The three-year-old and four-year-old programs are delivered by university-trained Early Childhood Teachers and Early Childhood Educators, who plan and deliver a developmentally appropriate program which caters for children’s individual needs, and reflects the teachers’ specialist knowledge of child development. This program is offered via an Emergent Curriculum.

Children at kindergarten have a sense of belonging to a particular group i.e. yellow, green, blue or red group. Children within a particular group feel secure in the fact that all children arrive and depart at the same time of the day. The friendships that are formed on one day are followed through on the next day of attendance.

Kindergarten programs are planned in order to meet the specific needs of three- to four-year-olds who attend three-year-old kindergarten programs and four to five-year-olds who attend four-year-old kindergarten programs.

Kindergartens are community-based which provides children with the opportunity to develop friendships with other children in your local area.

A child who has attended two years of a quality kindergarten program will, on average:

• have better cognitive, social and emotional skills when they start school (including better development in language, pre-reading, early number concepts, non-verbal reasoning, independence, concentration and social skills)
• have higher exam scores at 16, including better grades in English and maths
• have more developed social and emotional outcomes at age 16
• be more likely to take more final year exams and to go on to higher academic study.

(Reference: Sammons, P., Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Siraj, I., Taggart, B., Toth, K. & Smees, R. (2014). Effective Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education Project, Department for Education, United Kingdom)

Our three-year-old classes have a maximum of 22 children and are taught by an Early Childhood Teacher and an Early Childhood Educator. The four-year-old groups have a maximum of 28 children and are also taught by an Early Childhood Teacher and Early Childhood Educator. In long day sessions there is an extra Early Childhood Teacher present for part of the session to cover breaks for the other staff.

Our kindergarten is an incorporated association run by a volunteer committee of management. The committee is made up of eligible members: under our constitution this is defined as parents who have a child enrolled at the kindergarten or other relevant people that the committee may nominate for membership from time to time.

We do not receive any funding from the City of Boroondara; however, they do own our premises, which we lease for a nominal amount. Our central enrolment system is also run through the Boroondara council.

To attend three-year-old kindergarten your child must turn three prior to 30 April in the year of attendance.

Children cannot commence at the kindergarten until they have turned three years of age.

For four-year-old kindergarten, children must be four years of age by 30 April in the year they are attending the four-year-old program.

A few of the issues you might consider in this situation:

• Does your child still need a nap during the day?
• Are they toilet-trained?
• Can they communicate their needs easily to others?
• Are they able to follow instruction and comply with class routines and limits?

There is a growing trend to place children born between January and April into three-year-old kindergarten the year they turn four, so they attend four-year-old kindergarten the year they turn five and have a later school age entry.

The City of Boroondara produces an information sheet on preschool readiness that outlines some of the issues.

This is distributed by the Maternal Child Health Centres and copies are available at kindergartens. They also hold talks each year with experts to help guide you with this decision. You can talk to your health nurse, kindergarten teachers or the pre-school field officer for further assistance.

With the introduction of government funding to three-year-old kindergarten in 2022, children will be eligible for one year only, and as such there will not be an opportunity to repeat three-year-old kindergarten.

Further information can be found on the City of Boroondara website Repeating kindergarten

Four-year-old places are partially funded by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD).

To receive a repeat year of funding a child must exhibit at least two areas of developmental difficulties. The teacher must lodge a Declaration of Eligibility for a second year of funding during the year prior to the repeat year. You or your teacher may consult with the Preschool Field Officer from the City of Boroondara regarding eligibility for repeat funding application.

The Victorian Government’s ‘No Jab, No Play’ legislation came into effect in January 2016. This legislation aims to reduce the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases through increased immunisation rates in the community.

The legislation requires all children enrolling in early childhood education and care services to be up to date with their vaccinations or to have an approved exemption. This includes long day care, kindergarten, occasional care and family day care.

It is important to note that ‘conscientious objection’ is not an exemption.

For more information, see Department of Health and Human Services.

Additional information is sent with your enrolment pack, within the kindergarten’s enrolment policy documentation. Contact Boroondara Council or the kindergarten if you have further questions.

Part of the enrolment preference criteria is inclusive of a local residential zone.

Kindergarten Zone (both sides of streets are included in zone)

• Northern border – Whitehorse Road between Rochester Road and Barton Street
• Eastern border – Rochester Road
• Western border – Barton Street, Blackburn Street, Bedford Street and Union Road (between Bedford Street and Canterbury Road)
• Southern border – Canterbury Road between Rochester and Union Roads

Applications are welcomed from families living outside this zone.

Yes, you should. While preferences are given to those within the specified zone, there are usually still places available for those who live outside of our zone, and we would encourage you to apply regardless of where you live.

If you would like to read more about the kindergarten enrolment process and criteria, please go to our enrolments page where you will find a link to the Boroondara Kindergarten Central Enrolment Scheme (BKCES) website.

Canterbury and District Pre-school’s enrolments are managed through the Boroondara Kindergarten Central Enrolments Scheme (BKCES). Full details of the enrolment process including timelines and the application form can be found on the City of Boroondara website.

Enrolment enquiries should be directed to the BKCES on 9278 4444 or email kindergarten@boroondara.vic.gov.au

You may apply online: https://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/community-support/boroondara-families/kindergarten

Enrolment Security Deposit

As part of the enrolment process, a security deposit of $1000 per child will be required to secure your child’s position at CDPS. The deposit will be refundable in Term 1, but at your election, you may donate that amount as a voluntary contribution to CDPS (see above – Voluntary Contributions).

Yes. The kindergarten has adopted an anaphylaxis policy, no nuts policy and illness and injury policy which we adhere to. These outline our basic practices which we take very seriously.

Please consult our POLICY folder located at the kindergarten or speak to one of our staff in relation to your particular child’s situation. All of our kindergarten staff have current first aid training, as well as asthma and anaphylaxis training.

Each group has a parent duty roster and we hope parents (or another special person such as grandparent) can put their name down each term to attend and help out with sessions. This is a fantastic opportunity to see the group in session and the children love it when Mum/Dad or another special person is on duty.

At the Annual General Meeting we ask for parents to volunteer for the committee of management in a variety of roles. In addition you may have a special skill or area of expertise that we can call on if necessary through the year.

Parents also participate in one session of rostered maintenance duty each year, where along with one or two other families, they assist in maintaining the building and grounds of the kindergarten.

KidsMatter website link – https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/

Raising Children website link – https://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/parents__families.html

Royal Children’s Hospital link – https://www.rch.org.au/home/

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) link https://health.vic.gov.au/mentalhealth/services/child/

Boorandara MCHC Centre link – https://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/community-support/children-and-families/maternal-and-child-health-service

Boorandara Council Community Support link – https://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/community-support

Boorandara Parks and Gardens link – https://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/quick-tasks/parks-and-gardens

Boorandara Library Services link https://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/libraries

Boorandara Sustainability Activities & Services link – https://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/waste-environment/sustainability

Relationships Australia link – https://www.relationshipsvictoria.com.au/services/childrens-services/