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Going to Country Kids Kindergarten is an exciting time for children and families
A kindergarten program gives your child an opportunity to mix with children of the same age, learn new things and have some fun.
Learning new things
A kindergarten program at Country Kids can give your child some new experiences where they can discover and explore the world around them.
Your child will have an opportunity to develop social skills such as learning how to co-operate with others, language skills, gross motor skills developed through physical games and activities, and fine motor skills such as making things in art and craft.
Country Kids Kindergartens Teacher’s description of their planning and organising process
At Country Kids Child Care and Kindergarten in Stanthorpe we think about children from a positive, strengths-based perspective. We make a conscious effort when observing children to look at what they can do, enjoy doing, and what excites them. The information we build up about children using this “way of seeing” helps when we are thinking about and planning ways to extend an interest, the sorts of materials and equipment that could be useful, and the interactions that are needed. When we work with what children can do and are interested in, and then we are more likely to have a motivated child.
Country Kids Qualified Kindergarten Teachers also consider the skills a child may find challenging and need for future learning. We weave in the skills that might need more practice with their interests. If a child is interested in building block cities and reluctant to draw, we think about why. Do they need support with confidence, co‐ordination skills, or experience? We will add felt pens, paper and clipboards to the block space, with some maps and signs. We will encourage children to represent their plans and ideas visually. We may also introduce construction materials that require hand strength to support this development.
Interacting and co-constructing learning
Children are active, competent learners who learn through interactions with people, objects, symbols and ideas. Country Kids teachers do more than simply set up the learning environment, provide time for play and assume that learning will occur. The quality of teacher interactions has a significant influence on children’s levels of involvement in learning experiences and their learning outcomes, this is very important to Country Kids.
Through interactions, Country Kids teachers and children jointly construct learning as they collaboratively investigate, explore and build on ideas and thinking. Through these purposeful interactions, our teachers also build connections between children’s prior, past and future learning across the day and the Kindergarten Year.
When interacting with children, our teachers focus on:
· responding to and building on children’s interests, ideas and intentions
· inviting children to wonder, imagine and enquire
· building the intellectual quality of learning experiences
· promoting children’s learning and development progress
· extending their own and others’ understanding of local cultural practices and ways of knowing, being and learning to build continuity in learning
· negotiating learning pathways with children that are culturally and contextually relevant
· collaboratively planning and reflecting on learning with children
· building children’s positive dispositions towards learning.
As they interact, teachers are critically aware of the roles they are taking and the balance between teacher and child initiation. This involves:
· building on and respecting children’s emerging interests, ideas and intent, rather than taking over or distracting children from their focus
· introducing ideas and learning possibilities based on their observations, reflections, and understanding of children’s current and future learning needs
· identifying learning opportunities and teachable moments
· using a wide range of intentional interactions to scaffold and support children as they co-construct learning within play experiences, real-life engagements and routines and transitions.
Office for Early Childhood Education and Care
Fact Sheet
A kindergarten program for very child
Providing kindergarten programs for all
The Queensland Government has looked beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to achieve access to kindergarten for all Queensland children.
Up to an additional 240 kindergarten services will be provided in areas where they are needed most.
In order to meet the needs of children from working families and their parents, the Queensland Government will support long day care providers to include approved kindergarten programs as part of their service.
Around 29 000 kindy-age children attended long day care services in 2009. However, only about seven per cent of Queensland children access an education program delivered by a qualified teacher in a long day care service.
A flying start for Queensland
A child’s participation in a quality early childhood education program lays the foundation for their future success in learning and life.
In 2009, around 18 000 of Queensland’s 57 000 kindy- age children participated in an approved kindergarten program (that is, around 32 percent).
The Queensland Government is working to ensure all children can enjoy the lifelong benefits that kindergarten provides.
By 2014, all Queensland children will have access to a high quality early education program, delivered by a qualified teacher, in the year before they start Prep.
To achieve this, the capacity of Queensland’s existing kindergarten services will double and approved kindergarten programs will be introduced into long day care services.
The quality of kindergarten programs delivered in Queensland will also be assured under new state guidelines ensuring children have access to a high quality early childhood education program no matter where they live.
The Queensland and Australian governments will invest up to $889 million to deliver universal access to kindergarten and up to an extra 240 kindergarten services around the state, marking the single largest investment in kindergarten ever made in Queensland’s history.
Importantly, it is a strong investment in Queensland’s future.
Making kindergarten for everyone
Children’s educational opportunities should not be limited by where they live or their personal circumstances. That is why the Queensland Government is exploring innovative delivery models, including mobile and outreach kindergarten programs for children living in regional and remote areas.
Consultation is also underway with key stakeholders to better plan for the inclusion of children with additional needs. The Queensland Government will work with families and industry stakeholders to ensure kindergarten services are better placed to meet the needs of children with additional needs and continue to complement existing government support.
Creating a skilled workforce
The delivery of high quality early childhood education and care depends on a diverse and highly skilled workforce.
A core element of the government’s reforms is that qualified early childhood teachers will deliver kindergarten programs.
To ensure there are suitably qualified teachers available, the Queensland Government is funding early childhood teaching scholarships to assist staff currently working in early childhood education and care centres to upgrade their qualification so they can teach a kindergarten program.
Interest in the scholarships program has been high and 53 scholarships were awarded for studies commencing in Semester 2, 2010. A further round of scholarships for studies commencing in Semester 1, 2011 will occur later this year.
When will my child be eligible to attend kindergarten?
For Further Information:
The Office for Early Childhood Education and Care has been created to bring together responsibility for early childhood education and care services in one agency in Queensland.
The Office is leading the roll-out of universal access to kindergarten and supporting long day care services to offer
recognised early education programs, and will provide extra support where needed to ensure children can access early education services.
For more information, visit our website at
www.education.qld.gov.au/earlychildhood
August 2010 – Information correct at time of printing