Until recently we were planning a gap year for when DD can go to 4 year old kinder 2014. However due to new job for DH and financial reasons we won't - DD childcare does kinder program
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Until recently we were planning a gap year for when DD can go to 4 year old kinder 2014. However due to new job for DH and financial reasons we won't - DD childcare does kinder program
Sorry DS hit send too early. So Daycare has kinder room but wonder what benefits there might be if any to attending separate kinder - I will be working but there may be ones with long hours twice a week which could work around. Are there big general differences between how they run. She is already in kinder room ( I suppose part of me thinks she will be bored of it by 2014) and would most likely need to be at childcare at least one other day on top of two kinder days.
We have found that when we made the switch (pulled her out of daycare combined kinder due to moving OS for 7 months) to straight kinder that it just wasnt enough interaction for her age ITMS. BUT, she is a very interactive and eager kid that loves the structure of those sort of environments, so it will depend on your own kidlet I guess. I wish that we had of opted to just re-enrol her in the long daycare with kinder for 2 days rather than the 3 half days...also a REAL PITA imho of dropping off and not being able to really go too far or plan anything major for the day if you have to be back there in time to pick up. but that is lifestyle consideration and nothing more.
I opted to keep DD1 in childcare but also send her to our local kinder. So on Mondays, she goes to kinder in the morning and childcare in the arvo (which has a kinder program), same on Thursdays. On Tuesdays she goes to kinder in the morning.
So a lot of dropping off and picking up but both are literally a 5 min drive from us and 2 minutes between the two of them, so no great hassle.
Last year, the kinder program run by childcare looked like a complete schermozzle. Lots of kids, not much structure, just didn't look well-run at all. That's why I wanted her to do the kinder at the local kindergarten too PLUS I wanted to take the opportunity to get to know other mums in the area.
Since then, childcare kindy has really upped its game. It's now very well structured, there are fewer children and overall, I'm quite happy with it.
However, DD much prefers kinder at kindergarten. Not sure why. I think because she thinks of it as a 'proper' kindergarten because there's no babies there, there are teachers and it all feels a bit more grown up. Plus, no rest time. She hates rest time.
I should also add, that our local kindergarten has a very good reputation, the newest teacher has been there for 15 years and I almost burst into tears the first time I went in because it was all just so lovely (not so much the building as the vibe).
And yes, I pay for full days at childcare even though she's doing half days. There's another childcare centre in town that doesn't run a specialised kinder program so will take transfer kids to and from the local kindergarten in their minibus and only charge you for half-days.
I have been to info sessions on both and both openly said no major difference all follow same early years framework. DS1 is in kinder room at CC this year and will be hopefully there next year 2 days a week and will do sessional kinder 2 or 3 sessions a week of 3.75 hours. Main reason for me wanting to do sessional kinder is because its close to school he will be going too 10 min walk from home and our CC is a 20 min drive away.
Bonus of CC is that doesnt stop for school term holidays so if you are working makes it no hassle.
Oooh yes, that's a good point feeb about school holidays.
I guess one thing I've noticed is that DD brings much more stuff home from council kinder rather than childcare kinder. And they seem to have much more variety in what they're doing craft-wise. At childcare kinder they seem to have the same sort of stuff on the tables each time. So they may have to tick the boxes in the curriculum but maybe are more creative about what they get the kids to do.
We took DS1 out of daycare at the beginning of the year, and into a sessional kinder program and it's been the best thing I could have done for him, even though we had been perfectly happy with the daycare environment. One of the big differences for us was the size of the kinder room and beautiful outdoor playing area, compared to a fairly cramped daycare setup. Because it's a 4yo kinder group the activities and equipment are clearly set up for this older age group, whereas at daycare the outdoor area was shared with 3yo kinder kids, so the climbing equipment scaled back accordingly. I know that many of his friends that are still at daycare are bored whereas the kinder kids are ready for school, but not bored with the whole environment, if that makes sense. I've also found a huge difference in the quality of teaching, which is maybe pot luck, and definitely not saying that you won't get good teachers in daycare set up, it's just that that's how it been in our neck of the woods. It's another of the conundrums of parenting though - there's no one way that's right, you just have to work out where your child fits best, and what works for you as a family.
Mmm I forgot about school holidays and as I will fingers crossed be working it would only be ones that do either 2.5 days or two long days that could make work.
I know at our CC they tend to keep stuff they do and it goes in a folio you can look at whenever (I hardly ever look at unless is parents evening if an honest) rather then send stuff home every day.
One of my reasons is also about meeting others who will go to same school a few from daycare are this year.
Childcare is much more expensive than a sessional kinder program where I live. $100 a day per child for Childcare compared to $260 per term for sessional kinder.
Thanks for that perspective too bhoys girl - at our daycare 3 and 4 are in same room all the time and if the 3 year olds want often do the same e.g show and tell is normally for the 4 year old apparently but if the little ones pester can do too so I am concerned with boredom for DD having a very similar program for the next over 2 years.
That being said seems like difficult to get in to 4 year old kinder if not been at the 3 year old and I expect the long day programs will be in demand
Yes that is same but CC can be 0700 - 1800 where as our kinder is 4 sessions a week of 3.75 hrs 2 mornings and 2 arvos so doesnt help people who are working.:
For us LDC works out considerably cheaper, plus they get fed and both kids can go to the same place.
I love our LDC centre, but it is brand new so that probably helps - the local pre schools are pretty old.
A hard decision and you still tend to wonder if you made the right one!
Both my boys are in CC 1 day a week currently and where there rooms have set themes for a few weeks such as space, dinosaurs, Australian animals etc they still change the other things in room regularly for extra activities. The out door area is great and varys they also have a vegi and herb garden that they all help care for. Yes 3 rooms use same out door area but the older kids are never bored as they change things around and bring extra things out for a change.
DD does both. She had been to the same daycare for a while and moved up the rooms and I wanted her to go somewhere where she wasn't in her 'comfort zone'. She's also going to a primary school that no-one from day care was going to be going to so going to preschool has allowed her to meet a few that she will be off to school with next year..
I haven't noticed much of a difference between the two curriculum wise - both use the early learning framework. Cost wise are the same for us (after we get tax rebate for cc). Main difference is preschool has much better play area, shorter hours (9-3) and is only term time (although DH is a teacher so DD doesn't do child care in holidays anyway).
I think it would really come down to what your options are in your area. Also how the shorter days can fit around with working - if they only do a half day, that is just really hard.
If the kinder is attached to the school she will be going to there is a good chance that they will do transition activities. DS's school bought them over to assembly towards the end of the year and they had 'playdates' with the kids that were going to be their year 5 buddies the next year and classroom visits where they went to the kinder classrooms for a few hours and met the teachers and a library visit as well. Also they started kindy with friendships already in place from the year before.
Also they were familiar with the second language because one of the teachers from the school did language activities with them once a week.
Went through the same issue with DD2. For us:
CC was the most convenient with hours and the fact it is open during the school holidays. Some of the children there will be going to the same school as DD2 (but not as many as the kinder)
Kinder has an integration program with the local primary where DD1 currently goes (so therefore so will DD2). Over half the children end up going to the local primary school, so she can make friendships that will continue on (so important here in a smaller community, much harder for newer kids to fit in).
We have chosen a combo of both due to my work hours, childcare will be on off kinder days with one combo day. Kinder has after kinder care for 2 of the 3 sessions (hence the 1 combo day)
For me the integration and the social side of kinder was more important than the difference in learning between a stand alone kinder and a kinder/childcare program.
I did cc kinder for dd1 this year, it was great with three kids and shorter hours sessional kinder wouldn't have worked. However now the hours have increased and I have one at school dd2 is going to a community kinder. Cc have changed the centre and we haven't been happy so was lucky to find a place pretty quickly last minute. It will be cheaper as I will drop in ccr and ccb with one at school and an income increase.
Thanks for all the replies, I only really know mums from my area who already have kinder age kids from playgroup and I get the impression they don't think a lot of CC based kinder, but no doubt that is a reflection of where I live but I am not really representative of the income levels of this area, so my considerations are rather different. Happy to hear many happy with CC based kinder - I need to look at some independent kinders I think.
There isn't one for the school, but maybe there is one closely linked - need to look into it. Actually I need to find someone who sends there children to that school - it is at the bottom of the road so you would think would be easy. Any ideas how to meet someone - hanging round school gates seems a bit weird doesn't it?
Call the school. They will now if there is a "feeder" kinder. I know when I rang our school of choice that stated that children who went to xx kinder were accepted to the school.
We are doing sessional kinder because ill be home on mat leave but our catchment has upped kinder hours, you can do 10, 12 or 15 hours so dd is doing 2 days 8.30 till 4 :) very very happy about that!!
I find that there is more variety at sessional kinder, dd is in kinder at cc at the moment and a close friend is sessional, they have mums day lunches and excursions and more people visit (fire fighters etc) and concerts and different crafts and learning programs so I must admit I'm really looking forward to all that next year :). Dd on the other hand, well its just childcare to me. I don't get to see work she has done unless its up so they only way I know she is making progress is when she is at home sounding out letters that we haven't learnt together yet or things like that.
I suppose that is something else to consider if I get her into a kinder will be while I am working so not sure lots of stuff involving me especially if is working hours will be a positive in my situation.
None of the schools in our area have preschools attached. The schools all do orientation days in Term 4 where the new ones can come and try out for a few hours.
We do a combo of both due to work - so DD2 will do 1 long day at cc, one long day at kinder and then 2 half days (these will be on my days at home). TBH we considered sticking with the cc alone as it is alot more straightforward but as there are 3 + 4 yo in the cc program and the staff are covering all day I have found a very different atmosphete there. Now lots of people take hols in the school hols so DD2 will go to cc in the term break on those days.
Things that helped DD1 transition to prep were related to the difference kinder afforded us, so bringing lunch and eating it out of a lunchbox, toileting only semi supervised, outings and excursions etc. It would be easier and cheaper to do cc, certainly I feel like at the start of the year it will be a big stretch for DD2 but will help with school preparation.HTH