Trying to get my head round school system in Victoria

[wysiwyg]

Thanks for all the responses - a bit to think about. My favorite idea at the moment though is just to not worry about 4 year old kinder and for us all to take a 9 month break and go on a mega trip back to the UK and round Europe - I think that would prob be a great education.

[BeautifulMadness]

confusing huh? lol...Ashy went to daycare form 3 yrs old....and it has helped to go into the kinder system....he is now 4 years old and off to kinder tomrrow....he does a 12 hr session...broken down into 4 days of 3 hrs.


andrew will be the same as ur DD....i have no problems with him being older when he goes to school....

its all just to help them get ready for school

[Snacks]

Not sure if the CC centres down there are like ours, but Natalie is attending a LDC centre and is in the Pre-school room where they run a government-regulated pre-school syllabus. It isn't mandatory yet but will be here as of next year. Even still, they have always run a kindergarten program, even for the 2-3yos (Natalie was taught numeracy, colours, shapes etc from the get-go!). So I consider Nat to be attending pre-school, even though the hours are longer than regular pre-schools. Phoebe by comparison is in the 'creche' room, where the focus is on creating as 'homey' an atmosphere as possible, even though they do already introduce the babies and toddlers to literacy and numeracy... the same way you would at home I guess.
Nat will have just turned 5 when she starts school (next year! EEEEEEEK!) but good ole Phoebs will be 5 and a half, just like CJ (to the date ).
If your CC is like mine, there's no reason to take her out of it. If she is happy and settled there and you are working and need the extra hours' care then why fix it when it ain't really broke?

[BeautifulMadness]

i agree

[wysiwyg]

I am sure will all be fine but was more that I hadn't really realized how long I will be paying for her to attend childcare! In my head once she hit 2 in May was only a couple more years still school started which would be five days a week 9-15:30(as it would be in the UK,(my mum thinks we should go back to UK for a year and then she can get at least a year of school in over there before coming back to school over here!! - she is assuming CJ will be like me and absolutely desperate to go to school, but maybe she will be more like DH)). Is partly because I want her to go to the school down the road which has a catchment area which we are in, but we are in a two bed, first floor flat with no garden and is highly unlikely we will be able to move within this area so I had figured we stay here till she starts school, and once she is in can move to the suburb along and she can still go to school there (the catchment area is pretty small would still be able to walk to school) and as she is already there Number 2 would get in there too. Hence the plan then to go round Europe for 8 months because we then escape the tiny flat for a while but is a good incentive to stay in it till then (will rent very easily while away).

I really had not appreciated how complicated it is working and sorting school in the beginning - I had never been to daycare or kinder or anything and went straight into full days at school everyone did - but it seems even when school starts it is a gradual start even though CJ might have been going to full days of daycare for ages. I will have number 2 about so might not be back full time when CJ starts school which will make it easier. I suppose this is where family support often helps with having someone else about who can help with pick up and drop offs etc.

[wysiwyg]

Amy - is the cut off also 30th April in NSW then? I was under the impression that was 31st July so CJ would get in earlier in NSW?

[HotI]

A friend's little girl is starting school this year in Vic. She is doing 9-3.30 Mon, tues, thurs, fri up until Labour Day (March?) and then starts at 5 days a week 9 - 3.30.

[Snacks]

Amy - is the cut off also 30th April in NSW then? I was under the impression that was 31st July so CJ would get in earlier in NSW?

Yes, as far as I'm aware our cutoff is 31 July. But I was one of the youngest in my school year with a birthday in April. It was ok I guess, but posed a few social problems in high school - they were all able to see 15+ movies before me. When we wanted to go out into the city my mum would always be concerned about whether to let me go just yet. My closest friend in the early years was 11 months older than me after all.
My decision to not send P to school at 4 is largely based on my experience of school. I really didn't enjoy it for the most part. I would like her to have the extra year under her belt to feel more confident both socially and academically.
I think the trend now is to hold kids back a bit. It certainly is with our MG - one of the boys wasn't going to start until he was 6! (They legally have to be enrolled in school by their 6th birthday.)
Yep, CC is expensive, but with the CCR it's really not that different to regular pre-school.