Does anyone know how Kinder Care works in QLD?

[Curly]

Hi there

I'm so glad I found this thread but could you go through it again one more time for the dummies?? (ie me!)

I'm a NSW girl, living in Victoria at the moment but we are 99% positive we are going to relocat to Queensland and I'd only just got my head around the way the Vics do things.

In Vic, they do a 3 year old kinder which is twice a week for about 3 hours each time. When the kids turn 4 they do 4 year old kinder which I don't think is everyday. They then start primary school at the age of 5. The first year of primary school is called Prep. (In NSW it's Kindergarten, but anyhoo).

Sooooo......

Am I to understand that the first year of primary school" in Qld was originally Year 1 but a new year has now been introduced called Prep? And does this mean that kids are starting full time school a whole year earlier now?

Is the Community Kindergarten you talk about like preschool?

My DS will be 3 in September this year and has only ever been at home with me, I'm a bit alarmed to think that next year he will be going to preschool every single day. I don't know how that will go down! And we don't enrol them in 3 year old kinder in Vic till they turn 2 years old, have I missed the boat in Qld?

[Floweryfields]

Can I just say alot of childcare centres run excellent kindy and preprep groups aswell. The benefit of childcare is that you may be able to get the govt assistance and/or the childcare rebate.

[Anila]

Can I just say alot of childcare centres run excellent kindy and preprep groups aswell. The benefit of childcare is that you may be able to get the govt assistance and/or the childcare rebate.

Thats what i was going to say, my 2 and 3 yr old both go to a childcare center, my 3 yr old is in the kindy room there, she is 4 in june and then she will go into their pre prep program, then in 2010 she will attend prep.
She only goes 1 day a week and we get reduced fees from centerlink.

[MantaRay]

There is no equivalent to "3 yo kinder" in Qld anymore. You can certainly have children in day care at any age, and there are also some private kindys that take younger children. But the majority of kindys in Brisbane are C&K, and are community run and do a one year program. They only accept children who are between 3 1/2 and 4 1/2, so that is the children who's birthdays are between July 1 the year before, and the first day of school term are 4 when they start. The children whose birthdays are from end of Jan until June 30 of the school year are 3 when they start and turn 4 in the first half of their kindy year. Then prep is one year later than that. So for my boys:

DS1 born Feb 2005 - kindy (pre-prep) in 2009, school (prep) in 2010
DS2 born Sep 2006 - kindy (pre-prep in 2011, school (prep) in 2012.

Does that clear it up.

[Floweryfields]

They do still do 3 year old kindy where I live, but perhaps that is because they are not full enough? They only open 3 days per week.

[Ambah]

Its so confusing isn't it... just to add to this, the C&K kindy that Aidyn went to offered a 'pre-kindy' program for 3 year olds, but it was only for 2 hours, once a week!

[Meluchja]

Tell me about it. But from what I've gathered, she has to wait until 2010. But I'll ring up now to put her on the list. Soooo confusing.

Why can't it just be like it was when I went to school. They year you turned 6 was the first grade at school, the year you turned 5, was pre-school at primary school, half a day 3 days one week, 2 days the next, so SIMPLE

[Floweryfields]

Hi there

I'm so glad I found this thread but could you go through it again one more time for the dummies?? (ie me!)

I'm a NSW girl, living in Victoria at the moment but we are 99% positive we are going to relocat to Queensland and I'd only just got my head around the way the Vics do things.

In Vic, they do a 3 year old kinder which is twice a week for about 3 hours each time. When the kids turn 4 they do 4 year old kinder which I don't think is everyday. They then start primary school at the age of 5. The first year of primary school is called Prep. (In NSW it's Kindergarten, but anyhoo).

Sooooo......

Am I to understand that the first year of primary school" in Qld was originally Year 1 but a new year has now been introduced called Prep? And does this mean that kids are starting full time school a whole year earlier now?

Is the Community Kindergarten you talk about like preschool?

My DS will be 3 in September this year and has only ever been at home with me, I'm a bit alarmed to think that next year he will be going to preschool every single day. I don't know how that will go down! And we don't enrol them in 3 year old kinder in Vic till they turn 2 years old, have I missed the boat in Qld?

No you are fine. Your child won't got to prep (preschool) until 2012 - as he has to turn 5 by the 30 June in the year he attends - therefore as he doesn't turn 5 until Sept - he won't be allowed to go to prep until the following year - the year he turns 6.
Therefore he can do kindy from the age of 3 until he goes to prep. So I wouldguess that in 2010 he may start 2 day kindy then 2011 he'd do 3 day until he starts prep in 2012. AT least taht is what they tend to do here.

You've got ages yet!!!