Ready, Set, School!
If your child is going to school in the next few years, Only About Children can help them (and you) prepare in the best way possible.
BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE
Starting school is a huge step in your little learner’s life and a quality school readiness program can help ensure that your child is prepared for “big school.”
A great program will prepare them physically, mentally, socially and emotionally for the transition, and whether your child is confident, cautious or uncommitted, Only About Children’s school readiness program is definitely worth a look.
Only About Children (aka ‘OAC) understands that school readiness is more than whether a child can hold a pencil or count to 11.
Instead, they think of school readiness as left brain logic, right brain creativity, health and social development, as this approach provides the best opportunities to prepare children for the transition from preschool to primary school.
For OAC, school readiness is about building a connection between home, preschool/kindergarten and big school, and to learn how they do this (and what government funding applies), we’ve spoken with Angela Ngavaine, Head of Education and Quality at Only About Children.
Angela explains that OAC’s school readiness program is offered over two years, and its focus isn’t just on education.
She says, “Our holistic approach encompasses education, health, social development and the total wellbeing of every child to ensure that they are ready for school, and the program involves a mixture of structured and non-structured play-based learning experiences. This means nothing is left to chance, but everything stays fun, because we know that play is all-important in early learning.”
Groups are small to ensure every child gets the time and attention they need, and an intentional teaching approach means that educators use lots of active strategies, like demonstrating, open questioning, shared thinking and problem-solving to promote creativity and critical thinking (honing in on that left brain, right brain dynamic).
OAC’s school readiness program runs from 9am to 3pm to mimic the school day – whilst offering extended hours for working parents either side.
The 7am to 9am and 3pm to 6pm sessions are a time for socialisation, snacking and child-led play, and from 9am to 3pm, preschoolers spend their day in a calm and predictable learning environment like school, following their ’Grow‘ Curriculum.
Throughout the year, OAC also offers special events and information to ensure preschoolers – and parents – are amazingly prepared for school.
An OAC campus might celebrate Lunchbox Week, to give preschoolers lots of practise opening, closing and eating from their containers, and Uniform Week is always popular because preschoolers get to rock up in their sparkly new school uniforms!
Campuses also have excellent connections with their local schools, and there are opportunities for children to meet teachers and tour the facilities, which gives them a great sense of what’s to come, even if they end up at another school.
There’s also lots of information and support available for parents.
Angela says, “Families receive bi-annual updates on their preschooler’s learning, and they’re offered school readiness information sessions, resources and webinars which are run by our Education and Health teams and leading industry childhood experts.”
OAC offers complimentary Vision Screening to ensure children’s eyes are ready for school, and because age rules mean some children can start school one year or the next, OAC is on hand to help parents make the right decision.
Head of Health, Anna McCauley says, “Our Health Team of Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists and Dietitians can provide a comprehensive School Readiness Assessment to help parents decide whether it’s better for their child to be ‘young’ or ‘old’ for their year.”
We’re also happy to report that government funding applies in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland to bring preschool/kindy fees down.
In Victoria, Free Kinder funding covers 15 hours of kinder per week for three- and four-year-olds.
This saves Victorian families up to $2,500 per child, per year, and all of OAC’s Melbourne campuses participate in Free Kinder.
In New South Wales, the Start Strong preschool program ensures that every child can participate in at least 600 hours per year of quality preschool, and OAC’s Sydney campuses are all participating in Start Strong.
In dollar terms, this means the NSW government pays up to $2,110 per child for four- and five-year-olds enrolled in a long day care preschool program; and in 2024, there’s $500 worth of fee relief for three-year-olds enrolled in this kind of program.
Queensland is also getting more generous with its kindy funding.
The QLD government currently subsidises kindy for a lot of families, and from 1 January 2024, kindergarten will be free for all eligible-aged children who attend a kindergarten offering free kindy. This covers 15 hours per week of a kindy program, and OAC’s Brisbane campuses are all on board with government-funded kinder.
The Child Care Subsidy (paid by the Australian government) also helps to make early childhood education and care more affordable for a lot of families, and the best way to work out what preschool/kinder will cost you is to speak with your campus/centre directly.
Whichever school readiness program you choose, it’s important to find a place that nurtures your whole child, with a focus on social and emotional skills, as well as learning outcomes.
One or two years in a quality school readiness program will really build your child’s confidence and aptitude, so they can step into the classroom and playground in a positive way.
If you’re looking for a preschool/kinder program for next year (or the one after), KindiCare is the perfect place to start, and Only About Children could be a great place for your super excited, slightly nervous or totally ambivalent preschooler!
