Enrolment and fees - Surrey Downs Kindergarten

Enrolment and fees

When your child can start preschool

Your child is entitled to access 4 terms (1 year) of government preschool in the year before they start school.

We are introducing a mid-year intake into preschool. This means from 2023 children who turn 4:

before 1 May are eligible to start preschool at the beginning of the year.
on 1 May to 31 October can start preschool through the mid-year intake at the beginning of term 3 of that year.

Regardless of whether your child starts at the beginning of the year, or through a mid-year intake they will undertake 4 terms of preschool.

If your child turns 4 after 31 October they can start preschool at the beginning of the following year.

If you are uncertain about the best time for your child to start preschool or feel your child may benefit from starting preschool later, please talk to us about your options.

If your child is Aboriginal or under guardianship (in care) they are eligible for 12 hours of preschool after they turn 3. They will then be eligible for 15 hours per week of preschool in the year before they start school.

Early entry

If you have a child with disability or additional needs, they might be able to start preschool earlier if there are places available. Talk to us if this applies to you. Being given early entry to preschool does not guarantee early entry to school.

Enrolling your child

You can register your interest to enrol your child with us by using the preschool registration of interest form. This form is also available from us.

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 we can give your child a place with us we’ll send you an offer letter in term 1 for midyear intake or term 3 for the following year. You can accept the offer by filling in and sending back the acceptance slip by the due date.

Before your child starts

An information session for new parents will be held in the term before your child starts. Two stay and play sessions will also be held for you and your child to explore the Kindy space with children who will be attending with your child. Families will receive a booklet of what to expect when starting Kindy.

Fees

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

The parent contribution is $440 per year. You can choose to pay the total amount at the beginning of the year with a $40 discount making the yearly fee $400 or pay 4 instalments of $110 each term.

We offer other programs that may have an additional cost.

When to pay

We will invoice you via your child's pocket at the kindy.

We have a policy that no child will miss out on kindergarten because of financial hardship. Please feel free to discuss any fee issues privately with the director.

How to pay

Cash or cheque

You can pay cash or cheque at the kindy. Please put the payment in one of the envelopes found on top of the red money box that is on the kitchen divider bench. Write on the envelope your child's name, the amount and what item the payment is for. Put the envelope in the red payments box. We will put the receipt in your child's pocket.

EFT information

You can pay by direct deposit. See the invoice for account details. Please put your child’s full name as the reference.

Immunisations

When you enrol your child you will be asked to provide evidence of their immunisation status.