Welcome to Shoalhaven Community Preschool
We are a community based not-for-profit preschool operating since 1958.
We are licenced for 60 children each day providing a high-quality and inclusive education program for children aged 3-6 years. We have been assessed and rated as an Exceeding service against the National Quality Standards. The preschool is licensed by the Department of Education and Communities (DEC) and supervised by advisors from this department in the children’s services directorate.
Waitlist & Priority of Access
We have an active waitlist which is kept up to date. In the interest of equity and accessibility we aim to offer children 600 hours of preschool (2 days per week). We are funded by the Department of Education under the Start Strong Funding and are required to give priority of access to;
- Children who are at least 4 years old on or before 31 July in that preschool year and not enrolled or registered at a school
- Children who are at least 3 years old on or before 31 July in that preschool year and are:
- children from low-income families
- children with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background
- children with disability or additional needs
- children with English language needs
- Children who are at risk of significant harm (from a child protection perspective).
Opening Hours
Our preschool day is between 8:00am and 3:30pm.
We are open Monday to Friday 40 weeks of the year and run to NSW school terms. The preschool operates on the basis of 4 terms each school year following school holidays as determined by the Department of Education and Communities. Pupil free days are at the start of Term 1 and the end of Term 4 only (not mid-year)
Research shows that children who participate in a quality early childhood education program for at least 600 hours in the year before school are more likely to arrive at school equipped with the social, cognitive and emotional skills they need to engage in learning. The benefits endure well beyond primary school. Higher levels of educational attainment, economic participation and family well-being have all been linked to moderate levels of participation in early childhood education.
— NSW Department of Education
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
We would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we are on, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of the Wandi Wandrian Country. We value the strong connection to Country and the significance of the mountains, rivers and oceans that are an integral part of Wandi Wandrian Country. We recognise the rich stories, language and culture and pay our respects to elders of the past, present, and future.
