am i nutter or what? preschool/kinder question

[dust]

i will try to keep this brief.. (just so i dont ramble on)
we moved interstate from nsw (a brief time in qld, visiting 2months) and settled in vic when DD was 3 turning 4. Im a SAHM so i never felt any need to put her daycare as a bub or a toddler.. Besides the fact that the waiting lists were huge where we lived in NSW for childcare and preschool/kinder.

Since being here in vic for a year DD has been attending 1 a week (rarely 2 times a week)
community childcare the sessions went on for 5hrs but have since been cut down to 3hrs (due to regulations) sessions. They used to be filled as the carers are great and the price is very affordable... since the cut down in sessions their numbers have dropped, which ive thought is good and bad.. good being DD gets more attention from carers, bad being theres not many kids for her to play with especially at her age (now 5) since the other kids have gone on to kinder/preschool. Altho i do like how she has had to learn with being around babies, small toddlers etc and not just kids her age. (she is a only child, with no cousins in this state, none of my friends here in vic have babies or kids)

the other week the other mums were talking about school choices and both mentioned that their older kids were in kinder/preschool and what sessions they did etc.. and talking about how the community childcare looks like its stuck on 3hr sessions and/or possibly shutting down due to new regs next year depending on a few things... They both commented on 'how kids that do kinder/preschool seem to do better in prep/kindergarten than kids that dont go to kinder/preschool, especially like in using scissors' ... and now i feel like ive spent a week worrying, stressing that i havent done enough to prepare my DD for big school next year prep/kindergarten! I know of the kinder/preschool that is right near the prep/kindergarten i want DD to go to next year, ive heard they are low on numbers and keen to take 3.5-4yr olds.. am yet to make a call to see if they will take DD 5yrs old for the rest of the year for 5hr sessions twice a week. (with the exception of after the new baby is born... it would be a 6km trek for me)
i know that she would love more girls her age to play with, i know she could do with some more time playing with others. (she has never liked leaving childcare and ive never had a problem with her being clingy or upset of being left there EVER!)
or am i overacting? (bit late to call the centre being the last day b4 hoildays) but do kinder/preschools take late enrollments?

[Rouge]

I too am in Victoria and I would definitely try to get her in. Purely on the fact that I don't know one child at our school (that was in Paris' prep year) that didn't attend 4 y.o. Kinder. And she may be at a very big disadvantage. The other thing I noticed was that some children that didn't do 3 y.o. Kinder had to repeat 4 y.o. Kinder. IMO she really does need to interact with children her age as social skills is the biggest part of school readiness. The ability to work in a group, the ability to say no, the ability to speak at appropriate times. These are all things that are taught at Kinder.

Also unless your childcare is providing Kinder program she is missing out on the 4 y.o. curriculum. I'm really shocked that the MCHN hasn't contacted you or the local council to find out why your DD isn't in Kinder, if you were from another state you wouldn't know its benefits iykwim?

[mrsmac]

As a teacher we do see a difference between childrn who have been to pre school and those that haven't. Often this is mainly in their social skills and ability to cope without mum and be more independent as well as "academic" type things.
At least your DD is attending some preschool so would be getting most of that. I don't know the vic system so can't comment on curric. but its nice for children to go to kindy near the school they will attend so they have people they know starting school with them.

[Pandora]

I didnt think kinder was compulsory, just that the only funded year is the immediate year before they start school?
DS will go to 4yo kinder and do the 3yo program at his daycare.

[Rouge]

No its not compulsory but I've heard of a few kids being asked to do it the year they were supposed to start prep (by the school) as they were not school ready.

[Nai]

I know the kinder near us does take enrollments at any time throughout the year so if there are spots available you should be able to enrol your DD and have her start halfway through the year.

Even though my DD goes to childcare she will also attend 4yo kinder as they do different activities and prepare them differently particularly in relation to starting school. Even if you have 6 months in kinder it will still be of some benefit for her.