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Are places available for the day/s and hour/s I need?
Does the preschool operate throughout the year or only during specific times like school terms?
Does the preschool offer a funded kindergarten program?
What are the fees?
Are there any other costs over and above the fees?
Is there a fee to be placed on the waiting list?
Does the preschool offer extended care?
How does the preschool support children with additional needs?
What is the process if my child is unwell, upset, or unsettled?
Are food and drink provided for the children?
What is the process for administering medication?
What are the class ratios of students to educators?
How does the preschool deal with children with allergies and how attacks are avoided?
How is discipline handled? 
Is toilet training required?
Do the children nap regularly?
 

 

Are there any questions you have which have not been answered here?  If so we would like to encourage you to go to our Contact page and ask us directly.

 

 

Are places available for the day/s and hour/s I need?

Syndal preschool runs a sessional preschool program. We offer one 3 year old preschool group and three 4 year old preschool groups, attend 2 days per week on a rotational model.

 

3 year old preschool sessions are scheduled on a Monday 8.30am - 4.00pm and Wednesday 8.30am - 4:00pm, offering a total of 15 hours preschool per week. Due to the sessional nature of our preschool, these time are not negotiable.

 

For 4 year old preschool, we offer three groups (Red, Blue and Yellow group). You have the option to choose one of these. All groups attend kindergarten for a total of 15 hours per week over specific days and session times. Again, due to the sessional nature of our preschool, once you have chosen a preference of group, these times are not negotiable

 

For further information regarding our 3 and 4 year old Kindergarten groups, available days and sessions times, please see the Session Times page. 

Does the preschool operate throughout the year or only during specific times like school terms?

Syndal Preschool operates according to Victorian State School terms.

Does the preschool offer a funded kindergarten program?

Syndal Preschool's 3 year old and 4 year old kindergarten programs, are primarily funded by the Victorian State Government and free.

What are the fees?

There are no fees, a deposit of $200 on accepting your position to be refunded in Term 1 or 2.

Are there any other costs over and above the fees?

No - all other costs are covered.  The preschool does not hold Working Bees and as such there is no requirement to pay a Working Bee Levy.

Is there a fee to be placed on the waiting list?

All Preschools Enrolments throughout the City of Monash are organised by The City of Monash Central Enrolment Scheme. Families may put their child's name on a waiting list for both 3 & 4 year old kindergarten.

 

Waiting List fee prices are determined by The City of Monash.  For more information on the City of Monash Central Enrolment Scheme please see our Enrolments page.

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Does the preschool offer extended care?

Syndal Preschool offers a sessional preschool program, as such there is no scope for extended care. Children are enrolled according to their individual group, session times only.

How does the preschool support children with additional needs?

Syndal Preschool is inclusive of all children.  All educators are experienced in supporting children with additional needs to ensure the best outcomes for children and families.

 

Educators work with families as well as specialist children's services to ensure all children are supported in their educational journey.

 

Where children have pre-existing additional needs, educators will meet with families prior to enrolment to discuss any specific arrangements or requirements which may be of benefit.

 

Kindergarten Inclusion Support (KIS) funding is available for children with specific additional needs. Educators will discuss the benefits and requirements for accessing this type of support on an individual basis.

 

Educators offer referral to a variety of specialist children's services throughout the preschool year.

 

Should you feel your child requires additional support within the preschool environment, please speak with our educators prior to your child beginning preschool, so we are able to put in place the best possible support systems right from the start.

What is the process if my child is unwell, upset, or unsettled?

Should your child become unwell, upset or unsettled whilst at preschool, educators will endeavour to assist your child to feel safe, secure and engaged within the program. Should they remain distressed, educators will contact you and discuss the best option for your child. This may include, spending some time with your child at preschool or picking up your child, should they be unwell.

 

Should you have concerns regarding your child settling at preschool, please always feel welcome to call educators during a session to check how your child has settled that day.

Are food and drink provided for the children?

Children bring their own snacks, lunch, afternoon tea and water bottle to preschool. Bringing familiar food from home can be reassuring for children, especially if it is their first educational experience away from their family. Managing lunch boxes and water bottles promotes independence and self-esteem. We promote heathy eating and regularly discuss 'everyday' and 'sometimes' foods with the children. There are preplanned occasions during preschool sessions where children are involved in cooking experiences as part of the preschool program. Parents are notified prior to these experiences and all allergies, food intolerances and dietary requirements are catered for. Following cooking experiences, children are offered the food they have prepared. This is additional to their normal snack or lunch, brought from home. 

What is the process for administering medication?

According to government regulations, educators are only allowed to administer medication with specific permission from parents.

 

Parents are required to complete a medication form if it is necessary for educators to administer medication during the session.  All medication is required to be passed onto educators for safe keeping- no medication is to be kept in children's bags.

 

For ongoing medical conditions such as asthma, epilepsy, or allergic conditions, a medical management plan completed by your general practitioner must be provided prior to educators administering medication. Once this has been received, educators will compile a risk minimisation plan in conjunction with parents, to support the health and well-being of the individual child. Medication will then be administered according to the individual medical management plan.

 

Medication for ongoing conditions is kept in the 'Allergy Buddy' bags located within the preschool office. These bags go everywhere with the individual child, ensuring their medication is readily available should it be required.

 

What are the class ratios of students to educators?

 The ratio of students to educators is governed by the Children's Services Regulations, which state that for children over the age of three the minimum ratio must be, 11 children to 1 educator.

All our preschool groups are capped at 22 children and are staffed by two qualified early childhood educators.

 

How does the preschool deal with children with allergies and anaphylaxis?

Syndal Preschool is an ALLERGY AWARE centre. We ask that no food containing the allergen is brought into the preschool centre. Children are actively supervised during all meal times and sharing of food is not permitted. The preschool keeps one EpiPen Junior auto-injector devices at the preschool for emergency use.

All children with allergies are required to have an up to date Allergy Action Plan completed by their general practitioner and to provide the preschool with the appropriate medication as advised by their doctor.

Once the Allergy Action Plan has been received, educators will compile a risk minimisation plan in conjunction with parents, to support the health and well-being of the individual child and reduce the risk of an allergic reaction. Medication is required to be kept at the preschool. It is stored in the 'Allergy Buddy' bags located within the preschool office. These bags go everywhere with the individual child, ensuring their medication is readily available should it be required. Risk minimisation plans are compiled prior to every incursion and excursion, to limit the possibility of a child with allergies coming into contact with their allergen.

Medication is administered according to each child's individual Allergy Action Plan.

 

How is discipline handled?

We focus on positive reinforcement for all children. Children are actively encouraged to support each other, work cooperatively together and negotiate solutions to problems. By teaching children these skills we aims to assist all children to further develop their social interactions, manage their own emotions and behaviour while responding to others in an appropriate manner.

 

Is toilet training required?

Children are encouraged to have begun toilet training by the time they start 3 year old kindergarten. We appreciate children develop at varying rates and not all children will be completely toilet trained by this time. Should your child still be working towards toileting independence, we are very happy to work with you to achieve a positive outcome for your child.

Young children do have toileting accidents occasionally. These incidents are handled by educators with care and consideration for the child. Please supply a change of clothes for your child, so they can feel more comfortable and confident should they require changing.

 

Do the children nap regularly?

Children are not required to nap at a specific time. We do have provision for individual quiet time should your child need a rest during their busy preschool day. Throughout the preschool year, children are encouraged to join in relaxation times to assist them to manage their emotions and behaviour when feel overwhelmed or overtired. A risk minimisation has been written and is available at the service and on request.