Kindergarten is an important time in every child’s life. Our university qualified early childhood teachers run an approved Queensland Government Kindergarten Program.
Kindergarten is an important time in every child’s life. Our teachers will nurture your child’s love of learning throughout their kindergarten year and ensure they develop the skills for a successful transition to prep.
Our stand-alone kindergartens offer an approved Queensland Government Kindergarten Program run by a university-qualified early childhood teacher. At our sessional kindergartens, children complete a five-day fortnight, during school hours and school terms. If these hours aren’t quite right for you, all of our long day care centres also offer an approved kindergarten program, with extra care hours available before and after.
At Catholic Early EdCare we focus on every child as an individual. Our teachers will create learning opportunities based on your child’s interests. And we offer flexible programs that accomodate all developmental stages. This way, we help your child build a strong sense of self, confidence in their abilities and a love of learning that they will take with them to school.
Our kindergartens are at the heart of a broader community. With close ties to our school, parish and local communities we regularly visit and participate in events to help children build diverse relationships and understand their connections to a broader world. Through these experiences our teachers will nurture your child’s growth in accordance with the key developmental areas identified in the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines.
To be eligible for kindergarten your child must turn four by June 30 of that year.
Starting prep is an important milestone for your child and family. With most of our kindergartens located alongside primary schools we help ease this transition for our families. Throughout their kindergarten year your child’s confidence with the school environment will continually grow as they make regular visits to the library, school assemblies and liturgies, prep classrooms, book week parades and other celebrations.
On the first day of school there are many new and sometimes overwhelming experiences for children. Our teachers think about the little things they’ll need to know – how to use a water bubbler, where to find the toilets and where mum and dad pick you up. By preparing them for ‘big school’ they can walk into the first day of prep with confidence.
Alana, St Anthony's Kindergarten
Natural play environments inspire creativity and curiosity and encourage children to explore, create and construct. That's why you'll find real grass, mud and sand pits, dry creek beds, trees and gardens at our stand alone kindergartens.
In these spaces our children create fairy gardens, race tracks, school houses and construction sites using their imagination and are challenged by something new everyday.
Our teachers use these spaces to help children foster a connection to the natural world through their daily activities. Kindergarten children enjoy creating worm farms and vegetable gardens. This helps them understand how to care for living things and the importance of recycling and strengthens their appreciation of our environment.
Children have a strong voice in the creation of our kindergarten programs, as we create learning experiences based on their strengths, abilities and interests.
Our teachers look for opportunities to teach foundational literacy, numeracy and science skills based on your child’s current interests. That’s why our kindergarten children in North Brisbane recently had the opportunity to watch a caterpillar grow into a moth. Their teacher saw them watching the caterpillar with keen interest during outdoor play and helped them create a home for it in the classroom. Over the next couple of weeks the children were able to observe it enter its cocoon and emerge as a moth. During this time they learnt about animal life cycles and asked many questions including what other animals have cocoons, how the moth knew it was time to come out and why it couldn’t be a butterfly.
Our teachers support children’s various developmental stages by modifying intentional teaching activities. By getting to know your child our teachers will understand how to best support their growth and development, which may include opportunities for extension or additional support.
During play children feel supported and at ease, so we use this opportunity to develop a love of learning that will continue to grow with them. See how St Anthony's teacher Paul uses play to challenge children and develop their self-confidence.
Marrie, Xavier Kindergarten
On 1 January 2023, the Queensland Government introduced new funding for kindergarten, which makes kindergarten more affordable and more accessible for families. The new funding replaces the old Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme (QKFS).
The new funding will benefit families with children who attend a 600-hour annual approved kindergarten program – either through a long day care service or a sessional kindergarten. All 25 Catholic Early EdCare kindergarten and long day care services throughout South East Queensland deliver approved kindergarten programs.
To benefit from the new funding, your child must turn four years old by 30 June 2023.
Just like previous government funding schemes, the new Queensland Kindergarten Funding (QKF) is provided directly to Catholic Early EdCare services to assist with the costs of delivering a kindergarten program. Catholic Early EdCare will make a financial adjustment to eligible families’ accounts, reducing the amount of out-of-pockets that families need to pay.
Visit the Kindy savings website to check your eligibility and work out how much you can save or talk to our friendly administration team on 07 3367 6373 to confirm your eligibility.
