Absolutely! Our core philosophy is to ensure every individual has access and can participate fully in all aspects of our program. We firmly believe that every child deserves the opportunity to learn new things, feel safe and valued, be supported to contribute, make their own choices, play with friends, and develop independence.

Our dedicated Inclusion Support Leader, Gwynne, is here to support all children, their families, and our educators. This structure ensures that we maintain a quality and purposeful learning environment for every child. This includes providing support with Individual Learning Plans, working closely with Allied Health Workers, assisting with funding applications, and generally supporting your child’s entire preschool journey.

We believe that a strong partnership between families and our educators is key to your child’s success and wellbeing. We understand that discussing concerns about your child’s development can sometimes feel daunting, but we want to assure you that our team is here to listen without judgment and to support you fully.

We genuinely encourage you to feel open and trust us enough to share any observations or concerns you have about your child’s development, no matter how small they may seem. You know your child best, and your insights are invaluable. The sooner we can work together to understand and address any potential developmental needs, the better equipped we are to provide the most effective support and resources for your child’s individual growth and learning journey.

Please know that our primary goal is always to ensure every child thrives. We’re committed to having honest, collaborative conversations and exploring solutions together. If you ever have a concern, please don’t hesitate to speak with your child’s educator or our dedicated Inclusion Support leader.

To ensure your child has the fuel they need for a busy day of learning and play, children are required to bring a packed lunchbox from home each day. This should include healthy options for “Crunch & Sip” (fruit/vegetable break), morning tea, and lunch.
** Our Magpie class will also need an afternoon tea packed.

While we don’t provide daily meals, we occasionally incorporate fun cooking experiences into our program, and we’ll always let you know about these in advance.

As part of preparing for “big school,” we focus on developing important self-help skills. Children will learn to independently open their lunchboxes and food packaging. We also strongly emphasise the importance of not sharing food with friends and will discuss potential class allergens (ie: nuts and raw egg products) to ensure the safety and well-being of all children, particularly concerning allergies and dietary requirements.

We are an allergy-aware service and are deeply committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all children in our care. We will always endeavour to protect every child from allergen risks.

For any child with allergies, we will work closely with families to complete all appropriate documentation upon enrolment. This ensures we have a comprehensive understanding of your child’s specific needs.

To further uphold our commitment to safety, all of our staff receive annual training in first aid, asthma, anaphylaxis management, and CPR. We take all allergy concerns seriously, and our team diligently monitors and manages all potential risks as closely as possible to keep every child safe.

We understand that toilet training is a significant developmental milestone, and our team is here to support your child every step of the way. To ensure the best possible consistency and success, we kindly ask families to share their current toilet training methods and routines with our staff. This open communication helps us reinforce the great work you’re doing at home.

Please remember that we don’t provide nappies, and our supply of spare clothing is limited. During the toilet training process, it’s essential that you pack ample changes of fresh clothes daily for your child. This helps us ensure your child stays comfortable and happy throughout the day, even if accidents happen.

Absolutely! We understand that every child has unique needs when it comes to rest and relaxation. We provide comfortable spaces where children can unwind and rest. If your child happens to fall asleep, we’ll ensure they are monitored, safe, and comfortable throughout their sleep. Our educators are attuned to each child’s individual cues for rest, and we prioritise an approach to rest and sleep that is individualised, diverse, and inclusive.

Yes. We cannot enrol a child unless the parent/carer has provided documentation that shows that the child:

• is fully vaccinated for their age, or
• has a medical reason not to be vaccinated, or
• is on a recognised catch-up schedule if their child has fallen behind with their vaccinations.

This is a requirement of the Public Health Amendment (Review) 2017.

Certainly not, but there is an important connection between our preschool and the church. Our preschool operates as a ministry of the Bathurst Presbyterian Church, conveniently located right next door to our service. We deeply value our Christian foundation, which is woven into the fabric of our daily activities.

Each week, every class participates in a dedicated Bible time. During this engaging session, our Christian Education Leader, Rachel, shares stories directly from the Bible, helping children learn about Jesus in an age-appropriate and fun way. Children are also invited to pray with Rachel and enjoy singing and dancing to worship songs.

We joyfully celebrate Christian holidays like Easter and Christmas with special events held at the Church, and we warmly invite all our preschool families to join us for these celebrations. While our roots are firmly Christian, we want to emphasise that families of all denominations and backgrounds are wholeheartedly welcomed and included in our preschool community. We believe in fostering an environment of love, acceptance, and respect for everyone.

Our philosophy is to actively support an inclusive learning community where children can explore, solve problems, create and construct. Learning experiences offer children the opportunity to play and explore the whole environment in active and meaningful ways.

It’s completely understandable to seek the right environment for your child, and the idea of “structure” can mean different things to different families. At our preschool, our model is built on a rich foundation of learning through play. This approach is far from unstructured; in fact, it’s a highly intentional way to foster deep learning and development.

Through engaging in purposeful play, children are actively developing crucial skills that are essential for formal schooling and beyond. They’re exploring, experimenting, problem-solving, and collaborating. For instance, building with blocks isn’t just play; it’s hands-on learning about physics, spatial reasoning, and teamwork. Dramatic play helps children develop language, social skills, and emotional intelligence. Even seemingly simple activities have underlying learning objectives that are carefully planned by our educators. We create a stimulating environment with clear routines and boundaries, providing a predictable rhythm to the day that helps children feel secure. Within this framework, children have opportunities for both child-initiated and educator-guided activities, allowing them to follow their curiosities while also being introduced to new concepts. This balanced approach ensures they develop independence, creativity, and a love for learning, all while building the foundational skills they’ll need for kindergarten and their future school years.

No, it is not compulsory for your child to attend a NSW preschool before starting Kindergarten. However, for many children, attending preschool is highly beneficial. It significantly helps them to become more independent, develop crucial social skills by making friends, and gain valuable readiness for the school environment.

It’s worth noting that with only two community preschools currently established in Bathurst, places can be limited. While we strive to offer opportunities to as many local children as possible, we cannot guarantee a spot for every child. Thankfully, our wonderful town also has various long day care centres that offer excellent preschool programs within their services. These can be a fantastic alternative, especially for families who require more flexible care arrangements and longer hours than a traditional preschool might provide.

From 3 to 5 years your child is becoming more confident and independent. Children learn by playing, pretending and experimenting. This is building their coordination, their confidence and helping them prepare for starting school.

Preschool programs help children develop and learn through play-based activities. They can help children become more independent, make friends, and prepare for school. Research suggests that two years of preschool can help children develop better literacy, emotional, and social skills. 

However, enrolments cannot be guaranteed to every child when they are of age to attend preschool. We have a limit to how many children we can enrol at our service, so cannot guarantee when or if a place will be available for your child.

We understand that starting kindergarten is a significant milestone, and we’re committed to making this transition as smooth as possible for both your child and your family. That’s why we begin discussing kindergarten enrolment and the transition to school as soon as your child joins our preschool.

Our goal is to ensure all families are well-organised and fully informed about the process and expectations for the upcoming school years. We’ll provide ongoing information and support to help you navigate this exciting next step.

Yes, your child can certainly attend more than one early childcare service. We understand that this is often a necessity for families due to work and other commitments.

While attending multiple services may impact certain funding and fee relief credits, this is something each family needs to individually calculate and decide based on their specific circumstances.

We do appreciate it if you let us know if your child attends another service. This helps us better understand their weekly routine and transitions, allowing us to provide the most supportive and consistent environment for your child.

In each of our classes, you’ll find a ratio of 3 to 4 educators to 20 children. This allows our team to provide personalised attention and support to each child and family, helping with smooth transitions, settling in, and understanding your child’s unique daily routines.

Each class is led by a lead teacher who holds a minimum Bachelor of Early Childhood qualification. Supporting them are three assistant educators, all of whom have either a Bachelor, Diploma, or Certificate III in Early Childhood Education.

Our educators are highly experienced in early childhood education. They regularly attend professional development training to continuously enhance their skills and knowledge. Additionally, all staff maintain current Child Protection and First Aid qualifications, which are refreshed annually to ensure the highest standards of safety and care.

No, we do not offer flexible days or casual bookings. To provide the best possible consistency and stability for our learning program, our classes have set days with dedicated educators and a consistent group of children. This approach helps us create a secure and predictable environment for your child’s development and ensures the continuity of our educational activities.

Our class hours are set to ensure consistency and a smooth routine for all children.

For our Wombat, Bilby and Possum classes, the core hours are 9:00am to 3:00pm. If you require an earlier drop-off due to work commitments, the earliest we can welcome children is 8:45am. This is due to licensing requirements and staff rostering. To help your child settle into their morning routine, we generally recommend arrival between 9:00 and 9:30am.

For the Magpies class, we have an extended license. The earliest drop-off time for Magpies is strictly 8:30am. To help Magpies settle in, we recommend arrival between 8:30 and 9:00am.

Class end times are strictly observed as our staff have essential end-of-day duties once all children have departed.

If you anticipate running late for pick-up, please contact the office as soon as possible so we can make arrangements. We kindly ask that collection delays be avoided whenever possible, as being the last child to be picked up can be quite distressing for them.

Our classes are structured to ensure a minimum of 15 hours of our preschool program can be delivered to enrolled children each week. We have four distinct classes, with 20 children in each class, with 3-4 educators per cohort;

• Bilbies: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday from 9am to 3pm
• Possums: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 9am to 3pm
• Magpies: Thursday, Friday from 8.30am to 4pm
• Wombats: Monday, Tuesday from 9am to 3pm (12hrs / week, younger age group)

With the setup of our classes, we are unable to offer flexible days or ‘extra’ days for our children.

Where possible, we will try to offer the preschool class most suitable for your child and your preferred days of care, however this cannot always be guaranteed or negotiated.

Our preschool operates for 40 weeks of the year, as per the gazetted NSW School Terms. We are closed during term breaks and end of year holidays.

Fees are not charged for the holiday periods or for public holidays that fall within a school term.

Each year, our fees will vary depending on the funding made available to our service and will be advised to families by November the year prior to preschool year commencing.

Elizabeth Chifley Presbyterian Preschool is eligible for the Start Strong for Community Preschools program, administered by NSW Department of Education.

There are also other funding opportunities available which we apply for to benefit our families by way of subsidised fees.

Please note: Centrelink CCB and CCS benefits do not apply to NSW Funded Preschools.

Once all funding is applied, we will always endeavour to keep our fees as low as possible for all families, and discounts are also available for families of equity status.

Yes, fees are still payable for any days missed due to holidays or illness. This is because your child’s preschool spot is held exclusively for them, ensuring their enrolled position is secured for their return.