Hi, Just wondering how your kindergarten is going to implement the 15hours min that comes in next year?
Our kinder currently runs 2 4yr old groups only with one teacher and one assistant…
They only have one room so it is going to be a bit of a juggle on how they are going to do it?
Is your kinder in a similar situation and how will they deal with it??
thanks

DS1's old school already does a 3 day week for kindy.

Our current school did 3 days last year, but this year kindy enrolments are up and they are doing a 5-day fortnight. DS2 goes on Thurs/Fri and every second Wed. The other group is Mon/Tues and the alternating Wed.
ETA: this option was decided after surveying the incoming kindy parents and holding a meeting. The alternative was 2 full days and one half-day per week.

R

Ours has two rooms. In one room there are 2 classes, in the other there is one. The preschool runs a five day fortnight, so three days one week and two the other.

So my boy goes full days Mon, Tues, Wed one week and then Mon, Tues the other. My friends son goes the Thur, Fri one week and then Wed, Thur, Fri, the next.

Ours is dreadful. Its broken up in Group A and Group B and here are the times

Group A
Monday 8.30-11.30
Tuesday 8.30-3.00
Wednesday 8.30-11.30
Friday 8.30-11.30

Group B
The afternoons with all day Thursday

This means that we are at kindy 4 days of the week and have to use childcare (and pay for the whole day) to be able to continue working. Only 3 terms to go

15 hours was implented this year for us (WA)

1 kindy class and 2 groups with 20 kids each. Each group has a different teacher.

Group 1

Monday morning 8.30 - 11.30 (I think)
Wednesday all day 8.30 -2.30 (early close on wednesdays)
Friday all day 8.30 - 2.50

Group 2 (DS class)

Monday Afternoon 12.10 - 2.50
Tuesday all day 8.30 -2.50
Thursday all day 8.30 -2.50

Other schools is the area also do a 3day/2day fortnight and local catholic school just does 3 days a week (but 29 kids and only 1 class) Also another school is doing 2 days term 1& 2 and 3 days term 3&4.

Our 4 year old classes already do 3 days so 18 hours. The 3 year olds go the other 2 days. We have two classrooms and each class has 1 teacher and 2 assistants with 20 kids.

We already have 15 hours. They have a 5 day fortnight (mon, Wed, fri one week, then tues and thurs the next.)
There are 2.5 classes as one is a K/PP
The main teacher does Mon-thurday with a different one doing every Friday. There is also a third teacher than floats around doing relief days in the junior section. The assistant seems to be there every day, but I think she does 2 half days in there.

Im in WA so Kindy is 4/5 year olds.

Ours has two rooms. There are four classes. The preschool runs a five day fortnight, so three days one week and two the other.

So my DD goes full days Mon, Tues, Wed one week and then Mon, Tues the other. My friends DD goes the Thur, Fri one week and then Wed, Thur, Fri, the next.

In WA where kindergarten is almost always at the school most schools are doing either 2 full days plus 1 half day OR 3 days one week and 2 days the next.

It is complicated by the fact that kindergarten and pre-primary teachers only do 4 days contact a week and 1 day non-contact. This is stipulated in their award. This worked well when kids did 2 full days.

My son will start in a british curriculum school in September. He will be almost 4 - it's straight up 5 days. 7.30 - 12.30 so 25 hours a week. He will be almost the oldest in the class, so some kids will be just 3 years old and going 5 days a week. Then the following year it's 7.30 - 2.15 every day. Some kids obviously will be just turning 4 years old.....

We are trying to work out how to do it. I don't yet know whether it means we will reduce what we can offer to the three year olds or not. As it stands, it is impossible to keep up the current hours for three year olds as well as implement the 15 hours for four year olds.

I should add that we are a single room premises, so there's physically not enough room for us to make the change without something suffering.

Does anyone have links to info on this? Does this mean you MUST send your child 15hrs? Is there any subsidy on fees?

What state are you in?

The government is mandating that four year old children have access to 15 hours of kindergarten a week. They will pay subsidised fees for this, and the end result should be not too much different from whatever you're paying now to your provider. However, in practice, it's hard to say how it will work.

But it's like school if I'm right, if you're sending the child to the kindergarten, yes, you should be sending them for the whole program, whether that be 15 hours, 18 hours etc.

I'm in NSW. The kindergarten I looked at for my son is $53 a day with no rebates! 15 hrs would mean 3 days shchi is over $150 a week. I think there are likely to be many people out there who cannot afford this. It is a cummunity KU centre of average price in our area. The only alternative is a long day care centre with a preschool program. This works out at about $25 a day.

I just can't see how this is going to work at all. In NSW there is already a massive shortage of preschool places and demand already can't be met. Fees are not subsidised and preschool is $45-$55 per day (over $5000 per year). If the govt wants more children in preschool, where are the places going to come from? And where will the money come from for the subsidy that will be necessary to make preschool affordable for all those that would like to access it?

In Victoria at least, four year old kindergarten is subsidised, but three year old isn't. So it's a choice as to whether you want to send your child to both or just one year of kindergarten.

My kinder charges around $250 per term, or $1000 per year. That's hard enough, but it's not helping the kinder much, they get very little funding from anyone other than the parents.

It's well known that the idea of 15 hours for four year olds, while admirable, is just not practical for some kinders, without sacrificing their three year old programs. No-one wants to see the three year olds suffer, as that year is so beneficial to them, and obviously helps them to adjust to the four year old program the following year.

http://www.deewr.gov.au/Earlychildhood/Pol...Pages/home.aspx

This is the basic premise of Universal Access and provides links to your state body for more information.

This was implemented at our school last year. Our school has 3 Kindy classes. 2 of the classes have the same teacher, and the other class have a different one.

Kindy 1 & 3: Full Days Mon, Wed & Every 2nd Friday (different teacher on Fridays)
Kindy 2: Full Days Tues, Thurs & opposite Friday (different teacher on Friday).

We have a daycare centre attached to our school and they offer care for the Friday that the kids aren't at school so parents only need to pay for the day they use as opposed to every Friday.

It seems to be working well.

Wow are you in Sydney? Heaps of my friends have kids (mostly 3 year olds or younger 4s) who missed out on spots and are on the waiting lists here and would be prepared to travel for a spot in a preschool rather than use daycare. We are in the Hills District.

I do get the tiny amount of CCB on offer but it is just so little I don't think it does anything to address affordability and I wouldn't call it a subsidy, it is nothing like they have in other states where preschool is so much cheaper - $250 per term as a PP mentioned must be under $10 per day! I don't think the CCB I get (which is the full amount you can get as I work) even reduces fees by $2 a day (from the $46 I pay!).

Oh I think I might know which ones you mean, I heard you couldn't go there unless you lived in the council area as they are run by the council? I didn't look into it myself though as my DS luckily did get a spot, phew

Yeah don't bother rushing on claiming the money, I couldn't believe how little I got back after the sheer volume of paperwork they made me fill in for it

Very interesting thread. Our kindergarten will be offering this next year and I have no idea how it will work.

There is no possible way, I could juggle 4 half days....that is a worry.

I hope someone has suggested the 5 day fortnight at our kinder, that at least seems manageable.
For those that do the 5 day fortnight, what hours do they go?

Our school bought it in this year. With the money the schools got given they built a couple of extra rooms so now they have 2 rooms for Kinder If they hadn't been able to do that I don't know what would have happened!

ETA: We don't have 3yo Kinder in Tas

For those living in Victoria, you should definitely find out more information from the Victoria department of eduacation and early childhood development.

They have recently stated that kinders do not need to enforce 15 hours for 4 year old groups, if it has a detrimental effect on 3 year old classes- if it means the kinder needs to cut any 3 year old classes.

Do you have a link? I haven't heard that and I'm involved in the committee, trying to figure it out for ours.

Ours has been doing it for a couple of years now.
They have 4 kinder groups.
2 lots go Mon, Thurs and alternate Wednesdays.
2 lots go Tues, Fri and alternate Wednesdays.
So one week is a 2 day week, the other is a 3 day week.
Wednesdays are rostered with temp/part-time teachers.

Our kinder has always had 2 classrooms. But it has been getting a bit tight lately with enrolments usually at around 80 kids.

It is always nearly second term by the time I get the hang of which Wednesday is our 'on' day.

I haven't got a link but a letter should be coming out of the decd very soon. Our kinder received a letter and we will not be giving 15 hrs to 4 year olds next year but 12. I suggest you contact the department . I really don't understand why they have publicised it more.

Our kinder implemented 15 hours this year. It is a single room kindergarten and runs 2, 4 year old groups and 1, 3 year old group.

Monday morning is 3 yr old group

Tues - Thurs 8.30 to 4pm. group A.

Wed - Fri *.30 to 4pm. Group B.

Alll is going well so far and it seems so work wonderfully for the working parents.

I am a kindergarten teacher working a centre that also provides a Long Day Early Learning program.

we have one room that offers a sessional kindergarten program with two groups of 4 year olds each going two days and a 3 year old kindergarten program (however this program is only run for 2.5 hours a week and for the cost families would be better off sending thier child to the Long Day Early learning program)

Then we offer a kindergarten program in our Long day early learning program a room of 3-5 year olds, I teach 5 days a week from 8.00am - 1pm, parents can then choose three days a week (any days that they like) and this covers the 15 hours! Then children can stay on for the afternoon and are charged for an afternoon place in the Long Day Early learning program. Meaning that working parents do not have to find someone to pick up thier child in the middle of the day.

With all the changes to the Early Learning Curriculums in Victoria this year we are in the exciting postition to say that the 'Kindergarten' and 'Day care' programs are the same, the new early learning frameworks do not distinguish between the curriculums offered in 'kindergarten or 'daycare', teachers all work within the same frameworks no matter what age or stage you work with...

While challenging and confusing to explain.... Due to many kindergartens running the same program time for the last 20 years.... and the need to chage the perceptions and understanding of a community...I think it is very exciting and great that children no matter where they go and what hours they do will all be part of a wonderful curriculum.

They are likely to do 5 hours over three days. The kids won't be in groups so the kids will be mixed across days. i.e. parents will be able to choose which three days they prefer, with some getting their preferences and others getting whatever days are available.
Our kinder is actually a long day care centre but the kinder teacher only works in the room currently for 6 hours per day, 5 days per week, and most kids are only offered 2 days to start with, though quite a few children already enrolled in the centre previously were getting three anyway- so up til now most kids have had two days of kinder - 12 hours over the two days.
The upshot is that fewer places will be offered as each child will have to do three days.

In the ACT our 4yo preschool already offers 15 hr programs, on a 5 day fortnight, 9-3 normal school hours. Each room has 2 groups, MT/MTW or WTF/TF. It is fully subsidised ie no compulsory fees at all, $200 voluntary contribution per year.

Our kindy is 9-3 Mon/Wed and 12 - 3 Fri or 9-3 Tue/Thu and 9-12 Fri.

In Vic here.

Our Kindy used to have 3 x 3yo classes (1 day a week) and 3 x 4yo classes (2 x 2 days and 1 x 3 days).

They have cut out one of the 3yo classes so now only have 2 x 3yo classes and 3 x 4yo classes (2 x 3 days and 1 x 2 days). 4yo hours 8.30am -3pm.

I don't know what the mix will be like next year.

Oh yeah, our fees are $720 per term for Kinder - community run (so looking forward to DS2 joining DS1 at school as fees are only $125 per term for extra children in the family).

I'm in VIC.

My DD's Kinder implemented a trial class consisting of 15 hours per week this year. The Kinder has 2 x 4 yo classes, 1 room, 2 x full-time Kinder teachers, and 1 x assistance. They also have a 3 yo group.

Last year (my other DD went to this Kinder) was only 11.25 hours per week over 3 days with the same teachers, but 3 x 4 yo groups and no 3 yo groups.

My DD's hours this year are:

Mon - 8.30 - 12.00
Wed - 8.30 - 2.15
Fri - 8.30 - 2.15

In regards to costs, last year there was no cost to Health Care Card and Pension Card holders. This year you pay the gap, so it cost me $30 for first term, and $80 for 2nd term. I pay for the extra regardless. DD doesn't go on Mondays, as I have no-one to drop her off or pick her up, so she is in long day care instead.

Our kinder changed this year. We only have one kinder room (although vbery large) and two calsses. Both classes attend now on a Wednesday with 2x teachers and 2x teachers aids. Our kinders are all attached to schools here so they get around a big class by having all their specialist subjects (PE, Music, Drama, Library) on this day.

Kinder here is just like school, "free" in the public system and your local school must have a spot for you, fee paying in the private system. We pay just over $1000 a year at our catholic school. But, as out kindergarden is a regostered childcarer, part of that fee is subject to CCR and CCB.

I posted this question the other day, and I thought I would run it past again, our centre is introducing this next year being 3 days of 5hrs per day.
I work 2days as it is and I am thinking if my son is in childcare 2days a week and then kinder 3 days a week he will be exhausted. ( I was hoping the 15hrs could be 2days a week and then he would have a day off )
Does anyone know if its possible that he can do 2 days at kinder (so 10hrs ) and then when he goes to childcare he can do the kinder programme there. Am I paying more or how would that work or can he just do 10hrs of kinder and still do the normal childcare 2daysa week and I pay normal childcare fees..
I am,guessing some of you will say its not fare on a child who may be able to go to kinder 3days a week and I may be taking there position ..

You've answered your own question really, it's not fair to the kinder to cut the hours that your child attends, and not be able to make up that funding with another child (as no-one's going to send their child for just 5 hours). So alternatively, you pay the full amount, and don't send your child one of the days (but do explain to the teacher what you're doing).

Our kinder makes almost no money, and we certainly can't afford to get even less. The only way we manage to survive is through fundraising, so every little bit helps.