Enrolling your child

You can fill in and send us the registration of interest form if you want your child to come to our preschool. Try to register your interest by 30 June, but you can do this any time during the year.

Priority will be given to children living in our catchment area. If you don’t live in our catchment area you should indicate at least 2 other preschool options on your form.

If you live in our catchment area we will contact you in August with an offer of enrolment, otherwise we will contact you in September if we have spaces available.

Before your child starts

Before your child starts preschool you can come to a parent information session and take part in our preschool orientation playgroup. These orientation sessions will be held in term 4 and are a chance for you and your child to meet our staff and other children.

Fees

We ask you to contribute towards the cost of your child attending preschool.

The parent contribution is $720 per year. You can choose to pay the total amount at the beginning of the year or pay $180 each term.

When to pay

We will invoice you in the first few weeks of each term via your child's notes file.

Payments are due 4 weeks after the invoice.

Please contact us if you have difficulty paying.

How to pay

Centrepay

Please speak with us if you want to use Centrepay.

Cash

Cash payments should be handed to the Director or Administration Officer who will count it and place the cash in an envelope labelled with your child’s name, the amount and what the money is for (e.g. Term 3 fees) and placed in the safe. A receipt will be put in your notice file. Please note that our educators cannot accept cash payments.

Credit Card

The Centre accepts credit card. Please make your payment to the Director or the Administration Officer for processing. Payments may be made over the phone.

EFT information

To minimise cash handling, it is preferred that fee payments are made by  direct debit or electronic funds transfer. Direct debit arrangements can be established to link with your bank account. From 2021, we will be offering payment by credit card.

Account Name: Lockleys Preschool

BSB: 065107

Account number: 00903923

Please put your child’s full name as the reference. If you are making a payment for occasional care, please write 'OC' with your child's name.

Preschool session times 2023

Children are entitled to attend up to 600 hours of preschool per year.   Each session of preschool is staffed by two teachers and early childhood workers with a minimum educator to child ratio of 1:11.  There may also be additional preschool support or bilingual workers assigned.

Please note: Friday sessions are offered Terms 1 to 3 only. There are not Friday sessions in Term 4.

Preschools operate with four terms a year the same as schools. Children attend preschool during term time only.  The term times for 2023 are:

Information about term dates is available from the Preschool and from Department for Education on their website

https://www.education.sa.gov.au/parents-and-families/term-dates-south-australian-state-schools or via a recorded message (phone 8226 1803).

Attendance at preschool

To gain the maximum benefit from the educational program at preschool it is important for your child to attend regularly.  If your child will be absent, we ask you to phone the preschool on 8443 5758 to let us know.  If you are planning a family holiday please notify an educator of the dates that your child will be absent.

Pupil Free Days

Every year the Department for Education grants between two and four pupil free days to preschools for staff teams to participate in professional learning and development.  These days are negotiated and approved by the Governing Council at the beginning of the year and families are provided with 4 weeks’ notice prior to each day.  Children do not attend preschool on our pupil free days.

What to bring

• A named bag which is easy to open and close. Please put your child’s name clearly on the outside of the bag, as many children have similar bags.

• Your child will be supplied with a named bucket hat on the first day.

• Fruit and lunch.  Please put your child’s fruit and lunch in separate container. Fruit stays in your child’s bag and lunch is put in lunch trolleys. Often your children will enjoy at preschool the kind of food they usually eat at home.  When preparing lunches please consider our environment and try to minimise packaging by using reusable containers.  We find that the ‘bento’ style of lunchboxes that have a number of compartments are very popular and reduce the need for packaging. We encourage healthy eating, so we ask that your child does not bring chocolate, lollies, cake, sweet biscuits and other ‘treat’ foods. Our practice is to ask children to keep these foods in their lunchbox to enjoy at home. Please note we are an ALLERGY AWARE Centre. We have many children with a range of allergies and ask that you check all labels for whole nuts or products containing nuts.  We do not allow children to have peanut butter, nut butter alternatives that resemble peanut butter, Nutella or muesli bars containing nuts.

• A drink bottle filled with water only please. We have chilled filtered water for refills.

• A spare set of NAMED clothes. We have a lot of messy and water play, particularly in summer.  If children need to get changed they would much prefer their own clothes.

• PLEASE NAME ALL BELONGINGS CLEARLY. This includes clothing, shoes, bags, hats and lunch boxes (on the outside and lids if possible). Children often have identical items and they can be easily mixed up. By clearly naming items, you ensure children, parents and staff can keep track of items and reunite owners with their belongings. It also helps children to develop independence and responsibility for their own belongings. Any items left at preschool are placed in our lost property box for you to collect.  At the end of each term any unnamed items are donated to charity.

• Please apply sunscreen before you come to preschool. If you forget, we have some which you may use. The Centre will supply sunscreen for use at preschool and staff will help children reapply their sunscreen on days when the UV rating is 3 or above. If your child has a sunscreen allergy please bring in a suitable alternative which is clearly labelled with your child’s name.

What to wear

When children are actively involved in play with paint, water, clay and sand, it is inevitable that some of those materials will end up on their clothes. We provide smocks for children to wear for most messy activities but unfortunately, they do not always prevent messy clothes.

The sand pit, mud kitchen and water course are a popular play choice all year round. While children are able to remove shoes and socks, clothes frequently end up wet and dirty. The ‘mess’ happens in the context of some wonderful cooperative and challenging learning experiences.

Sometimes children are reluctant to participate in some activities, particularly messy activities, because they don’t want to get dirty or sandy.  Please send your child to preschool in old clothes, that you will not mind if they get dirty. If you have concerns about dirty/wet clothes please speak to the staff. We do have spare clothes at preschool but please keep a spare set in your child’s bag as most children prefer to wear their own.

To allow children to climb, run and jump safely they require foot wear that is comfortable, fits well and stays on their feet. Please ensure your child is wearing appropriate shoes. Thongs, crocs and slippers are not suitable for active play. Rubber boots are great for playing in our wet sand pit and nature kitchen and we have a supply available for children to use.

The centre offers Lockleys Children’s Centre t-shirts available for purchase in a range of colours and sizes. Purchases are made online vis  https://eduthreads.com.au/

General information

Toys from home

We discourage children from bringing small or precious toys from home which may be lost or damaged. We encourage the children to be observant and welcome items from nature or any object which may be relevant to our program.

Birthday celebrations

At preschool we support and encourage participation in a range of cultural celebrations, including birthdays. We celebrate birthdays by singing happy birthday and lighting candles on our pretend cake and the giving of a birthday sticker. Please let us know if your family does not celebrate birthdays, so we can respect your choice.  In line with our Food and Allergy Awareness policy please do not send birthday cakes or other treats to preschool to keep our children with allergies safe.

Invitations to parties

Please be discreet when distributing party invitations, speak to an educator and we will assist you to place invitations into family notice files.

Photographs

A professional photographer attends the preschool each year to photograph the children individually and in a group.  Photographs are available for purchase.  We regularly photograph the children using our digital camera and use these in our program and as part of our assessment process.

Fundraising

Lockleys Children’s Centre fundraises to supplement the grants received from the Department for Education.  Throughout the year we run a few fundraising activities and we appreciate your support with these.

Parking

Please be aware of limited parking available, it may be wise to park a little away and walk to kindy.

Positive transition to preschool

Our goal is for children to feel safe and secure and to settle in their own time and to do this we need to take the lead from the child. We understand that some children may be anxious at the beginning of the term. Transitioning to preschool in the first few weeks varies from child to child.  The staff are sensitive to these differences and respond to the individual needs of each child and his/her family.

Our transition playgroups provide an early opportunity for children and parents to familiarise themselves with the preschool and the centre more broadly. The playgroups enable children and parents to explore, observe and take part in preschool together. Parent information sessions equip parents with all the information they need to feel confident about what they can expect for their child at preschool. Your confidence is an important part of a positive transition for your child.

Our staff are empathetic, kind and highly experienced in supporting children to ensure a successful start to preschool. Some of the strategies we use include:

• All About my Preschool book which assists the child to stay connected to preschool with visual representation  of preschool and our routines
• Having a predictable routine that helps your child feel safe, secure and confident about what will happen next
• Acknowledge the child’s feelings and allow him/her to express them (via painting, drawing, writing a letter, digging etc.)
• Offer comfort and reassurance to the child.
• Distract or divert the child’s attention towards an activity they enjoy.

Parents are encouraged to stay at first, for as long as is necessary, and to gradually work toward leaving your child for all or part of the day. Circumstances will be different for every child and we will work out the best strategies with you. Some children won’t want their parents to stay at all. This is great, but if your child isn’t one of those, try not to worry too much - they all work through their transition in their own way.

Educational program and practice

Our learning program is flexible and allows children to have:

• control of their own learning
• freedom to manage their own time
• opportunities to interact with people who value the quality of play
• time for uninterrupted and self-selected activities
• opportunities to be active and curious, quiet and reflective.

Our learning program is informed and developed by a comprehensive and recognised planning cycle that provides for questioning, planning, doing and reviewing. We use this cycle to develop a term overview that identifies the term focus and the learning outcomes to be achieved. Educators participate in a weekly planning meeting to review the previous week and plan the indoor and outdoor learning experiences for the next week.

We base our planning on the Early Years Learning Framework outcomes, Individual Learning Plans, as well as observations of your child including photo data, anecdotal recordings and staff discussions. Your child’s learning is recorded in an individual portfolio which provides a record of learning as well as being a tool for reflection and communication.

Your input into our planning cycle is welcomed and encouraged. In addition to the initial parent survey we collect on enrolment, your input will be sought as we plan for your child through the year. We value information from you about your child’s interests so please feel free to share them with us at any time.

Curriculum

Our curriculum is based on a knowledge and understanding of children’s growth and development.  It encompasses all the interactions, experiences and routines that are a part of each child’s play during their time at preschool.

It recognises that:

• play is the process through which young children learn
• children learn in different ways
• child development has some general stages and an individual pathway
• the role of educators in facilitating children’s learning and development
• recent developments in early childhood curriculum theory and practice

We use the Early Years Learning Framework – Belonging, Being, Becoming (BBB) as the basis for our planning.  This framework is a National Curriculum document and is used in all South Australian preschools.

There are five main learning outcomes educators use to plan for each child’s learning and development.

The learning outcomes are:

• Children have a strong sense of identity – This outcome looks at learning about oneself, developing confidence to explore and learn and feeling significant and respected.
• Children are connected with and contribute to their world - When a child interacts and participates within groups they develop a sense of belonging, start to understand their rights, but also their responsibilities toward themselves and others and learn about ways of being that reflect their family and community values, traditions and practices.
• Children have a strong sense of wellbeing – This outcome looks at both physical and psychological aspects. Building resilience, supporting children to develop the ability to cope with day-to-day stress and challenges and includes physical health, happiness and social functioning.
• Children are confident and involved learners - The confidence to experiment and explore develops from a sense of security, sound wellbeing, developing confidence and being active participants in learning.
• Children are effective communicators - Children are natural communicators using gestures, sounds, language and assisted communication from an early age. Positive experiences with families, communities and carers successfully develop their foundations in language, literacy and numeracy.    By using a range of tools and media, such as music, dance and drama, we can encourage children to express themselves and connect with others.

Literacy and numeracy

Our curriculum is also guided by the Department for Education’s literacy and numeracy indicators. Positive attitudes and competencies in literacy and numeracy are vital for children’s successful learning and these foundations are built in early childhood. The indicators support educators to track and monitor children’s numeracy and literacy development.

The indicators assist teachers to:

• recognise and describe children’s numeracy and literacy understandings and learning
• plan for each child’s numeracy and literacy learning
• monitor and assess each child’s numeracy and literacy learning
• identify children at risk in their numeracy and/or literacy learning
• share and report on observations of children’s numeracy and literacy development
• reflect on and improve teaching for numeracy and literacy learning.

Assessment and Reporting

Educators regularly review children’s progress during their time at preschool, based on observations, information from parents, interviews and work samples. This information is used when planning learning experiences for individuals and groups of children and to monitor children’s learning.  A Learning Summary is written for each child at the end of Term 1 and the end of Term 4.  With your permission, this is passed on to your child’s reception teacher.

A portfolio containing a copy of their Learning Summary, photographs and work samples collected during the year is provided to you when your child leaves the Centre.

There are many opportunities for informal discussions about your child’s progress which can be initiated by either you or educators. If you would like a more formal interview, please make an appointment with any of the team. Educators are always available to speak one on one, please approach us.

Nature Play

Lockleys Children’s Centre is fortunate to have a well-resourced and spacious natural play environment to support children’s learning through engaging with nature.

There has been a great deal of research in recent years about the importance of nature play for children and statistics indicate children are now spending less and less time in unstructured play using natural materials or in contact with “wild” nature beyond the fence. Spending time in nature helps children thrive. There are many benefits for children including:

• Cognitively, by improving creativity, motivation, concentration, and academic performance (Murray & O’Brien 2002).  Communication, observational skills, problem solving and working memory and interest for further enquiry are also enhanced.
• Emotionally by lowering levels of stress and depression and by increasing confidence and self-esteem (Peacock 2007) and by providing opportunities for developing social skills, collaboration and the executive functions of inhibition and self-regulation.
• Physically by reducing risks of obesity and myopia and by improving healing and recovery. Children who play in dirt have less allergies.  
• Ethically by not just developing a respect for nature but by developing environmental stewardship and a stronger sense of concern and care for the environment in later life.

At preschool we actively encourage children to play with, and in, the natural environment to connect with nature. This can mean that their clothes become wet or dirty, so please ensure that there are spare clothes in your child’s bag.

Excursions and Incursions

Excursions and incursions are an important part of our preschool program.  Educators explicitly plan for and organise excursions or special visitors which support our learning program. These activities occur regularly throughout the year and could include musicians, dancers, puppeteers, cultural groups and other performers.  Parents are asked to contribute to the cost of these events, with the preschool also subsidising the cost.          

Education Support Services

A number of education support services are available through the preschool. These include the services of speech pathologist, psychologist, special education teachers, social workers, and bilingual assistants. Please see the Director if you have any concerns about your child’s development and for more information on referral procedures.

Educators actively monitor children’s development and where concerns are observed, may wish to make a referral to Support Services for assessment or specialist advice. Any referrals will always be discussed with you prior to being made.

Children's health and safety

Food and allergy awareness

Good nutrition involves eating a variety of foods. Encouraging healthy choices from an early age ensures good habits in the future. Children with appropriate nutrition have improved cognitive development, attention span, work capacity, behaviour and attendance at preschool and school. Establishing healthy eating patterns at a young age provides a critical foundation for good eating patterns in adult life. At Lockleys Children’s Centre we encourage families to send fruit, vegetables, cheese and lunches to the centre with their children. Use our traffic light guide at the end of this policy document (Appendix 1) to assist you in making good choices.

Our centre:

• promotes and teaches food safety to children as part of the curriculum
• encourages staff to access training as appropriate to the Right Bite Strategy
• provides adequate hand washing facilities for everyone
• promotes and encourages correct hand washing procedures with children and staff

Our Food and Allergy Awareness policy does not allow for items containing NUTS or NUT products, including muesli bars to be brought into the Children’s Centre due to some children having severe, life threatening allergies.  At times, other foods may need to be excluded due to children’s specific medical requirements.  Staff will engage in conversations with families regarding the suitability of foods to be brought into the Centre and families will be notified via our newsletter, Seesaw app and white board.

According to the Food Safety Standards developed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand, when reheating foods a heat process should be used that rapidly heats the food to a temperature of 60 degrees Centigrade or above. As we are not able to guarantee that food will be heated in accordance with the Food Safety Standards we ask that you do not provide food for your child that requires heating. If you would like to send hot foods, please send in a thermos which will keep food at the appropriate temperature.

Please see our website for full details of our policy.

Illness and accidents at preschool

If your child is not well please keep them at home and contact preschool to let us know.  If children are unwell at preschool, they will be cared for until a parent or emergency contact person can collect them. We do not have the facilities to care for sick children, nor is it fair to expose other children to infections.  

Children must stay home for 24 hours after vomiting or diarrhoea or until they have been on antibiotics for an illness for 24 hours.

At preschool we use the Staying Healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services 5th ed., to guide our practice. You can find further information about childhood illnesses and exclusion periods on the SA Health website – https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au

Should your child have a minor accident at preschool that requires first aid, you will be notified via a note in your child’s notice file. Should your child require medical treatment, you or your emergency contact will be telephoned. In more serious emergencies, an ambulance will be called immediately.

All educators have First Aid, Asthma, and Anaphylaxis Training to industry standard (HLTDAID0004).

Some types of accidents are reportable to the Education Standards Board. These include any incident or accident for which medical attention is sought, including by a parent after the fact. The Centre will report such matters to the Department for Education which will then make a notification to the Education Standards Board.

Immunisation

The preschool request and keep copies of a child’s immunisation records while they are enrolled at the service and parents/carers are legally required to provide their child’s immunisation records to the early childhood service. As you will have already given your immunisation record upon enrolment, please provide an updated immunisation record after your child receives a scheduled immunisation.

Immunisation history statements can be accessed through

• Medicare online account through myGov
• Express Plus Medicare mobile app (through an existing myGov account)
• Contacting the Australian Immunisation Register general enquiries line on 1800 653 809 and requesting a statement be mailed out to you.

If you have any questions or require any assistance with this please speak with the Director.

From time to time the centre hosts immunisation clinics according to when there is a need in the community. Please let centre staff know is this service would be useful to you so that we can determine need.

Health checks - Child and Youth Health

All children will have the opportunity to have a comprehensive health screening with a Child and Youth Health nurse during their preschool year. This is arranged with you prior to your child starting school.

Staffing arrangements

Lockleys Children’s Centre operates a number of Department for Education programs including preschool, occasional care and playgroup. The centre is staffed at an educator to child ratio of 1:11 in line with regulations. We frequently have more staff than is required and we are enabled to provide the time and focus your child needs.

Our experienced and knowledgeable educators are fully qualified to teach children in the early years and all have current working with children checks. Our educators have current first aid training and are trained in mandatory reporting of child abuse and also have a range of other specialist skills and knowledge.

We employ staff with specialist skills to meet your child’s learning and development needs including support workers to assist speech and language and bilingual workers to assist children who have a language other than English.

Additionally we have access to a range of support services provided by the department including speech pathology and psychology, which help us to meet your child’s learning and development needs.

Our centre also works with other Government agencies and community services to offer programs that support children, families and the community. Together we offer a comprehensive range of education, care, child and allied health, family support, parenting and community engagement programs. We are delighted to be able to offer these comprehensive services to support you and your child.

Physical environment

Lockleys Children’s Centre was purpose built in 2014 and is a contemporary space designed to enhance children’s learning. The space is large and far exceeds the regulated space per child.

Our indoor environment offers:

• Lots of natural light
• A calm environment with natural materials and furnishings
• Space for large and small groups
• A library space
• A large withdrawal room for group times
• Opportunity for children to self-select resources and activities

Our outdoor environment is a large natural play space and offers:

• Established garden and trees
• Opportunity for children to engage with nature
• A large covered sandpit
• A platform and stage
• Swings
• Water and mud play
• A lawn for activities and games

Relationships with children

Genuine and respectful relationships between educators and children is critical to children’s learning. At our preschool we take a genuine interest in every child and this is at the heart of the learning program we design for them.

Every educator works to build a relationship with your child and to get to know them and understand their interests. Our educators work directly with children individually and in small groups to engage them in conversation and activities that facilitate their learning.  Our staffing roster is designed to foster relationships between educators and children and to provide a core team of staff to ensure continuity of relationships.

Connection and relationship between educators and staff is essential to your child’s wellbeing and emotional and social development. Educators are highly responsive to children’s needs in this regard and assist them to develop in these areas so that they feel safe and secure at preschool.

Dispositions for learning

Through our relationships and learning programs we aim to assist children to develop positive dispositions for learning so that they can be life-long learners. Dispositions are enduring habits or ways of being that assist children in their learning. Our educators assist children to develop the following positive dispositions for learning:

• independence – children are self-directed and take responsibility
• agency – children make choices and decisions in their learning
• confidence – children are willing to take risks and explore places and people unfamiliar to them
• persistence  – children engage with an activity until they are satisfied with their progress
• curiosity – children explore, ask questions and problem solve
• cooperation – children are able to work in groups, take turns, share and collaborate

Maximising positive behaviour

Our behaviour guidance strategies take a positive relationship-based approach that supports children’s self-esteem and our aim is for all children to develop as socially competent individuals who can:

• experiment and take risks
• use their initiative
• choose positive behaviours
• share and communicate with others
• express their feelings  confidently and respectfully
• handle conflict in an appropriate manner
• be responsible for their actions
• respect and care for themselves, their peers and the environment

To facilitate these aims we maximise positive behaviours in the following ways:

• explicitly teaching and modelling acceptable behaviours
• having consistent routines, rules and expectations
• focusing on the behaviour and not the child
• helping children to understand the consequences of their behaviour – both positive and negative
• using visual strategies to support children’s understanding of routines, expectations and choices

Our Interactions with children: positive behaviour policy is available on our website.

Being involved in your child’s learning adds to their experience and sends a clear message that their education is important to you. Parents and caregivers who volunteer are a huge resource for preschool. Aboriginal people and people from diverse backgrounds have a lot to offer and are encouraged to be involved. There are many ways to help.

We encourage your involvement in our programs at whatever level or capacity you are able to offer. Please feel free to stay and have a coffee and chat, spend some time playing with your child or check with the educators if there are any odd jobs that need doing.

If you’re wondering how you can be involved, consider the suggestions below:

• Share your family’s culture
• Give time at preschool during session times (playing with small groups of children, helping children with puzzles, etc)
• Support fundraising events
• Read stories with small groups of children
• Demonstrate a hobby or craft or play a musical instrument
• Assist with end of session clean-up
• Become a member of the Governing Council
• Volunteer for sewing (particularly mending!)
• Help with excursions and special events
• Help with collection of “junk” materials (boxes for making, paper, envelopes, card, ice-cream containers etc)

Partnerships with families and communities

Our diverse families and community are an asset to our preschool and you are warmly invited and encouraged to consider sharing your culture, talents or skills with us.

Playgroup

The centre runs playgroups for families with children under school age during term times. Please see our term timetable or our website for details. Bookings are currently required for playgroup.  Please contact our Administration Officer for more information.

Occasional Care

We have Occasional Care for children aged 6 months to 4 years who are not booked into a another type of early childhood service. A priority of access according to need determines the allocation of places, on a term by term basis. Please see our term timetable or our website for details, or contact our Administration Officer for more information.

Community Services

There are a variety of community services families can be involved with, please see the term timetable which is available in the foyer, and is also published in our newsletter and on our website. We work with the Department for Human Services to support our families and the community and a Community Development Coordinator and a Family Practitioner are based at our centre.

School Transition

We have a strong relationship with Lockleys North Primary School and many of our children transition to the school. We undertake regular visits to the school to use the oval and the library and to also join in with the Reception class for shared activities. We also host the reception class at preschool on a regular basis. All children participate in these activities program regardless of their school destination providing a valuable experience and familiarity with school.

Please note that enrolment into Lockleys Children’s Centre does not automatically guarantee enrolment at Lockleys North Primary School.  Please contact the school to determine whether you live within the zone for enrolment.

Please ensure you enrol your child at your chosen school a minimum of 6 months in advance.   Schools in the area conduct tours or information mornings for parents of preschool children.

With your permission, we will provide your school of choice with your child’s end of year Statement of Learning which will give the teacher some insight into your child’s learning journey at preschool.

Governance and leadership

Preschool Governing Council

A Governing Council is elected annually and is made up of a group of interested and dedicated parents working for the benefit of all children at the Children’s Centre. The Governing Council works with the Director to govern and lead the preschool and the role includes:

• Financial management of the Centre
• Developing Centre policy
• Encouraging parent involvement
• Organising and running fund-raising activities
• Supporting the children and staff in organised activities
• Performing maintenance work on the Centre building and grounds
• Keeping informed of recent developments in early childhood education
• Having valuable and valued input to the Lockleys Children’s Centre curriculum and other areas of its day to day running
• Organising opportunities for parents to meet and get to know each other, e.g. parenting and social events

Your support can be as small or large as you wish. Please see the Director or the current Chairperson for more information.

The Governing Council meets at the preschool twice each term and works for the benefit of every child but can only achieve maximum effectiveness with the support of all families attending our Children’s Centre. Please help in any way you can. New members are always welcome!

Quality Improvement Plan

Every year the Centre develops a Quality Improvement Plan which sets out the actions we will take to reflect on our program and services and to continuously improve. The plan is developed with staff and families and is approved by the Governing Council. Our plan is available on our website.

Children’s Centre Leadership

Working in a collaborative and connected away across all of the programs in our centre ensures that we are all working together towards our common goal in supporting children, families and the community. Leaders from the different agencies that offer programs in the Centre occur regularly to ensure good communication, strong relationships and to share ideas and information.

Policies

The Centre has a range of policies as required by the Department for Education as well as policies required under the National Education and Care regulations.

The policies provide important information and guidance to families, educators and the Governing Council, about how we implement our programs and associated procedures. All policies are regularly reviewed and parents and families are invited to contribute to regular policy reviews. All policies are approved by the Governing Council.

Our policies are available on our website.

Concerns and Complaints

There may be times when you have concerns or issues that need a formal process or response. In line with the Department for Education policy our preschool has a ‘Parent Concerns and Complaints Policy’ which outlines the appropriate procedures to follow.  This policy indicates your child’s preschool should be the first point of contact for parents, followed by the Local Education Office, and then the Parent Complaint Unit if the complaint cannot be resolved at the local level.

• Preschool contact phone number:            8443  5758
• Local Education Office:                             8416  7333
• Parent Complaint Unit                              1800 677 435                    

Lockleys Children’s Centre is part of the West Torrens Partnerships Group of the Department for Education. The Educational Director is located at the Flinders Park District Office and can be contacted on 8416 7333.

Further information about Department for Education programs and services is available on the web at www.education.sa.gov.au.

Please be assured that any issues raised with us are confidential and we will work in an open way with you to successfully resolve any issues.

National Quality Framework

All early childhood education and care services are regulated by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). ACECQA administers the National Quality Framework which includes early years curriculum, legislation and regulations and the National Quality Standard, and conducts assessment and rating of services every 3-5 years

Our preschool was last assessed in 2017 and we achieved an Exceeding rating. A date for our next assessment has not been set as yet.

Occasional care

Occasional care is for children under school age who aren’t in any other early childhood education and care programs, such as preschool, childcare or family day care. It promotes young children’s development by giving them access to high-quality early childhood education.

It may help parents to take part in a range of activities including non-work and casual work commitments.

Priority of access

The education department has a priority of access policy to decide who can get into occasional care. This might mean that some families get more sessions than others.

Talk to us about enrolling in occasional care.

Cost

This program costs $5 per session and $2.50 for siblings.

If you have an Australian Government Pensioner Concession or Health Care Card, the cost is $1.50 per session and 75 cents for siblings.

Occasional care session times

Children generally can go to 1 session a fortnight.

What to bring

Your child needs to bring these items each day:

• bag
• broad-brimmed, legionnaire or sun-safe hat (without chin straps)
• change of clothes
• nappies if required
• drink bottle containing water
• healthy snack
• packed lunch.

Please write your child’s name on all their belongings.

Playgroups

Playgroups are offered in a way that best meets community needs and demand. Our playgroups offer sessions for mixed age groups as well as specific playgroups for babies and for toddlers. We work with the Child and Family Health Service to provide a playgroup pathway for parents and babies in the CaFHS early parent groups.

Our current playgroups include:

• Little Learners Playgroup: Mondays 9.30am to 11.00am
• Learning Together Baby Playgroup: Mondays 1pm to 2.30pm

At Playgroup, your child will:

Have fun, learn how to share through play, discover how to get along with other children, learn and develop new skills, listen to music and stories, improve their abilities to solve problems, explore through play with water and sand, explore through painting and trying different kinds of art and craft, and have fun playing outdoors and going on outings and excursions

At Playgroup, parents/caregivers will:

Learn new skills, share experiences, play, learn and engage with children, make friends, interact socially, role model new skills and help to run the Playgroup. Source: Playgroup SA

Playgroup is an interactive, fun opportunity for children and parents to play and learn together. Our Learning Together playgroup is facilitated by our qualified playgroup coordinator.

• Change of clothes
• Fruit or healthy snack
• Nappies / Pull ups
• Bottle / Dummy
• Play mat (babies only)

Additional information

Bookings are required for this program. Please call the centre for more information.