A few kindy questions..

[Calluna]

Are kindys strict on the age of acceptance? DS birthday is July 1st 09. So Im not sure if I should be enrolling him for next year (yeah, a little late I know!) or the year after. How do I know when he'll be "ready"? I dont want to push it if hes not but I dont want to hold him back either.

Also do kids have to be fully TT? DS is fine when hes got no pants on but put undies on him and he acts like he has a nappy on. I cant seem to get anywhere with this.

I plan to talk to a kindy about all of this too, but not sure where to start and dont want to look like an idiot.

Having worked in about 6 different day care centres (all of them varying degrees of less than wonderful) Im quite anxious about leaving him with people I dont know. I know there are good ones out there, but what if I get a bad one?
If anyone has any reccomendations for kindys on Bris southside - mt gravatt/Carindale kind of area can you please PM me?

Kinder is covered by ccb/ccr isnt it?If not is there some other kind of concessions?

[Phteven]

Is it the year before the first year of schooling? Because if that is the case TT is generally expected although like the first year at school they do expect an occasional accident while they settle in and find their feet.

If he is close to the cut off and you can keep him home for an extra year I would think you should do so. This is based entirely on the TT thing.
You could enroll him and then pull out if he doesn't have it down pat by the start of the school year.

[Calluna]

Yeah. He'll be 4 in July next year.
Im fairly sure it goes Kindy, prep (which is noncompulsory here), grade 1.

[briggsy's girl]

what is the cut off date in qld?
in vic it is april 30, so your son would be well after the age of acceptance for next year anyway.
DD is end of May 09 and won't start 4yo kinder til 2014, then school in 2015 (grade prep)

[Jellyfish]

I think since he won't be 4 till July 1st then you miss the cut off for next year or he will have to do 2 years of kindy because the cut off for prep is 5 by June 30 (so he will start 2015). ETA: http://education.qld.gov.au/strategi...hood/prep.html is a good site where you can plug in your child's birth information to see the years they can start.

I'd wait personally. Take the next year to visit places in your area and find one you're comfortable with. Ask lots of questions, trust your instincts. That then also gives him another year to get more confidence with toileting and such.

Side note, there are concessions for those who have health care cards.

[Calluna]

I was looking at a website for a kindy that I was interested in, and it said June 30 th is their cut off...

From thier site-

The Pre-prep groups are taught by a specialist early childhood teacher and a trained assistant.To be eligible to participate in a pre prep group, children must turn 4 by 30 June in the year they attend.*

He'll turn 4 the next day.

Ill check out that site Jellyfish, thanks!

[onthefly]

Yeah, you'll be in the next year, then. He'll be the oldest
Some independent schools may have Jan-Dec intakes, if you're wanting to get him in somewhere?
Re ccb etc, no, it's a school program, isn't it, from 4? There 3 year old kindy programs around, often run through early learning centres or child care centres. There may be ccb for that, I'm not sure. (Also it seems to be different in every state)

With TT, I'd feel much better about waiting if it were me. They can manage with the odd accident in the kindy/prep years, as it happens, of course.

[Calluna]

Thanks Mad,
I dont neccesarily want to get him in somewhere, just dont want him to be disadvantaged.
Hmm, Ill have to look into costs then, find out how c'link might be able to help.

Hes very shy/ anxious around other children. He even avoids crawling babies like they have a contagious disease! We have been going to MOPS once a fortnight for a few months and playgroup every week since the start of the year. They are run by the same church so lots of the same kids. But hes still not really interacting with the kids. Keeps to himself, wont participate in group times, etc. I think the only reason he was ok staying in the MOPS creche without me is because a friend of mine is a carer so he knows her. Im not sure if I should be keeping him out until he is more emotionally mature, or put him in and get him used to having other kids around. I dont want to make it worse.

[onthefly]

Again, I'm not sure about differences in other states, but in WA kindy is generally via the primary school. So if it's public it's free (essentially), or else you pay varying degrees of exorbitant private school fees.

He may just need a bit more time to find his feet socially

[Calluna]

I think it usually run through independant places or day care centres here. The one I was looking at was through C&K. Are they national?

[Indadhanu]

Kindy in QLD is that they need to be 4 by June 30 of the year they are enrolled. So he'll be eligible for the year after. Becuse he is so close you *could* push for early entry, which is sometimes but not always successful, but it really depends on his readiness, especially emotionally and socially. Plus even if you get in to Kindy early doesn't mean that a school will take him early so he may end up doing two years of kindy.

Also, kindy in QLD is 'pre-Prep', so the year before formal schooling. In a private kindy you can't claim CCB, and you can expect to pay around $100/fn for a 5-day fortnight, unless you have a HCC (in which case it is virtually free because of govt funded subsidies, as long as they meet the age requirements - under most circumstances the govt won't subsidise kindy for a younger or older child). In a CC you just pay normal CC fees and can claim CCB and CCR.

http://deta.qld.gov.au/earlychildhoo...ing-place.html

ETA: C&K are QLD only now.

[Heaven]

I wouldn't send him. I would prefer my child to be the oldest in the class rather than the youngest. Sounds like he would do well to wait another year, he doesn't meet the cut off anyway.

[Calluna]

Thanks for explaining it Indad. Its so confusing. I grew up in Vic so its all very different from what I experienced.

I wasnt going to make him go if hes not ready, I just wasnt sure what would be best for him given his social anxiety.

It sounds like waiting is the best bet.

[Frangipani Lou]

Calluna, I agree with you hon. If in doubt... It's a good idea to start the following year. I see so many children who are advantaged in kindergarten by being just a little bit older. Kinder teachers often use a saying borrowed from Kathy Walker( an early childhood lecturer/ educator) ' after all... What's the hurry?'
It sounds like your DS may feel a little reserved going to kindergarten regardless of when he starts. but by delaying his start to the following year he may have developed more strategies for managing this. It also gives you time to visit kindergartens and to meet the educators and to decide on the right place for your DS and your family and you will know the right place.. You've worked In the education and care sector :-)

[Floweryfields]

He won't be allowed to go anyway - one day is one day too many in Qld - C&K is Qld only btw. There are some rural centres that aren't full that run 3 year old kindy as well as 4 year olds however priority of access must be given to the child who is 4 by the 30th June. In Brisbane I imagine there would be no spare spots available.
If it's a C&K that is what they call 'kindy plus' so more of a LDC type scenario, then yes, you will get CCB and CCR. You will also qualify for a reduction of costs if you have a health care card as an incentive from the QLD govt to have access to kindy for all children.
Again, this only applies for the following year.
He will also only be permitted to go to prep the year he turns 6 - so he will start when he is already 5. Believe me, this is a very good thing for your son to be one of the oldest in the group and it will do him no harm to wait another year.

[forshelby]

Having had experience with a bad daycare centre - you simply move him to another one. I struggled with this for a long time until I realised it was better to put him through the change of scenery than to worry about his welfare every day.

[Rach75]

although I think you got the answer most proper kidnys' not daycare kindys he is eligible for 2014 start prep 2015 ... Luke is pct 09 he is down for 2014 ABW if places dotn fill he will get called up next year to fill and get a extra year YAY!! but thats because our kindys takes pre-bookings years in a advance

[Calluna]

Thanks everyone! I'll have to remember to look for this thread when I start looking next year!