What age do they go to kindy?

Hey Anna,

Funny you mention kindy. I went and had a look at our local kindergarten last week. They start taking children from 3 years of age and they have 3 afternoon sessions per week running from 1:00 - 3:30 pm. Apparently they have two classes - one in the mornings for the slightly older kids and the younger children in the afternoon. I was given an enrolment pack and was told that I could already start filling in forms etc and send back.

Well our 2 year old just started kindy last week (she will be 3 at the end of december) They usually start from 3 but they had places and because Jayde always comes with me when im on parent help with lissy they asked if she would like to start. Cant beleive my baby is going to kindy already.

our afternoonies go for 3 days a week 12.45 till 3.15 mon, tue, thurs

Kindy vs daycare.... kindy is about 30 kids all the same age and everything their is aimed at their agegroup.... Daycare mixed range of kids usally 0-5 usually have a higer ratio of carers to children.

my2angels wrote: Kindy is much cheaper than preschool but i dont think the teachers are necessarily qualified, there is more parent involvement, its limited hours and generally free play rather than structure like preschool.

the teachers do have to be qualified! You cant work in early childhood now without having qualifications.

The do encourage parent involvement but it isnt necessary.

The afternoon sessions are more free play based but when they go to the morning sessions it is more structured and leaning towards getting the kids ready for school.

I dont believe it is a kindys job to "teach" our children but more to encourage them to learn through play and also modelling and encouraging good interactions and behaviours.

It is best to enrol them in kindy about 2 yrs old and every kindy is different as to when they can take them depending on location (some country kindys i know of take kids as young as 2) and how many are already attending and how many on their roll. One of the kindys in my area is so popular they generally cant take the kids till they are almost 4!    

my2angels wrote: GandT wrote: my2angels wrote: Kindy is much cheaper than preschool but i dont think the teachers are necessarily qualified, there is more parent involvement, its limited hours and generally free play rather than structure like preschool. the teachers do have to be qualified! You cant work in early childhood now without having qualifications. But isnt the ratio of qualified teachers to children different? I know for example at my neices kindy the other day there was a notice on the board that they were having school visits the next day and needed 2 parents to stay at kindy with one of the teachers. And I know that at daycare they have relievers that arent qualified.

i dont think they are supposed to do that. If i knew my kids were being looked after at kindy by parents i would be talking to the kindergarten association. I know that a few years back the rules for kindy etc workers changed and that you had to be qualified. I'm pretty sure the only time parents are asked to help out at kindy is if they are going on trips and request parent helpers.

most places have fully qualified staff - or astaff that are on their way. by 2008 I thihnk it is, all staff in all schools, primary, secondary and early childhood must be fully qualified - before this you could get a LAT (limited ability to teach) which meant if you had certain qualificaions but NOT a teaching diploma you could still be in a school. my japanese teacher had a LAT.

Daycare - small ratios - usally 1 teacher to 6 children or smaller (our saycare has a ratio of 1 - 3 with babies and 1 - 4 with toddlers and 1 - 6 with the preschool), longer hours 7.30 - 5.30pm, have to have a licence to run the daycare, usually privately run, usually hourly fee. Centres usually have an "under 2's" and "over 2's" area - Andrew's one has a nursery (birth - 2 1/2) and a preschool (2 - 5) and he moved from the nursery at 2 and 10 months. Set times for meals. Meals are usually provided. Not all do this but have an extention programme for 4 years old.

Kindy - larger ratios - usally 1 teacher to 15 children (45 children at each session), shorter sessional sessions, come under a kindergarten association in the area, usually sessional fee, like to have parent help at each session - usually done as a roster, a lot more parental imput with the "PTA" so you are more likely to be asked to be on the commitee. Sessions are done on age. Children can usually snack when they want. You usually have to provide food for your child

All teachers have to have an early childhood education qualification to teach in either a kindy or daycare. By 2008 a teacher has to have a Bachelors degree to get the new pay rate, if they have a Diploma then they can do further training to be up to the bachelors degree level to be on the same pay scale. The experience of a teacher no longer means anything. Both can (if the centre has taken it up) have the 20 hours free early childhood education.

I'm in the process of studying early/primary education so am learning a lot about all of this, and a lot of the study I did with my early childhood certificate was comparing daycare, play centre, kindy etc. If you want I can try and hunt it out and send it to you.

Does Kindy still operate terms similar to the primary school ones, with breaks for holidays?

Plus in some areas there are also Private Kindys that take children as long as they are toilet trained and are agian more expensive than public kindys,
Private Kindys also are more structured out here where I live the kids dont get into the public kindys until closer to 4 but there are two kindys where they are getting in at 3 and a bit