Kindergarten
Preparing your children for an excellent start to life
What is Kindergarten?
Kindergarten in Queensland is an early childhood education program that is play-based, teacher-delivered, and part-time. It is non-compulsory at this time and is a great introduction to learning prior to children starting Prep.
Quality Kindy is one of the key foundations of early childhood education. At First5Years, our Kindergarten Program has been developed to assist Emerald’s children to learn through play, to ensure their success in learning throughout their lives.
Who teaches Kindy?
Our Kindy Program is led by our Bachelor qualified Early Childhood Teachers in collaboration with
our Director, Educational Leader, and Assistant Educators. Each aspect of the program is developed in collaboration with the children and is entirely based on their interests. The framework we use for the Kindy program is the ‘Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines', which links to the ‘Early Years Learning Framework’. These frameworks were developed by ACEQCA: Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority.
How do I know if I’m eligible?
To be eligible to attend Kindergarten, your child must be 4 years of age by 30th June the year before they attend Prep. Children are only eligible to attend one Queensland Government Approved Program under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme (QKFS) to be eligible for government subsidies. Subsidies available include ‘Free Kindy’ and ‘Child Care Subsidy’.
What is Approved Kindy?
We are a Queensland Kindy Approved Provider, meaning we have been assessed and certified by the Queensland Government. This also means we provide an appropriate Kindy program for 15 hours
per week, 40 weeks of the year, with a suitably qualified Early Childhood Teacher. You can ensure a Kindy has Government approval by checking for the ‘Kindy Tick’ at the service.