School readiness program | Preschool | Childcare service | M

Not sure if you should enrol your kids in preschools? This article offers you a peek into Australian early childhood education, including what is a school readiness program, the differences between preschool and childcare services, and Child Care Subsidy. Whether you are new parents, or new immigrants planning to take a childcare degree, here are fundamental concepts you MUST know!

What is a school readiness program?

What is school readiness? It refers to a child’s readiness to make a smooth transition into the school environment. It can be classified into various skills, including language, social, physical and self-care abilities.

Many preschools or daycare service centers offer school readiness programs to prepare children for integrating into the school environment. For example, help the children develop the language skills to formulate sentences with age-appropriate grammar and word order, or the social skills to engage with others verbally and non-verbally, or self-care ability to manage their emotions.

In 2020, more than 300,000 children aged 4 – 5 were enrolled in a preschool program. Many enrolled through centre-based daycare services (50%), the others primarily through preschools (40%).

Preschool vs Childcare Service

Similarities

They offer school readiness programs, where children learn through playing or engaging, hands-on methods. This setting strictly follows Australia’s national curriculum called Early Years Learning Framework, designed to foster a supportive and nurturing environment for children to be educated and cared for. Both childcare services and preschools are required to abide by the National Law and Regulations, and be assessed under National Quality Framework by the Department of Education every few years. The educational programs must be designed and run by university-qualified early childhood teachers. Therefore, parents can be assured of the childcare quality and their kids’ safety.

Differences

Preschool

Opening hours: 9am - 3pm and closes during school holidays • Meals: Not provided
Age group: 3 – 4 years old
Days of enrolments: 2 – 3 days

Childcare Service

Opening hours: 7:30am - 6pm and opens year-round
Meals: Provided
Age group: 0 – 5 years old
Days of enrolments: A minimum of 2 days

These are simply the usual practices. Parents should check with individual centers or preschools before deciding. Generally speaking, childcare services are more suitable for working parents.

Child Care Subsidy

The Australian Government provides a Child Care Subsidy to help parents with the cost of child care. The subsidy is directly paid to child care providers. In 2020, over 1.2 million children were eligible for a Child Care Subsidy.

Raising a newborn in a foreign country could be intimidating. Hope this article could shed some light on your kid’s early childhood education!