Nat12

Ive got a nearly 3 yr old little boy (we will be out in Oct and he is 3 in Dec)
Obviously over here he would be starting nursery with his free place in Jan.
We are going to Melbourne and will not be residents as my Hubby is going to be a student in bricklaying.
WE have family to stay with first off etc.
But my question is what can I expect my sont o be doing/attending over there??
Or can anyone point me int he right direction...??? pretty please???
He is very active and needs to be doing something everyday to keep him occupied and use up all that energy (typical little boy)
I would like it if he could possibly go somewhere without me as I also need to find a job etc, he is currently left in the creche here for a few hours a week and is fine.
Anyone also got any ideas on prices as well as we will be on a tight budget I would imagine!
Thankyou for reading and sorry for all the questions

cambridge lot

Hi

I'm in Brisbane, but work in Childcare here at day care centres.
From the many places I have visited, best to decide what it is you want for your child as the centres here in qld are all very different.

The best are not always the big major companies, you can get some great individual centres and small business run centres.

Have no idea on prices as all my kids are at school.

Also look for Family Day Care (equiv to childminders) I use a lady for afterschool which I prefer to centres.

Look at there policies, the rooms, daily routines, programs for learning, look for a colourful centre that displays kids work that is kids work and not major input of adult. Be nosy, and ask lots of questions, go back for a second look, things are alway different on a second visit, ask about staff ratios, they are different here, more kids per adult. Spend time at the centre to see how things work.

It is a very personal choice, some centres have no natural enviroment outside (ie grass/plants etc) they are covered in special surface.

Again decide what you want, that may be after you have looked at some, demand here in Brisbane is great so it can be difficult to get into, not sure on Melbourne, maybe someone else could help you with that.

I hope this helps

Nat12

Hello and Thanks for replying.
So there is only really a choice from Family day care and Childcare centres then for a child of his age?
I was just worried about him getting behind for when he starts school there as here he would be at nursery.
So is a childcare centre similar to our nurseries here and would he be mixing with all ages babys etc as well as children his own age?
I was just hoping to get him in somewhere with a bit of structure like for what they have when they are 3 over here.
I think you are right in that I will have to look around and see what I like etc.
Thanks again

cambridge lot

The kids start school later here, the centres are run like nurseries and children are educated to early years levels, numbers, shapes, colours, social, emotional, cognitive etc very similiar to uk, they do pre-prep at the centres, which is very much like the UK play groups, structured education. the children are seperated by ages, so he would be in a room with children on similar age and mix with the others when outside play. You don't nee to worry about him being behind for school. Like I said all centres are different, they do all follow a curriculum, some maybe better than others.

Geelong Gent

ELC (Early Learning Centres) cater for 3 and 4 year olds before they go on to Prep.

Depending on birthdate determines which year they start - born before I think End of April or May means they can start in that year - so being a Dec baby he should be fine to start in the Feb intake.

The cost (now not sure about your visa status) used to be 30% claimed back - that is now up to 50%.

I think the range of cost is between $50 - $75+ per day - check with the local schools if they have one attached. The other options are the various nursery and daycare centres. I think you can attend for a few hours to a few days per week.

There will be alot of playareas no matter which area you end up - that and swimming pools (and the beach) do help drain that eternal energy.

mandyp

Hi, we're over on a student visa too and our daughter is 3 and a half. The only bad thing about being here is that she would have had almost a full year in nursery by now, she had four weeks before we left to come over.

She asks me every day when can she go to a nursey or when can she go to school, but we just cant afford it!! The cheapest centre I can find (day care, similar to day nurseries back in Scotland), are the non for profit or community day centres at around $55 per day. I have found one that can do a casual place for $8 per hour (min 2 hours per day) which I may send her too but just don't want to start something we may not be able to continue with.

As she turns 4 in Febuary, I could have put her name down at a C&K to start in January but have now left it too late, they are only around $30 per day and although still full days, it's split 2 or 3 days per week.

I'm not sure if you know but being over on a student visa, we have to pay full costs.

Family day care (childminders) is probably the cheapest option, they are around $5 p/h so this may be a better option for you?

Good luck
Mandy

Nat12

Hiya Mandy,
Sorry to sound thick but what is C&K??


So from what people are saying it looks like he could go to a similar nursery placement but obviously at a full cost which I doubt we could afford
Do you mind me asking if you work and who is the student? yourself or your partner?
Im just worried if I get a job and then my son has to go into childcare (as it will be good for him and he will need to if Im working) that all the money I will earn will go on childcare!?
It sounds like family day care would possibly be a good option, do you think they do structured activities with them etc.

Thanks to everybody for their input

comet555

C&K is a preschool. http://www.candk.asn.au/

My daughter goes to one, they generally have big waiting lists so I'd get your name down at the local ones as soon as you can. It's only $10 to go on the waiting list. We got lucky last year. I only put my daughters name down around mid October and a spot opened up in mid January about a week or two before the first term started. So for $10 it's still worth it to put your name down now just in case.

Also.... students come and go and they've filled quite a few spots during the year. A student just left last week actually, so it never hurts to have your name down.

Anyway.... ours cost $20 a day and the hours are 8:30-2pm. It does vary centre to centre though. This is the one in Cleveland (Bayside, Brisbane, QLD).

mandyp

Hiya, hubby is the student he's doing cabinet making I'm at home full time. I work at the weekends so it works out pretty good for us at the moment with childcare. I'm casual though, so if I dont get a weekend shift but get offered a week day shift it can be very frustrating. . .

Do you also know that you can only work 20 hours per week?

Family day care would probably be your best bet for low cost and may possibly be more flexible. I suppose it's just about finding or being recomended someone who is pretty good. . . much like finding a good centre.

I'm a qualified nursery nurse myself so i can assure you that any form of childcare, no matter where it is, is only as good as the people who organise/work there.

Good luck
Mandy

Pomster

We live in Melbourne and there are a few options.

Local council run centres- have longish waiting lists, but more of an issue for under 2s (council has higher staff to child ratio requirements). In my council about $65 per day.

ABC- privately run centres. I am not a fan but I know lots of people like them. About $70 per day

Co-ops- run by committee of parents. Similar to council

Childminders- parents registered with council and have homes checked for safety etc. Not sure about price although a mum from my mother's group does this!

My company has a part share in a centre and my daughter goes to this- so some employers have a centre but this is quite unusual.

Nat12

Hello,
Thanks all for replying
I think after web searching and all of everyones info I would prefer him to go to some sort of preschool, so the hours are are around 8.30am - 2pm thats not bad and probably more than enough for him. Didnt really want to put him in somewhere all day.
Yes I read that I can only work 20 hours that suits me quite well as didnt want to work full time yet. Wa hoping to maybe get some sort of TA job in a school or something similar or maybe something in the social care sector, was hoping for a TA job as the hours would probably fit in better with preschool.
So am I right in thinking that he will be able to attend a preschool if he is 3 in December and he will start in Feb???and that will be until he starts school when hes 5 basically??
Or am I wrong?
I have also looked on that ABC website and I think I would still prefer a preschool but obviously easier to find out more once we are out there.
Anyone know any companies who do preschooling in Melbourne?? We will be staying at Sanctuary Lakes if that means anything??
Thankyou very much to all of you for your help and sorry to ask so many questions I just dont want my son to miss out

comet555

I believe the kindy at the C&K they have to be 4 by June 30th, so your child would not be old enough. Good to put your name down though for the following year.

Yes, your child would start school when they were 5. My daughter turns 5 at the end of December and she will be starting school at the end of January. So your child will have 2 more years (and a bit) before school.

I don't know of any preschools that would offer a program for a 3 year old. The best you might be able to do would be to find a good kindy program offered at a daycare. There are several places around here that specialize in the slightly older children (age 2.5 years to 5). There are usually several rooms grouped by age.

Don't worry, your son will not be missing out. Just get him into some sort of kindy program until he's old enough to go to a C&K.

Rosscarbery

Most of the specific pre-schools around here (Sydney) seem to take 3 year olds for two days a week then the 4 year olds go 3 days a week. One of the main problems with that though is that you can't choose which days they go.

The cost is around $45-$50 per day for 9-3.

Nat12

Hiya and Thanks.
Have got a number for the ABC centre so will ring them tommorow to see about spaces (obviously will go and look and see if we like it once out there)
Thanks all for info and I got it wrong its not sanctuary lakes its Manor lakes lol sounds the same

Cheshire Karen

Hi my little boy is 31/2 years and is in Independant Daycare in Brisbane, has been since we arrived 6 months ago.
From my experience, daycare here is very much childminding, don't expect it to be the same as Nursery in the UK, it is very different. Some examples I have experienced and heard about from friends with children in daycare:

- UK nursery my kids attended had structured play activities and themes ie: 'The seaside' where they did a range of activities focused on that theme - say painting a fish, reading a book about an outing to the seaside, making a sea collage etc. Here in Brissy they do all the activities - painting etc. but there is no theme or expanded / linked play.

- Don't expect to get an individualised report on how your childs day has been. This is not common, although they have a general report on activities conducted on the wall, very limited info on how your child has participated in it.

- Staff seem to sit back and supervise rather than engage to a large extent, provide materials, environment but do not expand play / thought processes.

- Can be a massive turnover of staff in centres, so definitely ask this question.

- Many do not provide food, so you may have to prepare meals.

If you are not able to get a c&K place, most daycare centres provide a pre prep program. How good this is is really unknown, unlike the UK there is very limited infomation how how effective a centre is, it is very much based upon word of mouth and experience. Something you don't have when you first get here. the same applies to C&K, some are known as being good, some aren't!

C&K is based upon 'learning through play' and in the centres I have visited they expand play. C& K to me seems a better option, as it does to many.

C&K are hailed as the best pre prep program and as such it can be ridiculously difficult to get a place. My advice would be to get his name down as soon as you can, you may have to travel to get a place.

Basically in QLD:

3-4 - Kindy
4-5 - Pre Prep
5-6 - prep
6 onwards - school

There are always Playgroups to occupy your little one, again very hit and miss but i have stumbled on quite a few good ones. Do a search for Playgroup Australia.

Sorry to be a little pessimistic, my boy likes his daycare but I don't think he is stimulated as much as he was in the UK. I am bricking it as we haven't got a C&K place yet and teh thought of another year in daycare does not appeal, but thats another story.

Hope this helps.