About Us

Preschool Hours: 8.30am to 4.00pm

Our Preschool is a three unit community based, not for profit, preschool licensed for 60 children per day, offering early childhood education for 120 children in the 3 – 5 year old age group over a 5 day week. The present Jacaranda building was purchased by the community, after a fundraising ball, and placed on land donated by Sutherland Shire Council in 1952. Jacaranda continues to receive the support of Sutherland Shire Council as the landlord of the building. Extensive building and playground renovations provided through parent building fund donations, fundraising and community grants have ensured that Jacaranda is a safe, happy, nurturing and evolving environment.

Jacaranda is committed to providing children and families with an enthusiastic, resourceful and dedicated team of professional early childhood educators and support staff. Teachers and educators are employed with higher than regulated qualifications and the staff ratios have been increased due to the employment of trainees.

Jacaranda is funded by the NSW State Government through the Dept. of Education – Early Childhood Education Directorate. Funding is based on the number of children who attend in their year prior to school. Equity funding is available for parents in receipt of a low income health care card. The Disability Inclusion Program (Dip) provides support, funding, resources and training to assist preschools with improving the participation and educational outcomes of children with a disability or additional needs in their service. Fees are set yearly by the Management Committee, based on the funding that will be received in the following year. Jacaranda also has a Building Fund which is tax deductible and a Term Levy. Any fundraising during the year is for charities.

Team

Jacaranda is committed to providing children and families with an enthusiastic, resourceful and dedicated team of professional early childhood teachers, educators and support staff.  Jacaranda has employed educators with higher than regulated qualifications and in recent years has chosen to increase the child to educator ratio by employing trainees.

Each class has a teacher with early childhood university qualifications, an educator with early childhood TAFE qualifications to Diploma level and a trainee who is studying for an early childhood education qualification.

When Preschool Disability Support Program funding is available, suitably experienced and qualified Inclusion Support staff is employed for children with additional needs.

The Educational/Outdoor Leader is an early childhood teacher who leads the teaching team to provide a quality educational curriculum and program.

The Administration Officer is committed to providing information and support to parents concerning their fees and enrollments.

The team is led by our experienced management and early childhood qualified Director/Nominated Supervisor who, in conjunction with the Management Committee, works toward Jacaranda Preschool being a quality preschool.

  • Jacaranda Preschool Caringbah
“To provide a consistently high level of education and care for children by having a higher than the required 2:20 teacher to child ratio in each classroom (per QA4). Educators are more likely to be responsive, purposeful and thoughtful when staffing arrangements allow them to direct their full attention to their work with children
(adapted from the Early Years Learning Framework, p14-15)”(p12)

Preschool fees are determined after the funding guidelines have been released each year.

Weekly Kindy Gym
for all children

Decided by the YMCA each year

Tax Deductible Building
Fund Donation
$200

per year

Levy in lieu of fundraising
$200

per year

Children who have a Low Income Health Care Card are funded for a lower fee by the Dept of Education.

Our Structure

Jacaranda Preschool is a not-for profit preschool. It is an Incorporated Association under the Incorporated Associations Act. The Constitution was Registered (Y2169812) May 5, 1995, amended in 2019 and reviewed regularly to ensure best practice.

A Membership of the Association (all parents and interested parties) is outlined in Part 2 of the Constitution of Jacaranda Preschool Centre Inc. “Interested parties” is anyone who is not a parent of the centre but shows an interest and wishes to be part of the Management Committee. These people still have to be nominated and elected to the Committee and need to pay a membership fee of $1 per year.

The Management Committee is elected by members of the association. The Committee consists of parents and members of the local community as outlined in Part 3 of the Constitution.

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