How do I enrol my child at preschool?
The enrolment process starts when you complete an online Enrolment Interest Form available under the 'Enrolment' tab. Once we receive your Enrolment Interest Form, we will mail out to you an Enrolment Package, or alternatively arrange for you to collect one from us. Once we have received your completed Enrolment Form, and you have provided a mandatory Immunisation History Statement and other relevant documents such as health care card and medical action plans you will be contacted to arrange an enrolment meeting. Using the governments Priority of Access Guidelines your child may be offered a place.
When can my child start preschool?
Your child must be three years of age or older to enrol and attend Preschool. Priority of Access Guidelines determine if children are eligible to attend Preschool.
What are the priority of access guidelines?
As part of our Funding Agreement with the Department of Education, we are required to give equal priority of access to children:
- who are at least 4 years old on or before the 31 July in that preschool year and not enrolled or registered at a school
- who are at least 3 years old on or before 31 July in that preschool year and from low income and/or Aboriginal families or have a diagnosed disability
- children with English language needs
- children who are at risk of significant harm (from a child protection perspective).
Does my child need to be immunised
Yes, it is a legal requirement that all children attending early childhood education and care.
We cannot enrol any child who is not immunised or cannot provide the required documentation as proof of immunisation.
We cannot enrol any child who is not immunised or cannot provide the required documentation as proof of immunisation.
How much does preschool cost?
Preschool is free for 2024 for those families who choose to access fee relief at Tumut Community Preschool.
There is a $25 membership fee required under our registered Cooperative Rules that will also be free if you choose to access fee relief at Tumut Community Preschool.
There is a $25 membership fee required under our registered Cooperative Rules that will also be free if you choose to access fee relief at Tumut Community Preschool.
how long is a preschool day?
Preschool is open for children to attend from 8.30am until 4.00pm. You are welcome to bring your child any time between those hours. To fully prepare your child for a school routine, we recommend making the most of the day and arriving by 9am and staying until 3pm.
We have strict requirements around arrival and collection times so that we can ensure effective supervision and staff ratios.
We have strict requirements around arrival and collection times so that we can ensure effective supervision and staff ratios.
What is the arrival/collection of children process?
Child safety is a priority at our service. We have processes in place to make sure your child is safe and one of those is that we expect you to walk your child into Preschool, hand them over to a staff member and sign them in at the sign in station located outside your child's classroom. Staff will meet you and take your child into the building to wash their hands, hang up their bag and start their day.
Anyone that is going to collect your child needs to be authorised in writing.
At the end of the day, you or someone you authorise must come into the preschool and collect your child and sign them out. Staff will get your child ready and bring them out to you. They will ask for photo ID of people they do not know.
Please don't leave children unattended in cars during drop off and pick up, if you need to bring other children to pick your preschool child up please ensure that they remain with you and be supervised at all times.
Anyone that is going to collect your child needs to be authorised in writing.
At the end of the day, you or someone you authorise must come into the preschool and collect your child and sign them out. Staff will get your child ready and bring them out to you. They will ask for photo ID of people they do not know.
Please don't leave children unattended in cars during drop off and pick up, if you need to bring other children to pick your preschool child up please ensure that they remain with you and be supervised at all times.
How do i authorise someone to collect my child?
You can authorise people to collect your child and make decisions about emergency care on the Enrolment Form, we also have additional authorisation forms if you require additional people. In the event of an emergency, you are able to phone us to discuss options, however we must have authorisations in writing.
What days can my child attend?
Your child can attend on the days that they have been allocated. We currently allocate two days to each child.
Casual days may be available if we have children away and spaces are available, however these must be booked in advance and a fee is payable.
Casual days may be available if we have children away and spaces are available, however these must be booked in advance and a fee is payable.
Can my child attend during school holidays?
Tumut Community Preschool operates in alignment with the NSW Schools calendar and is only open during school terms. We are also closed on Public Holidays or any Pupil Free Days gazetted in NSW. We are unable to offer before or after school care or vacation care.
Does my child need to be toilet trained to attend?
Yes, generally children need to be toilet trained to attend preschool. However, if toilet training your child is difficult, please speak to staff so we can support your child to achieve this milestone so that it does not prevent enrolment at Preschool.
What if my child is upset when i leave them at preschool?
Sometime children may feel a little anxious when you leave. Strategies to assist your child’s transition from home to preschool can be discussed at the Enrolment meeting. We recommend that if your child is upset, please let them know that you will be back to pick them up at the end of the day, offer a hug and leave. Educators are caring and kind and well qualified to support your child. Children normally settle very quickly, and you are welcome to call at any time during the day to see how your child is going. If your child is upset and we cannot settle them, we will call you to let you know. Upset children are never left to self-settle - they are always comforted by staff and made to feel safe. Please be assured that a child experiencing separation anxiety is going through a normal developmental stage and it usually passes quickly. We will work with you and your child to put strategies into place that help your child through this phase.
Do I need to provide food?
Yes. Preschool helps children to learn many self-help skills that will support their transition to school. Learning to manage their own belongings and to negotiate their school lunch box and bag are some of those skills. You will need to pack your child’s morning and afternoon tea and lunch. We encourage healthy eating at Preschool, and provide some resources in our handbook that may assist you with ideas of foods to pack and avoid.
Tumut Community Preschool is Egg and Nut free as we have children with allergies attending our service. We ask families to avoid packing anything containing nuts or eggs in your child's lunchbox. Children are also encouraged to drink lots of water whilst at preschool so your child will need to bring a drink bottle for this purpose.
Tumut Community Preschool is Egg and Nut free as we have children with allergies attending our service. We ask families to avoid packing anything containing nuts or eggs in your child's lunchbox. Children are also encouraged to drink lots of water whilst at preschool so your child will need to bring a drink bottle for this purpose.
What do i need to pack in my childs bag?
- A drink bottle filled with water (no cordial, juice, soft drinks or flavoured milk)
- Morning snack
- Lunch
- Afternoon snack
- Spare clothes (even if your child is toilet trained, accidents sometimes happen and your child may also get messy at Preschool).
- Any medication that needs to be administered during the preschool day (needs to be handed to staff)
What should my child wear to preschool?
- Weather appropriate clothing - for example in summer, clothes that offer sun protection and in winter, clothes that protect from the elements. At preschool we play outside nearly every day.
- Comfortable clothing - Please don't send your child in 'good' clothes. We suggest investing in some 'preschool' only clothes that are durable and can withstand the rigors of climbing, jumping, painting, running, rolling, and playing hard.
- A hat is a must for every day at Preschool. In winter a beanie might be useful that fits under your child's sun protection hat.
- Sturdy footwear. No thongs, crocs or strappy sandals.
- We will supply your child with their own Preschool hat that will be kept at Preschool.
what happens if my child will be away from preschool?
We really appreciate it when you tell us your child will be away. You can phone us directly or you can log any absences through our OWNA app. If your child is unwell then we request you let us know so that we can ensure other children are not put at risk.
What if my child needs medication at preschool?
We can administer medication to your child whilst they are at Preschool if the medication has been prescribed by a doctor and has the pharmaceutical label with your child's name, prescribed dosage and expiry date. We will require you to fill in a medication form authorising staff to administer medication.
What happens if my child hurts themselves at preschool?
We take the safety of all children in our care very seriously. Children at preschool love to play, run, jump and climb and whilst we diligently supervise and assess risks, sometimes injuries can occur. All of our staff are First Aid, CPR, and Asthma and Anaphylaxis trained.
If your child hurts themselves at Preschool, they will be comforted and cared for and when required first aid will be administered. We will phone you and communicate the incident to you and upload an incident report to OWNA for you to review and sign. In the event that you cannot be contacted by phone, we will contact the next person you have authorised.
If your child hurts themselves at Preschool, they will be comforted and cared for and when required first aid will be administered. We will phone you and communicate the incident to you and upload an incident report to OWNA for you to review and sign. In the event that you cannot be contacted by phone, we will contact the next person you have authorised.
what is play based learning?
Play based learning provides opportunities for children to develop a sense of the world around them. In play children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, resilience, concentration, inquiry, exploration, problem solving, creativity and imagination. The intellectual and cognitive benefits have been well researched and documented, children who engage in quality play experiences are more likely to have well-developed memory skills, language development, are more able to regulate their emotions and leads to enhanced school readiness and academic learning.
Learning through play is an essential practice of the ‘Early Years Learning Framework’ (EYLF) which requires experienced educators who know children’s individual interests, strengths and overall developmental needs. Our educators enhance play-based learning by creating environments in which rich play experiences are available and educators become facilitators of child led learning.
Learning through play is an essential practice of the ‘Early Years Learning Framework’ (EYLF) which requires experienced educators who know children’s individual interests, strengths and overall developmental needs. Our educators enhance play-based learning by creating environments in which rich play experiences are available and educators become facilitators of child led learning.
do children sleep at preschool?
Rest and relaxation is important and we support the individual needs of each child. We don't have a designated “sleep time” at Preschool. If a child falls asleep while at Preschool, they will be protected and moved to a quiet area with comfy bedding. They will be supervised and monitored at all times whilst asleep.
are children grouped at preschool according to age?
Blended age grouping is a well-researched model that encourages children to be grouped according to different age ranges. The goal is to build confidence in younger children as well as enhance their language and behavioural skills alongside maximizing learning potential as they learn from older peers. Meanwhile, older children benefit from multi-age grouping because it allows them to ‘mentor’ younger children, developing empathy and leadership skills which builds on their sense of responsibility and citizenship.
Just as our communities consist of people with different backgrounds and different ages so too should the early childhood learning environment. We understand that same-aged classrooms don’t always promote a child’s learning or development. However, bringing children of different ages together through blended age preschool grouping aims to do just that.
Just as our communities consist of people with different backgrounds and different ages so too should the early childhood learning environment. We understand that same-aged classrooms don’t always promote a child’s learning or development. However, bringing children of different ages together through blended age preschool grouping aims to do just that.
how do i get information about what my child has been doing at preschool?
One of our goals at Preschool is to support the transition to school for children and families. The way we provide information is very similar to what you can expect when your child attends school. The majority of information will be provided via our Preschool OWNA APP. Your child’s educators will also communicate with you directly either face to face or over the phone, depending on the situation. Our COVID safe plan has changed the way we share information, however you can still expect to receive lots of information about what is happening at preschool and about your child’s individual learning and development.
how do I contact staff if i have any concerns?
We value feedback from our families and encourage families to raise any concerns directly with us. Staff can be contacted at the Preschool either by phone or in person at arrival and pickup times. We can arrange meetings to discuss private concerns or we can talk with you over the phone.
can my child bring a special toy to preschool?
We respect a child’s need to bring something from home that provides comfort and reassurance for them especially as they transition to preschool.
We try to discourage bringing much loved special toys to preschool because we don’t want your child to become upset should their toy get broken or misplaced.
We try to discourage bringing much loved special toys to preschool because we don’t want your child to become upset should their toy get broken or misplaced.
