there is some useful information that may help some families in the planning process.

• Young boys, according to some research, may benefit from having an additional year to mature before commencement.
• Multiple births or children significantly premature may also benefit.
• Remember that Victoria has one of the youngest age entries into school of anywhere in the world.
• Ask yourself, “am I in a rush to send my child to school?”.
• There is no detrimental impact of giving a child an additional year, in fact it is often viewed as a bonus year.
• Don’t assume children will magically ‘catch up’ once they start school. In the majority of cases, they don’t, and in fact the problems in maturity usually become more pronounced.
• Don’t send a child to school already thinking they can repeat prep if they have to. We want the first year of school to be exciting, successful and not just one where the child attempts to ‘cope’ and then has to do it all again.
• Readiness for school or kindergarten is about having the maturity to make the most of these early years.
• Being legally ready to start school does not mean the child will be ready and does not mean that the child must start school at that time

FURTHER READING:

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-abc-of-holding-them-back-20140717-ztwzp.html