Sessional Kindergarten - 2012
Information for families considering Long Day Care or Sessional Kindergarten for 3 and 4 YO children
From 2012, families must choose either our long day care program or sessional kindergarten program for 3 and 4yo children, due to the increasing demand for child care and sessional kindergarten and to give families on our waiting lists the best possible chance of being offered a place in either service.
The Department of Education & Early Childhood Development (DEECD) provides a per capita grant for every child attending a 4 year old kindergarten program. This funding enables the centre to employ qualified kindergarten teachers in our 4yo kindergarten programs in the long day care and sessional kindergarten programs, allowing children to receive a minimum 11 hours of kindergarten per week in the year prior to starting school. Each child can access this funding once. Your child cannot be enrolled in two funded programs. A child who is formally assessed as having significant additional needs may be entitled to a second year of funded pre-school. This does not include children who are delaying entry to school because their parents think that they are too young.
If a family decides not to send their child to school and chooses to complete another year of kindergarten, the centre is not eligible to claim the government funding for a second year. Therefore the family will be required to pay the amount of the government funding of the repeating year. Term fees will also be required to be paid.
Families are required to sign a form acknowledging that they are aware that the centre is in receipt of this funding for their child and that their child is not enrolled in a funded program at a different childcare centre or kindergarten (or the alternative program within Poets Grove).
Waitlist registration/Enrolments
Waitlist registrations can be made via our website: www.poetsgrove.com (Go to Services/Enrolments to complete the online application form). The earliest you can register is 31st of January in the year your child is turning two. A separate waiting list application must be completed for each child. You must register for the exact years you want your child to attend i.e. only 3YO kindergarten or only 4YO kindergarten or both years. It is not assumed that registering for 3YO automatically registers you for 4YO.
A confirmation notice will pop up on the screen to verify that your registration has been received, then a letter confirming your registration will be sent to you by email or mail within fourteen days. This letter will include a reference number, your contact details, services requested and any other information required. Please check that all details are correct and inform the administration officer if any changes are required. Subsequent changes to your registration must be emailed to the Enrolments Officer at info@poetsgrove.com. If you have declined an offer for 3 or 4 YO kindergarten and then want to go back on the list, you need to re-apply on the website with the new date of application. Poets Grove will not backdate your original date of application. If you have paid your application fee and then declined the offer, the fee is not refundable. If you re-apply and receive a second offer, you will be required to pay the application fee again.
Minimum age for attendance
Children must be 3 years old by 31st January in the year the child is to commence 3YO kindergarten. Children must be 4 years old by 30th April in the year the child is to commence 4YO kindergarten.
Allocation of places for children already attending the service
Offers of enrolment for the 4 YO kindergarten sessions are first made to children continuing from 3yo kindergarten. These families must complete a “request for a place” form by a set date. This form will be processed on a first-come priority basis.
Allocation of places for waitlisted children
Places will be allocated to eligible children who are on the waiting list. Families must complete a “request for a place” form by a set date. This form will be processed in accordance with your date of application and the selection criteria of this service.
Group preferences
Families can nominate a preferred group on the “request for a place” form. We aim to accommodate group preferences, however, where demand is too great for one group, allocation will be made by date of receipt of “request for a place” form for children currently attending 3 YO kindergarten and continuing on to 4 YO kindergarten. This includes any child repeating a year of kindergarten and approved by their early childhood educator. We aim to accommodate group preferences for waitlist families, however, where demand is too great for one group, allocation will be made by your original date of application on our waitlist.
Changes to number of places
All places in four year old kindergarten are offered subject to State Government funding. For these places, the Committee of Management is bound by the funding and Service Agreement. Should the funding be substantially altered (either increased or decreased), the Committee of Management reserves the right to alter the number of places offered correspondingly. Should actual enrolment numbers exceed or fall short of the quota for any of the kindergarten programs, the committee will re-evaluate the service offered and may change the hours or increase or decrease the number of groups. No child is guaranteed consecutive years at kindergarten.
Repeating kindergarten for 3 and 4 YO kindergarten
Families who decide they want their child to repeat 3 and 4 year old kindergarten are not guaranteed a place for the following year. This place will only be available to the child if the teacher agrees and there are places available at the end of the year.
Cancellation of a kindergarten place
Written notice four weeks in advance is required when removing a child from Poets Grove Sessional Kindergarten. The term fee is not refundable. The Committee of Management reserves the right to withdraw a child's enrolment or place.