Kindergarten and Kindy in Eagleby
Kindy and kindergarten mean the same thing in Queensland. At Natural Elements Early Learning in Eagleby, it is an approved kindergarten program delivered inside our long day care centre, so your child gets the program and you get the hours that suit your week.
Is your child old enough for kindy?
In Queensland, children attend an approved kindergarten program in the year before they start school.
Generally that means your child turns four by 30 June in the year they attend kindy, and starts Prep the following year. Age cut offs and funding rules are set by the Queensland Government and can change, so check the current guidance at qld.gov.au, or call us and we will check your child's birth date with you.
If your child just misses the cut off, our Pre-Kindy program covers the year before, so there is no gap in their learning.
Approved kindergarten program
Our program is a Queensland Government approved kindergarten program, led by a university qualified early childhood teacher and guided by the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline alongside the Early Years Learning Framework.
What Free Kindy covers, and what it does not
The funded kindergarten program
Queensland's Free Kindy funding covers the approved kindergarten program hours for eligible children. There is nothing for eligible families to pay for those program hours.
Hours beyond the program
Because kindy runs inside long day care here, any hours your child attends outside the funded program are part of your normal long day care arrangement, with Child Care Subsidy applied. Call us and we will talk you through how this works for the days you need.
What the year actually looks like
Play based learning with intentional teaching, so children build real skills without losing the joy of being four.
Early literacy and numeracy
Stories, rhyme, mark making, name writing, counting, sorting and measuring, woven through play rather than worksheets.
Bush Kinder and the garden
Time outdoors in the gardens, digging patches and natural play spaces, where children take safe risks and learn to care for living things.
Getting along with others
Group time, turn taking, resolving disagreements and building the friendships that make the first day of Prep feel far less daunting.
Creative and physical experiences
Art, music and movement, yoga, sports and dance. Children in our kindergarten program also attend swimming lessons free of charge.
Ready for Prep, not just old enough for it
Our school readiness program builds the things Prep teachers notice first: listening, persistence, self help skills, managing big feelings and the confidence to have a go.
We run a school transition program through the year and provide a transition statement for your child's school, so their teacher starts the year already knowing something about them.
Days, sessions and availability
We are open 6:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday to Friday, so kindy fits around work rather than the other way around. Available days change through the year, so call us on (07) 3807 4966 or book a tour and we will tell you exactly what is open for your child's age group.
Kindergarten questions
When is my child eligible for kindergarten in Queensland?
In Queensland, children can attend an approved kindergarten program in the year before they start school, which generally means they turn four by 30 June in the year they attend. Check the current rules on the Queensland Government website at qld.gov.au, or call us on (07) 3807 4966 and we will check your child's birth date with you.
Do you offer a government approved kindergarten program?
Yes. Our Kindergarten program is a Queensland Government approved kindy program delivered by university qualified early childhood teachers, and eligible families can access Free Kindy funding.
Is your kindergarten program free?
Queensland's Free Kindy funding covers the approved kindergarten program hours for eligible children in the year before school. Because our kindergarten program runs inside long day care, any hours your child attends beyond the funded kindergarten program are part of your normal long day care arrangement, with Child Care Subsidy applied. Current eligibility and funding details are published by the Queensland Government at qld.gov.au. Speak with us about how it works out across the days you need.
How do you prepare children for school?
Our school readiness program builds the skills prep teachers look for: early literacy and numeracy, self help skills, resilience, listening and the confidence to have a go. We also run a school transition program and provide transition statements for your child's school.
What curriculum do you follow?
We follow the Early Years Learning Framework and the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline, delivered through play based, child led learning with intentional teaching from our educators.
What extra programs are included?
Bush Kinder, yoga, sports, dance, music and movement, a gardening program and a First Nations cultural program are included at no extra cost. Swimming lessons are provided free of charge for children in our kindergarten program. Ask us which experiences apply to your child's age group and days.
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Come and feel the difference at Eagleby.
Book a private tour with our Centre Directors and see how nature, play and care come together in every room.
