Marram Kindergarten (Kangaroo)
4 years or the year before school
Number of children: 29
Number of educators: 4
Kindergarten Hours: 8.15am to 4.45pm
Funded Kindergarten Program
Clifton Street offers a unique Funded Kindergarten Program, run by two qualified teachers running all day each week excluding the school holiday periods. The Kinder teachers are supported by three qualified educators whom provide a high quality learning curriculum.
Kindergarten - forest school
In 2020 Clifton Street introduced Forest School in the Marram Kindergarten. In 2022 Forest School will run on Friday mornings during Victorian Terms in a wooded area behind McDonnell Park. Children walk to their Forest School location and spend several hours exploring and enjoying the outdoors. If you would like to learn more about Forest School please contact our Educational Leader Kylie at [email protected].
2023 FREE KINDERGARTEN INITIATIVE
In 2023 the State Government will be offsetting some of the cost of accessing an integrated kindergarten for all 3 and 4 year old children. Therefore if you attend kindergarten at Clifton Street, the amount of ‘free kindergarten’ funding that we receive from the State Government will directly be applied as a credit to your fees after CCS. This means that it will directly offset your gap fees after you have received any CCS you are eligible. These amounts will be applied on a fortnightly basis in line with our fortnightly billing after we have had the department confirm that you are only enrolled at kindergarten with our service.
The amount will be up to $2000 over the course of the year for 4 year old children (Accessing 15 hours per week) and a pro rata amount for children's accessing 3 year old kindergarten (based on number of hours offered by each Centre).
You can learn more about what free kindergarten means for you here or by calling us.
What is Integrated Kinder?
Kindergarten Program at Clifton St Children’s Centre – we provide an Integrated Kindergarten Program.
Some of the differences to know regarding Sessional and Integrated Kindergarten Programs:
Integrated Kindergarten is a Kinder program run in a Long Day Care setting (as currently offered at Clifton St.).
The Fee charged is the same as the regular Long Day Care childcare fee, and is eligible to have the Government child care subsidies (CCS) applied to the Fees.
Integrated Kinder in Long Day Care allows your child to have a place in the Service all year round (49 to 50 weeks as we have a summertime holiday closure over Christmas and New Year), and your child can be dropped off and collected from the Service at any time during operating hours of the Service. Meals are also provided
Sessional Kindergarten is a program that runs to specific session start and finish time, with families required to drop off and collect their children at the start and end of the session.
The Fee charges are usually lower than Long Day Care / Integrated Kinder Fees, but do not attract child care subsidies (CCS).
Sessional Kinder follows the school term yearly cycle, meaning there is no program available during the school holidays - it only runs 40 weeks of the year, during school term dates.
Families are expected to provide snacks and lunch for their children each day they attend.
Kindergarten Curriculum Programs – is there any difference between Sessional and Integrated Programs?
Since 2012 a national curriculum requirement was developed for Long Day Care, Kindergarten Programs. In short, this means that the curriculum provided in both an Integrated and a Sessional Kindergarten follow and provide the same teaching requirements and standards; there is no difference; however, there will probably be differences in methods, practice and philosophy.
Kindergarten Funding – what is it?
Kinder Funding is the amount of money that a Service is given by the Government to assist with the costs associated with running a Kinder Program – you do not see this transaction as a parent, a Service receives it once the family has established their choice, and the Service passes on proof to the Department to claim it. The Service that receives the Funding establishes the most appropriate method of using the funding to best support the Kinder Program it provides.
The Government recommends that each child receive a minimum of 15 hours a week in a Kinder Program in the year before they commence school – a child attending our Integrated Kinder as their FUNDED Kinder place will receive this 15 hour amount across two days; and a child attending for more than two days will receive a great deal more of our Kinder Program, which will continue to support their School readiness and their transition to prep the following year.
Often there is confusion regarding sessional Kinder / integrated Kinder and what FUNDED means in both types of programs – if you require further clarification, please contact the Service for more information.
If you choose to have your child attend a Kinder elsewhere, and still wish to have your child attend some days here at Clifton St CC, please be aware that you may not be offered the days you want, as we are regulated and obligated to accept children needing a FUNDED Kinder placement as a priority.
This means families on the Waitlist for a FUNDED Kinder place will be offered a Kinder placement and have choice of days at Clifton St CC before we are able to process a request for an unfunded place in our Integrated Kinder Program. There is no guarantee that you will receive an unfunded position at Clifton St, and we are usually only able to give confirmation on unfunded positions in late January each year.
If you choose Clifton St CC as your FUNDED Kinder place for your child this will not apply.
